AAAI 2026 Spring Symposium Series - AAAI

Sponsored by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence April 7- April 9, 2026 Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport | Burlingame, CA, USA The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence is pleased to present the 2026 Spring Symposium Series to be held Tuesday, April 7 – Thursday, April 9, 2026 at Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport in Burlingame, California. The Spring Symposium Series is an annual set of meetings run in parallel at a common site. It is designed to bring colleagues together in an intimate forum while at the same time providing a significant gathering point for the AI community. The two-and-a-half-day format of the series allows participants to devote considerably more time to feedback and discussion than typical one-day workshops. It is an ideal venue for bringing together new communities in emerging fields. Symposia generally range from 40–75 participants each. Participation was open to active participants as well as other interested individuals on a first-come, first-served basis. Each participant was expected to attend a single symposium. The program includes the following symposia: Advances in AI-Enabled Tactical Autonomy: from Sensing to Execution AI in Business: Intelligent Transformation and Management AI+HADR Bracing for the Enshittification of Embodied AI and Robotics Machine Consciousness: Integrating Theory, Technology, and Philosophy Machine Learning and Knowledge Engineering for Knowledge-Grounded Semantic Agents (MAKE 2026) Multi-Agent System Safety and Teamwork (MASST): Building Better AI Will AI Light Up Human Creativity or Replace It?: Toward Well-Being AI for co-evolving human and machine intelligence AAAI Code of Conduct for Events and Conferences All persons, organizations and entities that attend AAAI conferences and events are subject to the standards of conduct set forth in the AAAI Code of Conduct for Events and Conferences. Registration and General Information Important Registration Dates December 15th: AAAI opens registration for Spring Symposium Series February 27th: Deadline for Registration Refund Requests – Last day before Late Registration Rate begins (See Fee Schedule Below) Registration is now open! Registration Fees The conference registration fee includes admission to one symposium, access to the electronic proceedings, coffee breaks, and the opening reception. Refund Requests The deadline for refund requests is February 27, 2026. All refund requests must be made in writing to sss@aaai.org . A $50.00 processing fee will be assessed for all refunds. Registration Fee Schedule Registration Deadlines All deadlines are 11:59 PM Eastern Time Member Nonmember Student Member Nonmember Student Early On or before February 27th $395.00 $560.00 $225.00 $335.00 Late After February 27th $495.00 $660.00 $325.00 $435.00 AAAI Silver Registration (Includes AAAI membership, plus the conference) Registration Deadlines All deadlines are 11:59PM Eastern Time Regular One-Year Regular 3-Year Regular 5-Year Student (One-Year) Early On or before February 27th $540.00 $830.00 $1,120.00 $300.00 Late After February 27th $640.00 $930.00 $1,220.00 $400.00 Hotel Information For your convenience, AAAI has reserved a block of rooms at the Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport | Burlingame, CA, USA. The hotel is located in the San Francisco area minutes from SFO airport. Downtown San Francisco is easily accessible which offers great dining and shopping. The hotel also offers complimentary airport shuttle service to and from the International Airport terminals based on availability. The conference room rate per night is $199.00 (King/Double). Click here to book your hotel room The above rates are subject to applicable tax which is currently 12% Occupancy Tax + 1.50% San Francisco Peninsula Tourism Marketing District Assessment per room, per night, and is subject to change without notice. Symposium attendees must contact the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport directly. Please request the group rate for the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) when reserving your room. The cut-off date for reservations is Friday March 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM PST, local time at the hotel. Reservations after this date will be accepted based on availability at the hotel’s prevailing rate. All reservations must be secured by one night’s deposit per room, via credit card. Reservations may be cancelled with no penalty up to 5:00 pm, 72 hours prior to the date of arrival. After that time, a penalty of one night’s room and tax will be incurred. Upon check-in, date of departure must be confirmed. Early departure will result in a fee equal to one night’s guest room rate. Hyatt Regency, San Francisco Airport | Burlingame, CA, USA. 1333 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame, CA 94010 Transportation to the Hotel Hotel Parking Fees: Overnight $48.00 US dollars | Up to 1 Hour $16.00 US dollars | Up to 6 Hours $28.00 US dollars | 6+ Hours