Cross-Sector Dialogue, Collaborative Problem Solving, and New Partnerships

Join the Social Impacts of Computing (SioC) Workshop
September 17-18 2026

Register: https://boi.st/sioc-workshop-2026

AI and computing technologies are rapidly changing how we learn, work, conduct research, solve problems, and serve communities. These changes create exciting opportunities, but they also raise important questions about ethics, access, trust, risk, adoption, and human impact.

This two-day SioC workshop will bring together students, faculty, researchers, community members, educators, and industry partners to exchange ideas, address real-world challenges, and build new partnerships around responsible and creative uses of AI and computing technologies.

Keynote Speaker
The workshop will feature keynote speaker Dr. Jay Yang.

Dr. Yang is the Reisenauer Family Director of Institute for Informatics and Applied Technology at Gonzaga University, leading the transformation of education and learning across disciplines with Generative AI. He has 20+ years of higher-ed experiences between Rochester Institute of Technology and Gonzaga University.

Themed Sessions
Each session will run for approximately two to three hours and will include:

• Theme/session overview — an introduction to the topic, key issues, and guiding questions.
• Panel conversation — two or three speakers offering different perspectives from research, education, community, or industry.
• Roundtable discussion — audience-led small-group conversations to identify challenges, share ideas, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

AI Hesitance 9/17/26
This session examines hesitance toward AI adoption, including concerns related to trust, privacy, bias, reliability, job displacement, training, ethics, and access. Participants will discuss why people or organizations may hesitate to use AI and how responsible design and support can address these concerns.

AI Across Education 9/17/26
This session explores AI as a catalyst for research, creative activity, teaching, and learning across educational settings. Participants will consider how AI can support innovation while also raising important questions about academic integrity, equity, learning design, assessment, and support for students and educators.

RISE + AI Scholarship 9/18/26
This session will feature Boise State’s NSF-funded Responsible Innovation and Scholarship Experience program (RISE) project team. Graduate researchers will share how they engage with ethical principles in compute-related research across areas such as biomedicine, ecology, machine reasoning, and AI scholarship. Participants will explore how to mitigate AI-related risks, engage stakeholders, and incorporate human flourishing throughout innovation.

Tech Kitchen 9/18/26
This session invites participants to bring real-world challenges that could potentially be addressed through AI or computing technologies. The focus will be on connecting problems with creative ideas, practical tools, and potential partnerships.

Who Should Attend?
The SioC Workshop welcomes undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, researchers, educators, community partners, industry professionals, AI users and developers, and anyone interested in responsible, creative, and practical uses of AI and computing technologies. 

Why Participate?
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about emerging AI issues, share real-world challenges, connect across sectors, contribute to collaborative problem solving, and help shape future partnerships around responsible AI innovation.

Join us to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and contribute to more responsible, inclusive, and impactful AI and computing innovation.