Field Notes · Conference
SMASH 2026
Symposium on Model Accountability, Sustainability and Healthcare. Mila, Montréal, 3–4 November 2026.
One attendee's notes, written up afterwards. I only took notes for some sessions, so this isn't the full programme. Corrections welcome. Official agenda
Ideas that kept coming up
Hover or pick a theme to trace it through the event. Hover a talk to see which threads run through it.
Day 1Tuesday 3 November
Time
Day 2Wednesday 4 November
09:40–10:40 · KeynoteThemes: Checks that work, AI in real hospitalsFinale Doshi-VelezHow to get effective human–AI collaborationHarvard University10:40–11:10 · KeynoteThemes: Energy and footprint, Measure it properlyVrushali GaudLooking beyond the model: the physical footprint of AI11:10–11:40 · KeynoteThemes: Energy and footprint, Measure it properly, Open and sharedSasha LuccioniAI sustainability and what we should be measuring14:30–15:30 · KeynoteThemes: AI in real hospitals, Open and shared, Measure it properlyKhaled El EmamLearnings from generating synthetic health dataCHEO Research Institute, University of Ottawa09:40–10:40 · KeynoteThemes: Open and shared, Measure it properlyJoaquin VanschorenBuilding an open ecosystem for AI researchTU Eindhoven, AMORE11:00–12:00 · PanelThemes: AI in real hospitals, Checks that workAlan Forster, Kathy Malas, Danina KapetanovicAI, healthcare and organisational changeMcGill University Health Centre Research Institute; OROT, Jewish General Hospital; Waterloo Regional Health Network13:00–13:30 · Invited talkThemes: Checks that workMarc-Antoine DilhacSurviving AI or living well with AI?13:30–14:00 · Invited talkThemes: Energy and footprint, Measure it properly, Checks that workPierre-Luc BaconMaking AI inference more sustainable14:20–14:50 · Invited talkThemes: Checks that workM. Alejandra Parra-OrlandoniGoverning the digital gorilla14:50–15:20 · Invited talkThemes: Checks that workJesse MichelRobots in society15:30–16:00 · Invited talkThemes: Measure it properly, Open and shared, Energy and footprintMichelle LinEvaluations you can trust16:00–16:30 · Invited talkThemes: AI in real hospitalsAmir KadivarHow to actually deploy AI in healthcare
Tap a theme to highlight its talks.
- 09:40Keynote · 60 minThemes: Checks that work, AI in real hospitalsFinale Doshi-VelezKeep models small enough to inspect, and design tools that keep people thinking instead of rubber-stamping.
- 10:40Keynote · 30 minThemes: Energy and footprint, Measure it properlyVrushali GaudAI's footprint is physical, so don't put the burden on users: build the system right and measure it.
- 11:10Keynote · 30 minThemes: Energy and footprint, Measure it properly, Open and sharedSasha LuccioniWe can't judge AI's climate impact without numbers, so measure models, code and company footprints.
- 14:30Keynote · 60 minThemes: AI in real hospitals, Open and shared, Measure it properlyKhaled El EmamSynthetic health data works for sharing and augmentation if you measure privacy and use about ten datasets.