AI SAFETY & SECURITY SUMMIT - Europe
Beyond Awareness - Towards Action & Accountability
Oct 26-27, 2026 | In-Person & Virtual
Popular narratives about AI safety are dominated by discourse about existential risks and user errors dressed up as “rogue” AI. The AI safety monoculture centers the narrative around imagined and tech-inflicted catastrophes, deflecting attention and diverting resources away from real present-day dangers to our communities, organizations, and society. By stifling our ability for critical thinking, it slows down development of meaningful AI guardrails and practical solutions.
From biased algorithms to environmental impact, these critical risks to all of humanity can no longer be ignored or dismissed. Tech leaders claim that majority of their code is written by AI agents and are marketing their coding tools to inexperienced users, leading to security failures, massive technical debt, and production outages. Glaring ethical blind spots have eroded the public’s trust in AI technologies and curbed many governments’ ability to address these critical threats meaningfully.
A growing interest in technological autonomy and greater national security has led to many regional and local governments testing open-source alternatives while some have already started their transition. Beyond the implications for national security and competitiveness, sovereign AI initiatives can have a significant impact on gender equality and equity, such as women’s inclusion in the AI labor force, pay equity, as well as their online safety.
At our AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille on October 26 & 27, 2026, we will go beyond awareness to discuss meaningful accountability measures and concrete actions with experts from private, public, civil society, industry, and government.
Day 1 will focus on critical threats to individuals and communities, and Day 2 will cover large organizations and governments.
Join our movement to build an inclusive and trustworthy AI future grounded in safety, security, and shared prosperity.
ORGANIZERS & HOSTS
WAIE+ is a Public Interest AI venture based in New York. Expanding on the work by Women in AI Ethics™, launched in 2018, WAIE+ brings together stakeholders and experts across diverse sectors and regions to collectively build an inclusive AI future by and for all of humanity. https://www.waieplus.com/
Established in 2006, IPFC is a non-profit based in Marseille, France dedicated to development of new responsible information technologies and facilitating professional integration by offering training in new skills in IT and an activity of Digital Transformation Consulting, including AI, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Data Science, utilizing ethical and responsible approaches. http://www.ipfconline.fr
Email Team (at) Women in AIEthics (dot) org for sponsorship and other collaboration inquiries.
What attendees at our past events say!
Our Speakers
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Allegra Cuomo
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Allie Maloney
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Chinaza Frances Agba
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Cornelia Evers
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Dawn McAra-Hunter
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Dr. Irina von Rosén
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Dr. Peter Fule
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Marjia Siddik
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Mia Shah Dand
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Mirabelle Lamoureux
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Sakénya McDonald
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Tasnuva Shelley
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Tracey Savelio
Summit Agenda - October 26-27, 2026
AGENDA - DAY 1*
INDIVIDUAL & COMMUNITY – MONDAY, OCT 26 (Timings are in local time)
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EVENT OPEN
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OPENING REMARKS
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From 4chan to X, users are using AI tools to create and share nonconsensual explicit deepfakes of women to humiliate and degrade them. The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimates that Elon Musk’s Grok AI has created 3million sexualized images, including thousands of minors. Some state governments across north America as well national governments like Thailand and UK have started implementing measures to prevent or limit use of social media by minors.
These abhorrent but isolated acts by a few individual users have morphed into something much worse. A researcher at ISD Global found through their investigation of 4chan, it is collaboration across an entire misogynistic community with social validation of and encouragement for digital sexual abuse of women.
Deepfake sextortion is on the rise and out of control. Cybercriminals are blackmailing schools and parents by using AI to create sexually explicit deepfakes of children from photos scraped from school websites and social media, demanding ransom payments to prevent the images from being released online.
In response, some experts have suggested that schools remove student photos from their websites and social media accounts. EU lawmakers and member states reached provisional agreement in May to ban “nudifier apps” starting 2 December, putting the responsibility to implement safeguards to prevent misuse on the technology developers. A Dutch court separately ordered Grok to stop creating non-consensual AI-generated images of adults and minors.
Join WAIE+ AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille as experts discuss how to keep women and minors safe from harmful uses and outcomes of AI.
