Program & speakers

Conference Day Program (November 17, 2025)

The first day of the FARI Conference 2025 will feature opening and closing moments, four thematic sessions, and two keynotes speeches. Throughout the day, attendees will also have the opportunity to explore interactive booths.

Renowned international experts in AI and robotics — alongside ethicists, legal scholars, and policymakers — will come together to share their insights and visions in response to the central question: “AI, Robots, & Us: Living with Intelligent Agents?”

09:00 AM to 9:20 AM
Studio 4

Opening remarks

Speeches by the two universities, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel

09:20 AM to 9:50 AM
Studio 4

Keynote speech

9:50 AM to 11:05 AM
Studio 4

Session 1
AI agents in a LLM world: what and why?

11:05 AM to 12:20 PM
Studio 4

Session 2
Do’s and Don’ts for Human, AI, and Robot Collaboration

Lunch and Networking

12:20 PM to 13:50 PM

13:50 PM to 15:05 PM
Studio 4

Session 3
Simulating and imagining a society with AI Agents

15:05 PM to 16:20 PM
Studio 4

Session 4
Regulating and governing AI and Robotic agents

16:20 PM to 16:50 PM
Studio 4

Keynote Speech

16:50 PM to 17:20 PM
Studio 4

Closing words

  • FARI Director, Karen Boers (FARI)

17:20 to 20:00 PM

Cocktail and Networking

  • Geoffrey Aerts

    FARI Academic Director - Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

  • Pieter Ballon

    Vice-rector research Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) & Director of imec-SMIT

  • Xabier Barandiaran

    Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of the Basque Country and researcher at the IAS-Research Centre for Life, Mind, and Society

  • Tony Belpaeme

    Professor at Ghent University, Senior Researcher at imec and Visiting Professor at the University of Plymouth.

  • Karen Boers

    FARI Co-director

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  • Roger Brownsword

    Barrister, Professor of Law at Kings College London, Honorary Professor in Law, University of Sheffield

  • Jordi Cabot

    Head of the Software Engineering RDI Unit at LIST ｜FNR Pearl Chair ｜Affiliate Professor in CS at University of Luxembourg

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  • Claudia Chwalisz

    Founder & CEO of DemocracyNext

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  • Marius Gilbert

    Full Professor, Vice-rector of research and valorization, Vice-rector of culture and scientific mediation at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

  • Catholijn Jonker

    Professor at Delft University of Technology and Leiden University. Chairperson of IPN the platform of ICT Research in the Netherlands.

  • Ronald Leenes

    Professor in Regulation by Technology at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (Tilburg University).

  • Tom Lenaerts

    FARI Academic Director - Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

  • Gregory Lewkowicz

    FARI Academic Director - Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

  • Vanessa Matz

    Federal Minister in charge of Public Action and Modernization

  • Carl Mörch

    FARI Co-director

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  • Ann Nowe

    FARI Academic Director - Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

  • Frankie Trichet

    Vice President Nantes Métropole & Vice President Nantes Université

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  • Arvind Narayanan

    Professor of computer science, Princeton University Director, Center for Information Technology Policy

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  • Carissa Véliz

    Associate Professor working on AI Ethics at the University of Oxford

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  • Sasha Vezhnevets

    Research Scientist at Google DeepMind

  • James Wilson

    AI Ethicist in the AI Labs | Lead AI Architect | Advocate for the Safe AI for Children Alliance (SAIFCA)

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