Key Takeaways
- The 2026 Value and Responsibility in AI Technologies Conference at Gonzaga emphasized that AI’s impact spans the entire human lifespan, not just technical domains.
- Attendance grew from ~180 in 2025 to nearly 300, drawing K‑12 educators, university faculty, students, entrepreneurs, and regional business leaders.
- Discussions framed AI as a catalyst for lifelong formation, linking technical skill development with ethical discernment, critical thinking, and care for the whole person.
- A Jesuit‑scholar opening panel highlighted that the most urgent AI questions concern identity, agency, and moral responsibility rather than mere code.
- Student‑led projects demonstrated how technical fluency can coexist with reflective, human‑centered inquiry, fostering cross‑disciplinary dialogue.
- Workforce insights revealed that employers value the ability to navigate complexity, lead through uncertainty, and support others—skills rooted in Jesuit principles.
- Community engagement expanded, with roughly one‑third of attendees from Spokane‑area businesses and nearly 50 K‑12 teachers participating via a Gates‑Foundation‑supported program.
- Gonzaga’s Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology is fostering real‑world collaborations, expanding faculty development, and creating a pipeline that connects education, industry, and community.
- University leadership stressed that sustainable AI innovation requires partnership, purpose, and responsibility, positioning the institute as an investment in people who will lead with integrity.
- Ongoing support—through gifts, advisory roles, or sponsorship—is invited to sustain iterative, relational work that prepares thoughtful adults for an AI‑shaped world.
Overview of the Conference Theme
The second annual Value and Responsibility in AI Technologies Conference, hosted by Gonzaga University’s Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology on April 23‑24, 2026, shifted the focus from algorithms to formation. Rather than debating code or computational scale, participants explored what it means to become fully human when technology advances faster than any single institution can master. The gathering of nearly 300 educators, students, business leaders, and community partners underscored a shared conviction: AI’s challenges are fundamentally human, demanding lifelong reflection and ethical engagement.
Attendance and Participant Diversity
Compared with roughly 180 attendees in 2025, this year’s conference welcomed close to 300 individuals, reflecting heightened interest across sectors. The audience included K‑12 teachers and administrators from across Washington state, university faculty and researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and regional business leaders. Each group arrived with distinct curiosities—ranging from classroom implementation strategies to workforce readiness and ethical AI design—yet all converged on a common thread: the need to prepare people for a world where AI reshapes learning, identity, and contribution.
A Lifelong Continuum of Human Formation
A central insight emerging from the event was that AI’s implications ripple through every stage of life, forming a continuum rather than isolated milestones. Instead of treating education, career, and retirement as separate pipelines to be optimized, speakers traced a human journey shaped by relationships, decisions, and transitional moments. This perspective reinforced Gonzaga’s belief that purposeful engagement with AI must span a lifetime, nurturing technical literacy alongside the confidence and capacity to lead with intention amid rapid change.
Opening Panel: Jesuit Perspectives on AI and the Person
The conference opened with a panel of Jesuit scholars probing a question rarely centered in AI discourse: how does this technology shape the formation of the human person? Panelists examined AI’s challenges to assumptions about identity, agency, and moral responsibility while also highlighting opportunities for reflection and growth. One speaker, who collaborates directly with leading AI developers, shared insights into ongoing efforts to embed ethical reasoning into emerging models. The discussion resonated because it affirmed what many sensed: the most pressing AI questions are not technical but deeply human, concerning who we are and how we ought to act.
Student Projects and Research Showcase
Gonzaga students took the stage to demonstrate what thoughtful AI engagement looks like in practice. During a student panel and research showcase, over two dozen projects—prototypes, research studies, and reflective presentations—illustrated both technical fluency and a keen awareness of AI’s broader societal implications. The work drew sustained attention for its curiosity, grounded nature, and interdisciplinary reach. Conversations extended beyond formal presentations, becoming spontaneous points of connection among students, faculty, and industry partners, thereby bridging experience levels and ideas in real time.
Workforce Needs: Beyond Technical Skills
In the afternoon, the dialogue turned to the workforce, exploring what organizations actually seek amid rapid technological change. The consensus was clear: while expertise and AI skills remain important, they are not the primary differentiator. Employers increasingly value individuals who can navigate complexity, lead through uncertainty, and support peers as they adapt. In other words, industries desire critical thinking, ethical discernment, and care for the whole person—qualities that align with Gonzaga’s Jesuit tradition. As AI evolves, these capacities are becoming essential rather than optional.
Expanding Community Engagement
The conference marked a notable expansion in community involvement. Approximately one‑third of attendees represented Spokane‑area businesses, signaling growing interest in how AI intersects with regional industry and economic development. Simultaneously, nearly 50 K‑12 educators participated through a program supported by the Gates Foundation, which has pledged continued investment in Gonzaga’s “Navigating AI” initiative. These partnerships illustrate a broader vision: education is not confined within institutional walls but is intentionally and continuously linked to the communities it serves.
Collaborative Model and Faculty Development
Building on this momentum, the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology is creating structured opportunities for students, educators, and industry partners to collaborate on real‑world challenges. Such initiatives aim to produce innovations that cut across disciplines and sectors while fostering mutual learning. Parallel to these efforts, Gonzaga is investing in faculty development to ensure that teaching and research across all disciplines evolve thoughtfully alongside emerging technologies, keeping pedagogy relevant and ethically grounded.
Leadership Reflections and Call to Partnership
Gonzaga University President Katia Passerini, Ph.D., encapsulated the conference’s spirit by stating that no single institution can navigate AI’s pace alone. She emphasized that leadership lies in partnership—aligning education, industry, and community to steer innovation with purpose and responsibility. Investment in the Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology, she argued, is an investment in people: graduates equipped to lead with clarity, integrity, and measurable impact in a rapidly changing world. The president expressed gratitude to advisors, sponsors, and philanthropists whose support fuels this collective endeavor.
Closing Reflection: An Ongoing, Relational Effort
Like a well‑crafted AI prompt, the work begun at the conference is iterative, relational, and ongoing. Session recordings and highlights will be made available online to extend the dialogue beyond the campus walls. For those moved to contribute, opportunities exist to give, advise, or sponsor programs that broaden access, deepen learning, and amplify Gonzaga’s impact across education, industry, and community. Ultimately, raising thoughtful, capable adults in the age of AI cannot happen in isolation; it truly takes a world.