SPEAKER/S:Dr. Irina (Mirkina) von Rosén (Moderator)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinarosen
Cornelia Evers, Brussels Chapter Lead, Women in Safety and Ethics (WISE)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cornelia-evers-a476421a5/
Allie Maloney, Policy Analyst, Americans for Responsible Innovation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allie-maloney-929b66216/
Allegra Cuomo, InnoEthics Founder and InnoEthics Live Podcast Co-Host
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allegracuomo/ -
SPEAKER/S
Sakénya McDonald, Consultant, Deniese & Co. LLC,
www.linkedin.com/in/sakenyamcdonald/Mirabelle Lamoureux, Municipal Councillor for Digital Economy and Innovation, City of Marseille
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirabelle-lamoureux-keeep
Dr. Peter Fule, Regents Professor, Northern Arizona University; Professor and Researcher, Aix-Marseille
University; Laureate, Safe Place for Science
https://susanhub.com/insights/wildfires/peter-z-fule -
LUNCH & DISCUSSION – NEW HORIZONS
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A popular use case for AI is in surveillance, including by employers in the workplace in a bid to boost productivity. “Surveillance as safety” positioning has been effective among homeowners and apartment dwellers as well as their management companies. Amazon bought Ring, the video doorbell company in 2018 and since then it has sold over millions of these devices. Privacy experts and human rights organizations have warned about the increasingly close ties between these security companies and law enforcement, leading to erosion of citizens’ right to privacy.
Flock’s cloud-connected cameras have come under close scrutiny recently as the company was found to be collecting personally identifiable information (PII) from public spaces, giving access to its employees to watch spaces with minors, and funneling sensitive data directly to police departments. One disturbing incident also includes tracking a woman who may have received an abortion in a state, where it has been banned.
As these technologies are increasingly deployed in the workplace, personal spaces, and public domains, we must ask, where is the balance between our right to privacy and the vendor claims of safety? Join WAIE+ virtual AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille as experts to discuss these and other important issues of our times.SPEAKER/S
Dr. Irina (Mirkina) von Rosén (Moderator)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinarosen
Allie Maloney, Policy Analyst, Americans for Responsible Innovation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allie-maloney-929b66216/
Chinaza Frances Agba, AI Governance & Assurance Specialist, Multilingual AI Safety Researcher, LumenAfri / AISafety Nigeria
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nazaagba/ -
Recent cases have brought new attention to the ways teenagers can form emotional relationships with AI chatbots. In 2024, the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III filed a lawsuit against Character. AI following her son’s death, alleging that he had developed an intense emotional attachment to a chatbot on the platform. The case raised difficult questions about what happens when an AI companion begins to feel less like a tool and more like a real relationship.
Teen relationships with AI can take different forms. Some users treat chatbots as friends or confidants, while others use them for romantic companionship, emotional support, or conversations that feel similar to therapy. These relationships can offer comfort and a private space to talk, but they can also blur the line between support and dependence.
Governments and platforms are beginning to respond to concerns about young people’s online safety. Australia now requires certain social media platforms to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. AI companion platforms are also changing their own rules. Character. AI announced in 2025 that users under 18 would no longer have access to open-ended chatbot conversations and introduced age assurance and parental insight tools.
This panel will focus specifically on teens’ emotional attachment to AI chatbots and how these tools are changing the way young people experience friendship, romance, emotional support, and advice. The discussion will look at where AI companionship can be helpful, where it can become harmful, and what companies, policymakers, parents, schools, and young people should consider as these tools become more common.
The session is intended for youth, parents, policymakers, educators, technology companies, and other stakeholders interested in making AI companionship safer for young people.
Join WAIE+ AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille to get insights from this study on generative AI users and what these findings signal for the future of AI.
SPEAKER/SMia Dand (Moderator), CEO - Lighthouse3, Founder - Women in AI Ethics,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miadand/
Allegra Cuomo, InnoEthics Founder and InnoEthics Live Podcast Co-Host
https://www.linkedin.com/in/allegracuomo/ -
COFFEE BREAK
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Across the globe, local and municipal governments are contemplating building their own AI models and infrastructure, rather than relying on the private sector or foreign-owned entities. This move towards greater technological autonomy could help constituents who are not represented in or are underserved by commercially available options. Local governments are in the unique position of understanding the local needs and can adopt technological approaches that are better aligned with their responsibilities.
