AI: Between Human Intentions and Machine Autonomy
March 27th, 2026 | 18h15 | Fórum Fnac Chiado
In this talk, we place at the center of the debate one of the structural questions of the 21st century: to what extent the growing autonomy of machines is redefining the human role in decision-making, responsibility, and the exercise of power. Artificial intelligence is no longer merely a support tool; it is a system that learns, recommends, prioritizes and, in many contexts, decides. This transformation cuts across science, the economy, public administration, security and international relations, reshaping how we produce knowledge, manage risk and structure institutions.
The discussion will cover multiple complementary dimensions. At the technological level, it is important to understand what it means to develop autonomous systems capable of interacting socially and collaborating with humans. At the ethical and social level, the impacts on trust, transparency, and inequalities are examined, as well as the risks associated with surveillance technologies and the normalization of algorithmic decision-making. In the legal and regulatory domain, the question arises of how to frame innovation without compromising fundamental rights, while ensuring effective mechanisms of accountability and oversight. Finally, in the field of cybersecurity and digital sovereignty, the discussion focuses on how AI simultaneously expands defensive and offensive capabilities, influencing the strategic balance between states and organizations.
In a geopolitical context marked by technological competition and the redefinition of global leadership, this conversation proposes a cross-cutting reflection: how can efficiency, innovation, and power be balanced with responsibility, justice, and human values? What model of governance can ensure that technological autonomy remains subordinated to democratic principles? More than anticipating futuristic scenarios, the objective is to discuss concrete choices that will determine the ethical, political, and strategic architecture of the digital society.
Speakers
David Russo is the Director of the National Cybersecurity Academy. He is also a researcher at the Research, Development and Innovation Center of the Military Academy. He holds a degree and a master’s in Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico.
He has taught at institutions such as Universidade Lusófona, IPLuso, ESCAD, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Europeia, and ISLA Santarém, lecturing in curricular units in the areas of information security, industrial cybersecurity, operating systems, infrastructures, and networks.
He is the Director of the courses “Cybersecurity for Managers” and “Blockchain, Cryptoeconomics and Technological Innovation” at the Lusófona Executive School.
Especialista em Offensive Hacking e Cibersegurança Industrial, possui certificações da Homeland Security dos Estados Unidos da América e da EC-Council, incluindo CEH. CTO e Co-Fundador da CyberS3C.
Ana Paiva is a Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the Department of Computer Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and a senior researcher at INESC-ID. She is also a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. With more than three decades of research in Artificial Intelligence, her work focuses on the creation of autonomous agents and robots capable of interacting and collaborating with humans. In 2000, she founded GAIPS (Group on AI for People and Society), one of the leading international research groups in Social Artificial Intelligence. She has published more than 300 papers in leading conferences and journals and has received several scientific awards, including the AAAI Blue Sky Paper Award in 2018. She is a Fellow of AAAI, EurAI, and ELLIS. She has also been internationally recognized by Women in Robotics as one of the “50 women to know in robotics” and has served on multiple scientific and advisory boards, including those of the World Economic Forum and EurAI. Between 2022 and 2024, she was a WASP Guest Professor in Sweden, and in 2024 she served as Secretary of State for Science in the XXIV Portuguese Government.
Adolfo Mesquita Nunes holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the Portuguese Catholic University and a master’s degree in Law and Political Science from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon. He is a partner at Pérez-Llorca Sociedade de Advogados, where he coordinates the Public and Regulatory Law Department.
In recent years, he has focused on compliance in digital markets, and more recently on issues related to artificial intelligence. He is the author of The Great Choice and Algorithmocracy, as well as several academic articles in his field of expertise, particularly on the impact of the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation on Public Administration.
He is an invited assistant professor at Nova SBE and Nova School of Law, and serves as a public law arbitrator at CAAD – the Administrative Arbitration Centre.
Previously, he served in the XIX and XX Portuguese Governments as Secretary of State for Tourism from February 2013 to November 2015, and was also a member of the Portuguese Parliament from June 2011 to February 2013.
