Global stage for ethical tech: Infinity Project at IESTEC Congress in Panama
How do we ensure Artificial Intelligence serves cultural heritage ethically on a global scale?
As Europe pushes the boundaries of human-centric AI through Horizon Europe, the conversation is expanding across borders. Taking place from October 21 to 23, 2026, Valentina Presutti from the University of Bologna (UNIBO), Lead Coordinator of the Horizon Europe INFINITY project, took the stage at the International Congress on Engineering, Science, and Technology (IESTEC 2026) organized by the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP). Representing INFINITY and the broader European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) ecosystem, Presutti highlighted how European standards for transparent, bias-aware, and IPR-compliant AI are setting a benchmark for global research communities.
Dissemination at scale: IESTEC Congress as a Transatlantic Bridge
IESTEC stands as one of Central America’s flagship international multidisciplinary scientific events, promoting innovation as a driver for sustainable development, competitiveness, and social welfare. Held in Panama, the congress gathers over a thousand international participants, including top-tier keynote speakers, scientific researchers, engineering professionals, academics, and policy innovators across applied sciences, engineering, and digital humanities.
By bringing European AI frameworks to this global forum, the INFINITY dissemination effort established a crucial bridge between Europe’s regulatory vision for ethical computing and international academic networks.
Key Event Highlights:
- The platform: IESTEC Congress, hosted by the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) in Panama, bringing together over 1,200 international academics, industry leaders, and researchers.
- The speaker: Valentina Presutti, Associate Professor at the University of Bologna (UNIBO) and Lead Coordinator for the INFINITY Project.
- Core topics addressed: the European Union’s approach to ethical and human-centric AI, data provenance and copyright compliance (IPR) in digital archives, and the architecture of the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH).
- Collaborative context: interdisciplinary sessions featuring international experts in computer science, sustainable engineering, data governance, and applied tech solutions.
Why Global Academic Dissemination Matters
Building robust, trustworthy AI cannot happen in isolation. As cultural institutions worldwide face the challenges of fragmented data, digital preservation, and ethical AI integration, cross-border exchanges at events like IESTEC prove vital. Presenting INFINITY’s architectural principles—ranging from Explainable AI (XAI) and Multidimensional Knowledge Graphs to FAIR and CARE data governance—ensures that European innovations actively inform and align with international standards.