Experts suggest that this bottom-up approach could help augment public datasets with local expertise and thereby improve access for residents to public services. In parallel, communities are also exploring open-source models, giving the public sector an opportunity to democratize AI at a community-level, leveraging local talent and infrastructure, while ensuring greater control over the training data and related decision-making.
As communities explore AI & data sovereignty, join us at WAIE+ AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille as experts discuss what the path forward looks like.
SPEAKER/SMia Dand (Moderator), CEO - Lighthouse3, Founder - Women in AI Ethics,
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miadand/
Tracey Savelio, Co-Founder, Head of Public Relations and Pacific Data Governance Practitioner, Sovata AI, Inati Labs, Tokelau in Tech, Kiwibank
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-savelio-a12977b6/ -
CLOSING REMARKS
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COCKTAIL RECEPTION & TALK
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DAY 1 & EVENT CLOSE
*Agenda is subject to change.
ENTERPRISE & GOVERNMENTS – TUESDAY, October 27 (Timings are in local time)
AGENDA - DAY 2*
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CHECK IN & REGISTRATION
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OPENING REMARKS
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Tech firms are forcing their workers to use AI, even tying usage to productivity and performance reviews. Founders are under tremendous pressure from investors and workers from their management to use AI tools.
However, many don’t meet the readiness criteria to safely adopt, integrate, and scale these technologies in the workplace. They also lack the necessary governance to address the risks that accompany the deployment of these powerful technologies in their organizations and communities.
Vendor productivity claims and lack of transparency have led to lapses in due diligence around biases embedded in model training data and security vulnerabilities. Interpretability or explainability tools are widely treated as evidence that AI systems are behaving responsibly even if this doesn’t reflect reality.
AI FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) has led to the rise of “shadow AI” where many employees are using unsanctioned tools in their workplace and exposing their organizations to data leakage and compliance risks. An employee at Disney downloaded AI software from GitHub, which contained hidden malware and infiltrated the company’s internal systems and caused major data exposure including the employee’s personal data.
Join us at WAIE+ AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille as experts discuss the optimal AI governance structure for large organizations and government agencies.
SPEAKER/SDr. Irina (Mirkina) von Rosén (Moderator)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinarosen
Mia Shah Dand, CEO - Lighthouse3, Founder - Women in AI Ethics & WAIE+
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miadand
Marjia Siddik, PhD Researcher in Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjiasdk -
COFFEE BREAK
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You have deployed AI in your organization. Now what? Security experts are warning that integration of AI tools into enterprise workflows can open severe vulnerabilities turning AI agents into “rogue” actors. Instructions provided by Meta’s AI agent to an engineer exposed a significant portion of the tech giant’s sensitive data to some of its employees.
Anthropic found that earlier versions of its popular AI agent, Claude, sometimes threatened and even blackmailed engineers when told it could be replaced. The company claimed that “agentic misalignment” was responsible for this behavior, which was also observed in AI models developed by other firms.
At a software startup, Cursor, a widely used coding agent, deleted an entire production database along with backups in just seconds. Many developers within large companies are using OpenClaw skills built by other developers in the community. These are pre-coded instructions that they share with other users who can use these skills onboard their AI assistant. However, these skills are not vetted and can hide malicious instructions that can steal secrets and share private conversations with external actors.
Regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act and the NIST AI Risk Management Framework are attempting to address these vulnerabilities through categorization of risks levels, defining oversight protocols, and compliance standards. However, governance frameworks designed to address security risks and threats fall short on other dimensions such as agent performance and financial overheads as one company incurred half a billion dollars in under a month because of an employee’s unrestricted employee access to Claude.
Join this expert session at WAIE+ AI Safety & Security summit in Marseille to learn how to ensure that your AI model doesn’t go rogue and to mitigate any issues that arise post-deployment.
SPEAKER/SDr. Irina (Mirkina) von Rosén (Moderator)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/irinarosen
Tasnuva Shelley, Deputy Attorney General for Bangladesh, and Adjunct Faculty of Law, Office of the Attorney General, Dhaka and School of Law, Brac University
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasnuvashelley/
Dawn McAra-Hunter, Principal AI Ethics & Governance Consultant, Fìor
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnmhunter/ -
CLOSING REMARKS
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DAY 2 & SUMMIT CLOSE
*Agenda is subject to change.
CODE OF CONDUCT
We are dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and harassment-free experience for everyone. All participants are expected to follow our community guidelines to build a trustworthy future together.