AI Dialogues
May 26th | May 27th 2025
Join our AI dialogues, a two-day workshop exploring AI's impact on employment, climate, and smart cities, culminating in actionable policy recommendations for ethical AI development built on a strong academic foundation.
The AI Dialogues include a paper release and a stakeholder meeting to discuss key findings, drive future discussions, and provide valuable networking opportunities.
Location: All sessions will take place at Mintlab, located on floor -1 of the Faculty of Social Sciences, KU Leuven (Parkstraat 45, 3000 Leuven, Belgium)
Session 1: AI and Human Employment
May 26th - 2025
Moderator : Steven Dhondt (KU Leuven, TNO)
Workshop organized by Frank Pasquale (Cornell Tech), Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven), Vickie Dekocker (Agoria), Tom Vrijens (ACV), Kristof Vrancken (KU Leuven, LUCA School of Arts) and Aida Ponce Del Castillo (European Trade Union Institute)
Session 2: AI and Climate
Moderator: Katja Biedenkopf (KU Leuven)
Workshop organized by Benedetta Brevini (University of Sydney & NYU) and Peggy Valcke (KU Leuven & BIPT)
Followed by an online lecture by Yoshua Bengio (Université de Montreal)
May 27th - 2025
Session 3: AI and Smart Cities
Moderator: Gert-Jan Put (KU Leuven)
Presentation and discussion with Chao Wang (KU Leuven & Sun Yat-sen University, China), Joep Crompvoets (KU Leuven) and Katrien Pype (KU Leuven)
Discussant: Florence M. Chee (Loyola University Chicago)
Session 3b: Vision, strategy, and approach of the City of Leuven on smart cities and AI
&
Guided smart city walk / sensor safari in Leuven
Presentation by Tim Guily (Policy Advisor, Smart City Leuven) introducing the city's vision and approach to smart cities and AI, plus an introduction to the smart city walk / sensor safari.
Followed by A guided walk through Leuven’s city center, with stops at various smart city infrastructure sites related to air quality, urban heat islands, night-time noise, ANPR cameras, and more.
Session 4: Policy Note Collaboration
Writing groups in which we produce three core policy documents, each focusing on one of our key themes.
Session 5: Closing Remarks and Future Steps
Our AI Dialogues will conclude with a summary of the key takeaways and a discussion of the next steps for disseminating the policy notes to relevant stakeholders.
Followed by a networking reception