The International Youth Council (IYC) Headquarters, New York, served as an Associate Partner of the Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation Conference Series-I (MRICS-I) 2026, held on 5th and 6th August 2026 in hybrid mode at Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University, Bengaluru, India. Organised by the Wolverhampton–Bengaluru Centre for Research and Innovation (WBC) — a collaborative research initiative between the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, and Dr. Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University, India — the conference convened under the theme “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Advance Sustainable Development Goals,” bringing together researchers, academicians, policymakers, industry experts, and youth delegates from across the globe.

The programme spanned five thematic tracks — AI in Business & Management, AI in Basic & Applied Sciences, AI in Arts & Humanities, AI in Law & Public Policy, and AI in Sustainable Smart Cities & Digital Infrastructure — and was supported by distinguished academic and institutional partners, including Jain College (Autonomous), RV Institute of Management (RVIM), SCALE — Sona Centre for Advanced Learning and Entrepreneurship, and the Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India.

Representing IYC within the Arts & Humanities track, Ms. Abinaya Kandasamy, Head of Global Humanitarian Projects at IYC Headquarters, delivered a keynote titled “Artificial Intelligence in Arts & Humanities: Driving Social Change, Inclusion, and Addressing Inequality” at the Jnanajyothi Auditorium, Bengaluru, on 6th August 2026.

Her address examined a question rarely raised in AI discourse: what happens when artificial intelligence meets the disciplines that study the human condition — literature, history, art, and culture. She positioned AI as a collaborator rather than a creator, arguing that it expands the range of creative possibilities available to artists without replacing the human judgement needed to give that work meaning. Drawing a parallel to earlier innovations — the printing press, the camera, and the internet — she noted that each was once feared as a threat to human creative professions, yet none displaced the storyteller, and AI is likely to follow the same pattern.

With only four years remaining to the UN’s 2030 deadline and persistent shortages of teachers, doctors, and climate scientists in underserved regions, Ms. Kandasamy framed AI as a force multiplier for the SDGs — a tool to extend the reach of human expertise rather than substitute for it. She highlighted concrete applications already narrowing access gaps: translating legal documents, government forms, and literature into underrepresented languages; converting text to speech and speech to text for people with visual and hearing impairments; and digitising endangered art forms and oral traditions so they can be preserved across generations.

She closed with a call to the arts and humanities sector to take an active role in shaping how AI is used — asking whose stories are being told, who remains unheard, and whether outcomes are fair — arguing that only human judgement, not algorithms, can answer these questions. The session drew strong engagement from delegates, researchers, and policymakers, reinforcing IYC’s continued commitment to ensuring emerging technologies serve inclusion, equity, and human dignity.