Helena Machado is a Coordinating Researcher at CIES-Iscte, University Institute of Lisbon, and a Visiting Researcher at the Centre for Research on Bioethics at Uppsala University, Sweden. Her research examines how infrastructures and emerging technologies reconfigure rights, inequalities, and mechanisms of accountability, addressing issues of governance, regulation, and public participation in AI.
She currently coordinates the project fAIces, funded by an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council, which explores the social, ethical, and political implications of facial recognition technologies. Among her most recent publications are the books (co-authored with Susana Silva) Ethical Assemblages of Artificial Intelligence (Palgrave, 2025) and Social and Ethical Challenges of Artificial Intelligence in the 21st Century (UMinho Editora).
Sérgio Silva is a researcher at the Research, Development and Innovation Center of the Portuguese Military Academy, working in the field of artificial intelligence. He is currently a PhD candidate in Cybersecurity at the Military University Institute and holds a master’s degree in Information Security from Instituto Superior Técnico, the Naval School, and the Faculty of Law. He holds international certifications from EC-Council and is an official trainer for EXIN. He teaches at several higher education institutions and serves as a CISO, while also collaborating on World Bank projects in Africa. He is the CEO of CYBERS3C.
Curated by
Sebastião Malheiro da Silva, has recently begun his professional career, having completed internships at the Portuguese Association for Victim Support and at the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe in Lisbon. He holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratisation from the Global Campus of Human Rights, completed in Venice and Brno. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon. He also holds postgraduate qualifications in Development Cooperation Project Management from the Catholic University of Portugal and in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Conflict Situations from the Faculty of Law of the University of Lisbon and the National Defence Institute.
Inês Tomaz holds a degree in Management from Nova SBE and a Master’s degree in Development Studies from ISCTE-IUL. She has professional experience in international development cooperation and humanitarian aid contexts, with a particular focus on gender equality and women’s empowerment, child protection, human rights, and community development. In Portugal, she worked as a project manager in an applied human rights research start-up and as a programme assistant at G4G Portugal, an association dedicated to promoting female leadership and mentoring. She also worked in Bolivia with Médicos del Mundo as a European Union volunteer, performing administrative and financial support functions. Since 2017, she has developed significant field experience in Mozambique, particularly in Beira, where she worked as a project coordination assistant in a temporary shelter institution for vulnerable children. In this context, she designed a project on empowerment and non-formal education for adult women, which became the subject of her Master’s thesis. In 2026, she will begin working as a Humanitarian Action Officer in Valencia, Spain, continuing her professional career path.
Guilherme de Lidon Guerra is President and Founder of the Academic Association of Political and Economic Sciences, an organisation dedicated to promoting political and economic education among young people in Portugal. He holds a degree in International Relations and Public Policy from NOVA University Lisbon and completed an Erasmus programme at Sciences Po Paris. In 2022, he published his first poetry book, Sombra Chama, edited by Húmus. Alongside international relations and poetry, he also engages with science, photography, and economics — an unlikely but essential mix for building the generational foundations of the future.
Moderator
Miguel Meneses He is an editor and screenwriter. With nearly 30 years of experience in the publishing world, he has been at the helm of the local newspaper Notícias do Parque for 23 years. He holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations and has worked as an observer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including a significant period in the former Yugoslavia. In parallel, he collaborates on photography, video, and fiction projects for film and television as a writer and actor, keeping alive his passion for stories and characters, which he has nurtured since childhood.
Partners
HOSPITALIDADE_FNAC These monthly meetings at FNAC Chiado, from February to July, function as a ritual of inquiry — a space where the DNA of the festival is gradually revealed. More than a prelude, they are a deep dive into the ethical questions that shape our time. An invitation to think, question, and co-create. This is where the festival begins, not as an event, but as a movement.
THE GARDEN PEOPLE joins Festival Impacto as a partner by offering seeds for the event’s gift bags. This simple gesture carries strong symbolism: just as a seed needs care to grow, ideas also need space, inspiration, and community to flourish. With this contribution, The Garden People helps bring to life the spirit of the Impacto Festival — a gathering that aims to plant new perspectives, encourage action, and cultivate positive change.