AI Conference: From Code to Consequences

The Murphy Institute is thrilled to announce a Spring 2026 research symposium titled “AI: From Code to Consequences,” on Friday, April 17 through Saturday, April 18. The two-day event will convene experts, thought leaders, and policy planners to explore the current state of AI across society, law, science, and policy, shedding light on these transformative technologies and how they are fundamentally (re)shaping our society. 

This event is proudly hosted by The Murphy Institute, in partnership with:

• Tulane School of Science and Engineering
• A.B. Freeman School of Business
• Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment
• Tulane Law
• Tulane School of Professional Advancement
• Tulane's Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science

This event is free and open to the public. Registration details coming soon. 

Conference Details

The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – including both generative and traditional methodologies – is rapidly transforming the foundations of our daily life. This technology mediates everything from economic policy and scientific discovery to legal frameworks and personal decision-making.

AI, and the broader digital revolution we've been enmeshed in for the last 75 years, has undeniably made us more connected, yet it has also created new challenges and barriers between us. This multidisciplinary symposium will address the essential questions raised by this transformation: "What is the current state of these technologies, and how can we guide their adoption and use toward a more equitable and beneficial future?"

Day One: Keynotes and panel discussions from more than a dozen experts and global thought leaders will delve into the latest research on topics including current and emerging AI technologies, the impact of AI on the labor market, and building frameworks for responsible and ethical AI.

Friday, April 17, 2026 
11:00–5:30 PM (reception to follow)
New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI)
725 Howard Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70130 

Day Two: Five sessions dedicated to examining specific social, legal, and economic challenges posed by AI will be held at Tulane University. These sessions bring together interdisciplinary group of scholars from Tulane and other institutions to explore selected aspects of AI in greater depth and foster dialogue across diverse perspectives and disciplines. Designed to complement the broader discussions of the first day, these 30-minute sessions will provide focused insights into key issues of AI, with questions from the audience.

Friday, April 18, 2026
9:00–12:45 PM 
Steven and Jann Paul Hall for Science and Engineering  
Lindy Boggs Building, Tulane University
 

AI Symposium Schedule

DAY 1 | FRIDAY, APRIL 17 

New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute (NOCHI )

11:00–11:15 AM | WELCOME REMARKS 

Gary (Hoov) Hoover, Executive Director, The Murphy Institute

Dean Paulo Goes, Tulane A.B. Freeman School of Business

11:15–12:30 PM | OPENING KEYNOTE SESSION

Michael Littman, Director of the Division for Information and Intelligent Systems, National Science Foundation

Moderator: Walter Isaacson, Leonard A. Lauder Professor of History and American Values, Tulane University

12:45–1:45 PM | WHAT IS AI? A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE

Ahmed Abbasi, Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations, University of Notre Dame

Sean McSpaden, Principal Legislative IT Analyst, Oregon Legislative Fiscal Office

Francesca Rossi, AI Ethics Global Leader at IBM

Susan Schneider, William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Florida Atlantic University

Ari Ezra Waldman, Professor of Law, UC-Irvine School of Law

Moderator: Nick Mattei, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Co-Director of the Tulane Center for Community Engaged AI, Tulane University

2:00–3:00 PM | AI AND THE LABOR MARKET

Kevin Hong, Professor of Business Technology, Miami Herbert Centennial Endowed Chair, and Associate Dean of Research, University of Miami Herbert Business School

Gal Oestreicher-Singer, Mexico Professor of Information Systems and Associate Dean of Research at the Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University

Frank Pasquale, Professor of Law at Cornell Tech and Cornell Law School

Prasanna (Sonny) Tambe, Professor of Operations, Information, and Decisions and Co-Director of Wharton Human-AI Research, University of Pennsylvania

Greg Weiss, Co-Chair of the AI Exploratory Committee, National Association of Counties

Moderator: Yi-Jen (Ian) Ho, Associate Professor of Management Science, Tulane A.B. Freeman School of Business

3:15–4:15 PM | RESPONSIBLE AND ETHICAL AI

John Dickerson, CEO of Mozilla.ai

Mark Geistfeld, Sheila Lubetsky Birnbaum Professor of Civil Litigation, NYU Law School

Anjana Susarla, Faculty Director of the Center for Ethical and Socially Responsible Leadership, Omura-Saxena Professor in Responsible AI, Michigan State University

Suresh Venkatasubrananiam, Director of the Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination, and Redesign with the Data Science Institute, Brown University

Moderator: John Levendis, Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Research Services at the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science, Tulane University

4:30–5:30 PM | CLOSING KEYNOTE SESSION

Jon Krohn, host of SuperDataScience, Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist at Nebula

Moderator: John Renne, Professor in Real Estate and Urban Planning, Program Director of the Real Estate Development, Tulane University

5:30–6:30 PM | RECEPTION AT NOCHI 

NOCHI is located near downtown New Orleans at 725 Howard Avenue, New Orleans, LA. 70130

DAY 2 | SATURDAY, APRIL 18

 Steven and Jann Paul Hall, Lindy Boggs Building, Tulane University

9:00–9:15 AM | WELCOME REMARKS

Gary (Hoov) Hoover, Executive Director, The Murphy Institute

Dean Iñaki Alday, Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment

Dean Hridesh Rajan, Tulane School of Science and Engineering

9:15–9:45 AM | SESSION 1

Thomas Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University

9:45–10:15 AM | SESSION 2

Asaf Lubin, Associate Professor of Law at Maurer School of Law, Indiana University

10:30–11:00 AM | SESSION 3

Jiannan (Harry) Wang, Professor of MIS at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, University of Delaware

11:00–11:30 AM | SESSION 4

Susan Schneider, William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Florida Atlantic University

11:45–12:15 PM | SESSION 5

John Dickerson, CEO of Mozilla.ai

12:15–12:20 PM | CLOSING REMARKS

Gary (Hoov) Hoover, Executive Director, The Murphy Institute

12:20–12:45 PM | NETWORKING SESSION WITH SPEAKERS

Paul Hall is located on the first floor of the Boggs Center for Energy & Biotechnology (aka Lindy Boggs Building), building #15 on the Tulane campus map