20/09/2026
Three-day Workshop on AI and Society
As part of the College’s 25 years of establishment, the College of Science and Technology (CST), Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), hosted a three-day workshop on “AI and Society” from 18 to 20th September 2026. The workshop was resourced by Professor Mor Naaman, Don and Mibs Follett Professor of Information Science and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at Cornell Tech, USA.
Over the three days, participants engaged with twenty structured units spanning six thematic areas. Day 1 focused on the foundations of AI, covering the basics of artificial intelligence, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and agents, data and evaluation, bias and fairness, and how users interact with and build trust in AI systems.
Day 2 examined human-AI interaction and governance, including AI companionship and relationships, persuasion, AI-mediated communication, information and culture, trust and safety, and privacy.
Day 3 addressed AI's wider impact on society, covering intellectual property, economics, work, education, and democracy, before closing with sessions on AI and the environment and the way forward for AI and society.
The three-day session was thought-provoking for all participants, as it was an eye-opener on how powerful AI can be. With numerous research findings supporting AI’s influence on society, the event encouraged participants to think about using AI for better and more beneficial outcomes for both users and society. It gave us a wider perspective on how AI models are developed and how influential the developers’ role is in developing AI models. We were introduced to aspects of AI that we had overlooked, and we understood our roles in this AI world. Through the sessions, awareness was created about the critical and ethical use of AI. Otherwise, the information ecosystem is liable to be infected and polluted.
Sessions throughout the workshop were reinforced with quizzes, open question-and-answer discussions, and hands-on, task-based activities, which encouraged active participation and helped consolidate key concepts.
Students gained a well-rounded understanding of both the technical foundations of AI and its broader social, ethical, economic, and cultural implications.
The workshop concluded on 20th September with prizes for quiz winners, group photographs, and souvenirs for all participants. The College extends its gratitude to Professor Naaman for sharing his expertise and to all students who participated actively throughout the workshop.
A total of 195 students, comprising third-year and final-year students from Software Engineering and Information Technology, as well as interested students from other programmes, attended the programme. The event also saw the participation of 23 faculty members.Cornell Tech
