Ethical Horizons Annual Meeting — Madison, Wisconsin | July 9–13, 2026

Members of the Ethical Horizons Project gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, for the organization’s annual meeting and a series of discussions concerning the ethical, institutional, and societal challenges accompanying the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

During the visit, members met with faculty from the University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Engineering to discuss the role of ethics in engineering education and to offer perspectives on the continuing development of the College’s ethics curriculum.

Meetings were also held with representatives of Control AI, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing existential risks associated with the development of advanced artificial intelligence. The discussions explored emerging AI capabilities, potential systemic risks, and approaches to governance and institutional safeguards and how the two organizations might work together to achieve common goals.

Later in the week, members of the Ethical Horizons Project engaged with community members during Madison’s Fête de Marquette festival. These informal conversations provided an opportunity to hear directly from individuals about their concerns relating to artificial intelligence, including existential risk, the growth and local impacts of AI data centers, and the steps governments, institutions, and technology companies might take to address these risks, as well as how citizens might encourage their leaders to act.