Speakers
Plenary
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant frontier — it's a force actively reshaping how we work, learn, create, and connect. For those of us who lead associations and communities, this shift raises a deeper question: what does it mean to build human connection in an age of intelligent machines?
Rui Maranhão, a deep-thinker and director of Meta, one of only a few driving forces in communities for both personal and business/professional use, will explore the evolving relationship between human and machine intelligence, and what it means for the communities we serve.
He'll consider how AI is changing the way people gather, collaborate, and belong — and how association leaders can harness these tools to strengthen, rather than dilute, the human bonds at the heart of their work. From new opportunities for engagement and inclusion to pressing questions about trust, ethics, and authenticity, the goal isn't to predict the future, but to prepare for it — thoughtfully, critically, and together.
Rui Abreu is a Research Software Engineer at Meta and a Full Professor of Software Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science - Software Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, and a M.Sc. in Computer and Systems Engineering from the University of Minho, Portugal.
Rui's research revolves around software quality, with emphasis in automating as well as self-adaptation. He has extensive expertise in both static and dynamic analysis algorithms for improving software quality. He is the recipient of 5 Best Paper Awards, and his work has attracted considerable attention.