The University of Puget Sound will host the Puget Sound Symposium on AI & Privacy on April 16, 2026. This one-day event brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to confront the ethical and legal challenges posed by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. The symposium is organized by the university’s AI & Human Values Initiative.
As a liberal arts institution, Puget Sound is uniquely positioned to lead this important conversation. While much of the public discussion around AI focuses on what is technically possible, Puget Sound's commitment to the humanities, sciences, and ethical inquiry encourages us to explore deeper questions: Should we pursue these technologies? How can we do so responsibly?
“The use of artificial intelligence today is wide-ranging, and privacy is a fundamental value that can be undermined or altered by these technologies,” said Professor of Philosophy Ariela Tubert, who leads the AI & Human Values Initiative. “By bringing together experts from different perspectives — from legal theorists to technologists — we hope to foster the creative thinking necessary to address these new forms of vulnerability and develop robust governance frameworks.”
The symposium is designed for a broad audience, ranging from professionals in technology, law, government, and healthcare to educators and members of the general public who wish to understand how AI is reshaping personal rights.
Program Highlights
The symposium will be structured to address both the theoretical foundations and practical applications of AI privacy:
- Morning Sessions: Focused on legal and theoretical challenges, exploring the specific privacy vulnerabilities created by AI systems.
- Afternoon Sessions: Dedicated to technical and governance frameworks, including “privacy-by-design” solutions and hybrid approaches to privacy governance.
- Keynote Address: Nita Farahany, the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Professor of Law & Philosophy at the Duke University School of Law and founding director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, will present “The Battle for Your Brain: Mental Privacy in the Age of Brain-Sensing Technology.” Her talk highlights the urgent need for neurotechnology regulation — an area previously unaddressed when access to thoughts depended solely on a person's willingness to share them.
Speakers
The symposium features a collaborative lineup of experts across multiple disciplines, including:
- Akshita Bhagia, senior research engineer at the Allen Institute for AI.
- Ryan Calo, the Virginia and Prentice Bloedel Professor in the School of Law at the University of Washington.
- Mike Hintze, partner at Hintze Law.
- Austin Jenkins, reporter for Pluribus News.
- Jennifer King, privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
- Shelley Kloba, Washington state representative.
- Yuval Marton, a computational linguist and consultant at Genentech.
- Ben Merkel, federal affairs and legislative policy strategy lead at Anthropic.
- Adam D. Moore, professor in the Information School at the University of Washington.
- Afroditi Psarra, a multidisciplinary artist and an associate professor in the Digital Arts and Experimental Media department at the University of Washington.
- Chris Riley, executive director of the Data Transfer Initiative.
- Katy Ruckle, Washington state’s chief privacy officer.
- Cam Smith, a Seattle-based independent artist.
- Kaiwen Sun, an assistant professor at Indiana University Bloomington.
- Mayu Tobin-Miyaji, an EPIC Law Fellow on AI and Human Rights at Electronic Privacy Information Center.
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James Wenlock, a Seattle-based composer and software developer.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. Registration is required, but tickets are free for the campus community and the general public. For more information and to register, visit pugetsound.edu/aisymposium.
