The transformation brought about by Artificial Intelligence is no longer confined to the realm of technology alone. It is becoming part of the invisible infrastructure underpinning the economy, organisations, public services, knowledge production and life in society.

In the coming years, intelligent systems and agents will work alongside us, supporting decision-making, carrying out tasks, learning from data and, in many contexts, acting on our behalf. This development opens up new possibilities for businesses, institutions and citizens, but it also raises a key question: in the face of increasingly capable technologies, what should the human agenda be?

The 36th APDC Congress, to be held on 5 and 6 May 2027 at Lispolis – Technology Forum in Lisbon, aims to debate this question from a humanistic, economic, social and institutional perspective.

Under the theme “The Next Human Agenda”, the Congress does not intend to focus the discussion on what Artificial Intelligence will be capable of doing, nor to assume that the future will be determined by technology. The focus will be on human choices: what future do we want to build, what role do we want to assign to AI, what principles should guide its use, and what limits, responsibilities and criteria should be defined.

The discussion will cover some of the fundamental aspects of collective life. How will we learn in an age when knowledge is abundant and constantly accessible? How will we work when intelligence is distributed amongst people, machines and organisations? Which professions will emerge, transform or disappear? How should schools, universities and lifelong learning evolve? What responses will be required in healthcare, social security, regulation, democracy and public institutions?

More than just a reflection on technology, the Congress will be a debate on people, work, value, trust and social organisation. At stake is the way in which businesses, the state, academia, regulators and citizens respond to a change that is not merely technical, but structural.

The coming decade may be marked by an increasingly close coexistence between human and artificial intelligence. In this context, it is essential to discuss what should continue to be decided by people, which skills will be most relevant, how human judgement can be preserved, and how responsibility, authorship and value are distributed.

The 36th APDC Congress will therefore provide a forum for discussing the human agenda in the age of intelligence: an agenda centred on decision-making, freedom, critical thinking, responsibility and the collective capacity to steer technology in the service of society.