50th ABS Annual Conference: Full Schedule

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9:00am EDT

Artificial Intelligence and Human Progress: How We Learn, Create, and Build Together

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT

Limited Capacity seats available

Artificial intelligence is transforming how we learn, create, and collaborate, raising profound questions about human identity, truth, and our collective future. This panel explores how AI can be harnessed as a force for human progress, drawing on Bahá’í teachings to integrate scientific and spiritual principles in an era of rapid change. It considers how the tools we build, and how we use them, shape society, emphasizing AI’s potential to advance collective progress when aligned with values such as justice, unity, and human dignity. Panelists will examine how AI is reshaping the pursuit of knowledge and creative expression, reimagining creativity as a collaboration between human intention and machine capability, while also addressing the ethical responsibilities of design. The session invites participants to reflect on how AI can support more meaningful learning, creative expression, and shared advancement.

Speakers

Duane Varan

Dr. Varan is CEO/Founder of MediaPET.ai, an AI video platform, and MediaScience, a leading provider of audience research counting almost every US TV network as a client. He ranks among the top 10 researchers in the advertising discipline, was recipient of the Australian Prime Minister's... Read More →

Sohail Bagheri

Sohail Bagheri is a Product Designer at Cisco building enterprise AI products in Security. He holds a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University and is interested in the ethics of AI design and the responsibility designers have in building prosocial AI... Read More →

Berkeley Churchill

Berkeley is a computer scientist with a wide range of interests, including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

Saturday August 8, 2026 9:00am - 10:15am EDT
212

Technology, Breakout

10:30am EDT

Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness: A Cohesive Approach

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT

212

Limited Capacity seats available

This presentation offers a cohesive framework for examining artificial intelligence and consciousness through scientific and Bahá’í perspectives. It addresses major societal questions: Can AI ever possess consciousness? Could it surpass human intelligence? Is Artificial General Intelligence achievable? By distinguishing functional intelligence from conscious experience and drawing on Bahá’í teachings about the soul and the progressive unfoldment of knowledge, the talk integrates empirical insight with spiritual understanding. It argues that AI reflects human creativity rather than embodying consciousness and proposes ethical principles to guide its development in service to human progress.

Speakers

Baron Ntambwe

Senior Engineering Manager: Software, Walmart Global Tech

Baron is an independent researcher in Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering with 15 years of industry experience in engineering mission-critical software and AI technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Systems and a Master of Science in AI. He spends... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 10:30am - 11:45am EDT
212

Technology, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Dissemination of Knowledge: Insights from the Academic Discourse on Technology and Society within Communities of Professionals

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

212

Limited Capacity seats available

In this breakout session, a panel will share several recent experiences introducing ideas from academic discourse on technology and society in professional settings. These modest experiences extend the ABS special interest group on technology’s learning about seminars for professionals into a variety of other contexts, including roundtable discussions, curriculum development, and professional development workshops. Extension to such settings represent some of the special interest group’s efforts to develop an outward-looking culture within the Association through collaborative initiatives. Following panelists’ remarks, participants will be invited to discuss contributions to technology discourse and how to introduce them into ongoing conversations.

Speakers

Mark Dittmer

Mark is a professional software developer and Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo.

Quddus George

Ridvan

Quddús George is a software consultant and has supported the technological needs of individuals and businesses as well as various institutions and high minded organizations. His interest lies in grappling with the Baha’i conceptual framework as it relates to the advancement of... Read More →

Sami Joubert

Sami's background is in computer information systems, software development, and software support. His interest is in engaging in social action and discourse related to technology from a Baha’i perspective.

Niaz Khadem

Niaz Khadem serves as secretary for the Regional Baha’i Council of Appalachia. His research and action focus on promoting solidarity and protagonism among groups of families and individuals. He is interested in language education, capacity building, social action and transformative... Read More →

Janice Ndegwa

Janice Ndegwa is a PhD candidate researching the history of technology and the environment in 19th century East Africa. Her interest is in exploring how to contribute to technology discourse to the advancement of society.

Adib Shafipour

Adib Shafipour is a researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, affiliated with the School of Biomedical Informatics. His research centers on the application of artificial intelligence for disease detection and image segmentation. He is particularly interested... Read More →

Shabnam Tashakour

Shabnam Tashakour has an M.A. in Child Studies and Education and is a Certified Teacher in Ontario. She has worked in the field of Education and community development both within and outside of the Baha’i community. She is currently teaching and coordinating the service-learning... Read More →

Naveen Tayyebi

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
212

Technology, Breakout

2:00pm EDT

Social Media Awareness in the Age of AI

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT

205

Limited Capacity seats available

This presentation explores social media awareness in the age of artificial intelligence through digital literacy, cognitive science, and Bahá’í ethical perspectives. Drawing on Bahá’í writings, it frames the internet and AI as tools for global connection that require moral responsibility. The discussion examines how algorithms and dopamine reward loops influence attention and behavior, while addressing embedded bias and inequity. Emphasizing accuracy, kindness, forbearance, and unity, the presentation encourages students, educators, and communities to engage social media and AI in ways that advance justice and collective well-being.

Speakers

Timothy Conley

Timothy L. Conley is an educator, academic leader, filmmaker, and media professional with experience in Communication Studies, Film Studies, Africana Studies, and digital media. He has taught at colleges and universities across California and served in leadership roles advancing curriculum... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 2:00pm - 3:15pm EDT
205

Technology, Breakout

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3:30pm EDT

Unity and Justice in Transit and Transportation Systems

LIMITED

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT

212

Limited Capacity seats available

Transportation and transit networks constitute interdependent social systems that shape human access, opportunity, equity, and collective wellbeing. Despite recent advances, these systems exhibit unequal access, fragmented governance, and inconsistent cultures of quality and accountability. Bahá’u’lláh’s vision reframes mobility and this presentation focuses on a vision of unified mobility system: in which technical innovation and multimodal integration are matched by spiritual and ethical principles. Through visualization, storytelling, and hands on participatory mapping, this workshop raises capacity in participants as protagonists who can influence mobility systems in their localities.

Speakers

Keivan Hassan

Keivan Hassan, PE, is a senior engineering executive specializing in quality governance, systems engineering, and public-sector infrastructure delivery. With more than 24 years of experience across transit, highways, and alternative delivery of megaprojects for Caltrans, LA Metro... Read More →

Saturday August 8, 2026 3:30pm - 4:45pm EDT
212

Technology, Breakout

9:00am EDT

10:30am EDT

2:00pm EDT

2:00pm EDT

3:30pm EDT

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