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Keynote: Inclusive AI

Prof. Dr. Payal Arora on Lessons from the Global South on Designing Inclusive Tech

In this keynote, Payal Arora – professor in Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University – explores the possibilities, risks, bias, and ethical tensions that are reshaping the relationship between AI and the arts.

This session is for anyone who wants to look beyond the hype and engage with a deeper, more nuanced conversation about AI and creativity. Whether you’re an artist, producer, or simply curious about how AI will influence the arts, this keynote encourages you to imagine the theatre of the future — and consider how we can shape it responsibly and inclusively, with a special focus on the Global South, where majority of the youth live.

Payal Arora is a Professor of Inclusive AI Cultures at Utrecht University and co-founder of the Inclusive AI Lab and FemLab. She is internationally recognized for her work on inclusive technology, data justice, and digital creativity. With over 100 publications and numerous global accolades — including the 2025 Women in AI Benelux Award — she champions a vision of AI that centers diversity, equity, and global representation.

As a digital anthropologist with two decades of experience working across the Global South, Arora brings a unique perspective on how AI design and policy can serve all communities. She has delivered 350+ talks in over 85 countries, including TEDx and the World Economic Forum.

Her latest award-winning book “From Pessimism to Promise” reflects on inclusive tech through the lens of the Global South and has received international acclaim. She will draw from her past experience as an artist in India, an art dealer in San Francisco and New York, and today, as an academic leading a major graduate course on Creativity and AI in Global Contexts at Utrecht University. She currently resides in Amsterdam.