or Overnight $48.00 US dollars The hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle to and from the SFO Airport based on availability-please reach out to hotel for more information. Visa Information Letters of invitation can be requested by accepted SSS-26 authors or registrants with a completed registration with payment. You can access the visa letter form via the link in your registration confirmation email. Onsite Registration Schedule Tuesday, April 7, 2026 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Wednesday, April 8, 2026 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM Thursday, April 9, 2026 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM General Event Schedule Each Symposium’s Schedule May Differ Tuesday, April 7 9:00am – 10:30am   Session 10:30am – 11:00am   Break 11:00am – 12:30pm Session 12:30pm – 2:00pm Lunch 2:00pm – 3:30pm   Session 3:30pm – 4:00pm     Break 4:00pm – 5:00pm     Session 6:00pm – 7:00pm     Reception Wednesday, April 8 9:00am – 10:30am     Session 10:30am – 11:00am   Break 11:00am – 12:30pm   Session 12:30pm – 2:00pm    Lunch 2:00pm – 3:30pm      Session 3:30pm – 4:00pm      Break 4:00pm – 5:00pm      Session 6:00pm – 7:00pm      Plenary Thursday, April 9 9:00am – 10:30am    Session 10:30am – 11:00am   Break 11:00am – 12:30pm   Session Additional Information: General inquiries regarding the symposium series should be directed to AAAI at sss@aaai.org . Advances in AI-Enabled Tactical Autonomy: from Sensing to Execution Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) are increasingly central to modern defense, security, and disaster response operations. To perform effectively in contested, dynamic, or communication-denied environments, these systems must achieve true tactical autonomy, the ability to sense, reason, decide, and act robustly under uncertainty. While AI and autonomy research has produced powerful algorithms in simulation and laboratory settings, a persistent gap remains between theoretical advances and their translation to field-deployable systems. This symposium bridges that gap by convening researchers and practitioners from AI, autonomy, sensing, and systems engineering. The main objectives are to: (1) highlight theoretical advances in AI, perception, planning, and control applicable to tactical autonomy; (2) identify real-world constraints that limit the transition of AI algorithms to practice; (3) foster interdisciplinary collaboration between algorithm developers, system integrators, and end-users; and (4) define ethical, explainability, and assurance frameworks for trustworthy tactical autonomy. Topics AI Planning and Decision-Making Under Real-Time Constraints Learning and Adaptation Under Uncertainty Sensor Fusion and Perception in Degraded or Adversarial Environments Explainable and Verifiable AI for Autonomy Artificial Reasoning for Trustworthy Autonomy Human–Autonomy Teaming and Operator Oversight Multi-Agent Coordination and Swarm Intelligence Robustness, Safety, and Resilience in Tactical Operations Format of Symposium The symposium will feature a mix of invited keynote presentations from leading researchers in AI and tactical autonomy, contributed paper presentations organized by thematic tracks (AI, sensing, reasoning, control, trust etc), interactive panel discussions on research bottlenecks and ethical considerations, and student-poster sessions for in-depth technical exchange. Special emphasis will be placed on interactive demonstrations of autonomous UAS capabilities and small-group discussions focused on defining community roadmaps for transitioning research to operational systems. The symposium is open to all interested participants. Submission Requirements Full papers (6-8 pages) short/position/poster papers (2-4 pages), in AAAI format. Submissions should describe theoretical advances, system implementations, field test results, benchmark datasets, or position statements on research directions. Supplementary materials (videos, code, datasets) are encouraged. Submissions will be accepted through EasyChair: https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=sss26 For questions, contact: atul.rawal@howard.edu Submission Committee Dr. Atul Rawal – Research Institute for Tactical Autonomy – atul.rawal@howard.edu Dr. Adrienne Raglin – DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory – adrienne.raglin2.civ@army.mil Dr. Simon Khan – Air Force Research Laboratory – simon.khan@us.af.mil Symposium External URL https://rita.howard.edu/aaai2026/ Detailed information including sample topics, submission guidelines, and symposium schedule will be available at this site. AI in Business: Intelligent Transformation and Management AI in Business aims to bring together academics and practitioners to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping businesses. Since its inception, AI is now commonly found in a wide range of business domains, ranging from operations, customer engagement, and innovation. Generative AI opened the door and delivered real productivity gains, but the deeper transformation is happening in autonomous