Keynote Speakers
Prof. Dr. Ir. Ansar Yasar
Hoogleraar / Professor ITS
Head of Business Development Unit IMOB
Hasselt University Belgium
Title:
From Seeing to Understanding: Rethinking AI for the Next Breakthrough in Road Safety.
Abstract:
For more than a decade, intelligent traffic systems have been built around perception. We taught machines to see: to detect vehicles, track pedestrians, count cyclists, and classify road users. And we succeeded. Today’s models can recognise what is present in a scene with remarkable speed and accuracy.
Prof. Dr. Eiad Yafi
Data Management Policy Manager and Senior Analyst
Commonwealth Bank Australia
Title:
Governing Agentic AI: From Human-in-the-Loop to Human-in-Command
Abstract:
Agentic AI is changing the governance challenge. Unlike traditional AI systems that mainly recommend, classify or generate content, agentic AI can plan, make decisions, use tools, trigger workflows and act with increasing autonomy. This creates new opportunities for productivity and innovation, but it also introduces new risks around accountability, oversight, control, security, compliance and trust.
Ashish Taneja
Senior Vice President
Citibank Singapore
Title:
The Quiet Handover: Engineering Trust When AI Stops Suggesting and Starts Deciding
Abstract:
The traditional view of AI risk management frameworks entailed a framework whereby ultimately it was the decision of humans while the machine simply advised humans in making their decisions. This arrangement is fast changing. Now, as the systems start acting on our behalf, executing processes for us and making decisions for us, the trust arrangements between man, institution, and machine have changed, though quietly, without adequate change to the corresponding governance. The responsible AI is no longer just a compliance tool but an element of critical infrastructure. Institutions that will thrive over the next ten years are those who saw trust as engineering rather than branding. This is not an AI race but a trust race.
Dr. Tariq Rahim Soomro
Professor of Computer Science, and Rector at Institute of Business Management
Karachi
Title: Impactful Research
Abstract:
Research output in Pakistan has grown rapidly in recent years; according to Clarivate Analytics, the country recorded the highest percentage rise in research output worldwide in 2018, at 21%, raising the question of whether a higher volume of publications means research is actually making a difference. This talk distinguishes writing and publishing research, usually measured by counts of papers, books, citations, and the h-index, from doing impactful research, measured by its effect on society and communities. Impactful research advances theory, improves quality of life, changes how things are done, and strengthens an institution's academic reputation. Drawing on published guidance, the talk recommends choosing topics that are close to the researcher's heart and of immediate use to society, following one's passion, and earning academic impact through ethical citation practices built on four Cs: competence, collaboration, care, and communication. It also argues that impact does not depend on where work appears, since journals with and without an impact factor can both publish impactful and non-impactful papers.
Dr. Azhar Imran
Associate Professor & Chair, AI Applications University of Nizwa
Sultanate of Oman
Title:
The Next Frontier of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Abstract:
Artificial intelligence is entering a new phase in healthcare, moving beyond conventional prediction and classification toward intelligent systems that can understand multimodal clinical data, support complex decision-making, and enable increasingly personalised care. Recent advances in generative AI, large language models, multimodal learning, explainable AI, federated learning, and autonomous clinical decision-support systems are redefining how healthcare data can be transformed into meaningful and actionable knowledge.