Call for Speakers - Azure AI Connect 2026
Call for Speakers: Shape the Conscience of AI at AI Connect 2026 Greetings Innovators, Builders, and Thinkers, Last year at AI Connect, we celebrated the dawn of a new age. Today, we stand in the bright, intense light of that new day. Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future promise; it is a present reality, reshaping our world with astonishing speed. With this incredible power comes a profound responsibility. The most important work is no longer just about building more capable AI, but about building more conscionable AI. AI Connect is a 5-day event dedicated to this mission. We are calling for the boldest minds in the field to guide the conversation. We will move beyond the "how" of technology to confront the "why" and "what if." We will ask the hard questions: As we develop powerful new tools, are we architecting a better future? How do we embed our values into the silicon and code that will define the next generation of intelligence? We seek speakers who can illuminate the path forward. If you are working on, researching, or have a powerful perspective on the following, we want to hear from you: Key Themes for Discussion: The follwing are some ideas. This is an orientation list, we will look into ALL submissions even if they are not aligned with the main theme! Architecting Trust: Sessions on Explainability (XAI), fairness audits, bias mitigation, and creating transparent AI systems that earn human trust. The Agent & The Collective: Exploring the potential and pitfalls of autonomous agents, A2A communication, and multi-agent systems. Are they a force for unprecedented progress or unmanageable complexity? From Model to Mandate: Practical sessions on implementing responsible AI governance, navigating the regulatory landscape, and creating ethical frameworks that stick. Securing the Future: Deep dives into AI safety, alignment research, data privacy, and robust defenses against adversarial attacks. Generative AI in the Wild: Real-world case studies on deploying LLMs and generative tools responsibly, focusing on reducing harm, grounding in truth, and delivering real value. AI for Humanity: Inspiring stories and technical breakdowns of how AI is being used to tackle global challenges in climate, healthcare, education, and social equity. Why Lend Your Voice to AI Connect? Drive the Agenda: Help set the direction for the responsible development of AI. Elevate Your Impact: Share your work with an engaged audience of professionals and leaders. Build Your Network: Connect with peers who share your passion for ethical technology. Inspire the Next Generation: Your insights can empower hundreds of others to build with purpose. Feel free to partner with a colleague for a joint session to offer a richer, more diverse viewpoint. Session Format: Sessions are 60 minutes in length, designed to be interactive and leave a lasting impression.Responsible AI and the Evolution of AI Security
Why Responsible AI Matters Responsible AI means designing, developing, and deploying AI systems that are ethical, transparent, and accountable. It's not just about compliance—it's about building trust, protecting users, and ensuring AI benefits everyone. Key Principles of Responsible AI: Fairness: Avoiding biases and discrimination by using diverse datasets and regular audits. Reliability & Safety: Rigorous testing to ensure AI performs as intended, even in unexpected scenarios. Privacy & Security: Protecting user data with robust safeguards. Transparency: Making AI decisions explainable and understandable. Accountability: Establishing governance to address negative impacts. Inclusiveness: Considering diverse user needs and perspectives. Responsible AI reduces bias, increases transparency, and builds user trust—critical as AI systems increasingly impact finance, healthcare, public services, and more. Implementing Responsible AI isn't just about ethical ideals—it's a foundation that demands technical safeguards. For developers, this means translating principles like fairness and transparency into secure code, robust data handling, and model hardening strategies that preempt real-world AI threats. The Evolution of AI Security: From Afterthought to Essential AI security has come a long way—from an afterthought to a central pillar of modern digital defense. In the early days, security was reactive, with threats addressed only after damage occurred. The integration of AI shifted this paradigm, enabling proactive threat detection and behavioral analytics that spot anomalies before they escalate. Key Milestones in AI Security: Pattern Recognition: Early AI focused on detecting unusual patterns, laying the groundwork for threat detection. Expert Systems: Rule-based systems in the 1970s-80s emulated human decision-making for security assessments. Machine Learning: The late 1990s saw the rise of ML algorithms that could analyze vast data and predict threats. Deep Learning: Neural networks now recognize complex threats and adapt to evolving attack methods. Real-Time Defense: Modern AI-driven platforms (like Darktrace) create adaptive, self-learning security environments that anticipate and neutralize threats proactively. Why AI Security Is Now Mandatory With the explosion of AI-powered applications and cloud services, security risks have multiplied. AI attacks are a new frontier in cybersecurity. What Are AI Attacks? AI attacks are malicious activities that target AI systems and models. Data Poisoning: Attackers manipulate training data to corrupt AI outputs. Model Theft: Sensitive models and datasets can be stolen or reverse-engineered. Adversarial Attacks: Malicious inputs can trick AI systems into making wrong decisions. Privacy Breaches: Sensitive user data can leak if not properly protected. Regulatory frameworks and industry standards now require organizations to adopt robust AI security practices to protect users, data, and critical infrastructure. Tools and Techniques for Secure AI Infrastructure and Applications Zero Trust Architecture Adopt a "never trust, always verify" approach. Enforce strict authentication and authorization for every user and device Data Security Protocols Encrypt data at rest, in transit, and during processing. Use tools like Microsoft Purview for data classification, cataloging, and access control Harden AI Models Train models with adversarial examples. Implement input validation, anomaly detection, and regular security assessments Secure API and Endpoint Management Use API gateways, OAuth 2.0, and TLS to secure endpoints. Monitor and rate-limit API access to prevent abuse. Continuous Monitoring and Incident Response Deploy AI-powered Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems for real-time threat detection and response Regularly audit logs and security events across your infrastructure. DevSecOps Integration Embed security into every phase of the AI development lifecycle. Automate security testing in CI/CD pipelines. Employee Training and Governance Train teams on AI-specific risks and responsible data handling. Establish clear governance frameworks for AI ethics and compliance Azure-Specific Security Tools Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Monitors and protects Azure resources. Azure Resource Graph Explorer: Maintains inventory of models, data, and assets. Microsoft Purview: Manages data security, privacy, and compliance across Azure services. Microsoft Purview provides a centralized platform for data governance, security, and compliance across your entire data estate. Why Microsoft Purview Matters for Responsible AI Microsoft Purview offers a unified, cloud-native solution for: Data discovery and classification Access management and policy enforcement Compliance monitoring and risk mitigation Data quality and observability Purview's integrated approach ensures that AI systems are built on trusted, well-governed, and secure data, addressing the core principles of responsible AI: fairness, transparency, privacy, and accountability. Conclusion Responsible AI and strong AI security measures are no longer optional; they are essential pillars of modern application development and integration on Azure. By adhering to ethical principles and utilizing cutting-edge security tools and strategies, organizations can drive innovation with confidence while safeguarding users, data, and the broader society.