agents that execute complex, multi-step processes without constant human oversight. This AI symposium will provide a platform to explore both the strategic implications of AI as well as the technological implications of AI. Topics We invite contributions that align with the symposium’s theme, including but not limited to: Strategic Planning; Sales/Demand Forecasting; Predictive and Prescriptive Analytics; Operations, Production, and Supply Chain Management; Automation and Robotics; Internet of Things (IoT) and AI Integration; Finance and Economics; Marketing; Human Resources and Behavioral Analytics; LLM Agents; Ethics and Governance; Healthcare; Other related topics in AI and business applications. Format of Symposium The symposium will feature a diverse program that includes invited keynote speakers, contributed talks, tutorial/workshops, social activities, and panel discussion sessions. Attendance Attendance is open to academics, practitioners, and policymakers working in the fields of AI, machine learning, and data science, as well as graduate students and researchers specializing in AI applications for business or related disciplines. Submission Requirements We invite submissions of abstracts (not exceeding 1 page) OR full papers (anonymous and not exceeding 8 pages, see templates in AAAI-25 author kit ). Submissions are through the AAAI Official EasyChair platform ( https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=sss26 ). All accepted papers will be included in the AAAI Spring 2026 proceedings. Important dates: Submission Deadline: January 30 Decision Notification: February 13 Symposium Organizing Committee Chair: Nahid Jafari , Associate Professor of Supply Chain and AI Management, State University of New York-Farmingdale, NY, jnahid@hotmail.com ; Mohammed Quazi , Assistant Professor, West Virginia University, WV, mmquazi@hsc.wvu.edu ; Mahshid M. Zadeh , Ph.D. Computer Scientist, Sao Paulo University, Brazil, fatemeh.msyz@gmail.com ; Samira Tasharofi, Ph.D., Senior Software Engineer, LinkedIn, CA, samira.tasharofi@gmail.com Symposium Supporting Committee: Bruno Kamdem, Assistant Professor of Business Analytics, School of Business, State University of New York- Farmingdale, NY Gangadharan Esakki, Senior Imaging Software Engineer, Dolby Vision, CA Ramin Khameneh, PhD Candidate, Department of System Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, NJ External Symposium URL: AI in Business: Intelligent Transformation and Management | AAAI Spring Symposium 2026 AI+HADR The 2026 AAAI Spring Symposium on AI+HADR aims to bring together members of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) communities in order to share information about research and applications that can help facilitate the utilization of AI in disasters and humanitarian crises. The goal of the symposium is to give the AI research community exposure to the practical challenges of aiding those experiencing crises, thereby informing their research.  By the same token, the HADR community can see the state-of-the-art and state-of-practice in artificial intelligence and how they might adopt it for their critical HADR applications. The ultimate success of this symposium is measured by whether it furthers the effective application of AI to HADR. Because of this, the symposium will showcase work with real-world impact and emphasize discussion and the exchange of ideas between attendees. Topics While the symposium will emphasize work with impact, it has a broad scope in terms of topics within both AI and HADR.  Relevant fields of AI include: Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Robotics, Natural Language Processing, Information Theory, Decision Theory, Game Theory, Causal Modeling, Applied Statistics, and related fields of AI.  Similarly, relevant topics in HADR include: logistical planning, resource allocation, search and rescue, emergency decision support, and other HADR application areas. Format of Symposium This symposium will feature keynote speakers from both academic and operational backgrounds within the AI and HADR communities, talks based on the accepted works, a Socratic seminar on the outcomes of accepted retrospectives, and panel discussions that bring together both AI research and HADR operational perspectives. Submission Requirements There are two tracks for submission: Track #1: HADR+AI Research: This track seeks papers that highlight new fundamental or applied research contributions to a HADR application using AI. These papers are to be in the AAAI 25 Format and will be limited to six pages of content, with unlimited space for references . Papers may contain appendices to highlight additional results, figures, proofs, and other supplementary materials, but the main body of the work must be self-contained. All paper submissions must include the application context, discussing how your work relates to concerns in humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations. This application context will have a significant influence on acceptance decisions. Papers that can clearly articulate real-world impact will have a