CityU holds 2026 APISWEA International Conference to advance frontier dialogue between AI and social work
The 2026 APISWEA International Conference, jointly organized by the Asian & Pacific Islander Social Work Educators Association (APISWEA) and City University of Macau (CityU), hosted by the Department of Innovative Social Work under the Faculty of Health and Wellness, and co-organized by Dawning Consulting, was held for four consecutive days at the Taipa Campus of CityU.
Under the theme of “AI and Innovation: Re-shaping Social Work Practice and Learning”, the conference brought together nearly 300 social educators, researchers, practitioners, and students from diverse regions and countries, including Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, America, Italy, Finland, Australia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam to explore the opportunities and challenges of social work in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). The conference featured five invited thematic forums, nearly 150 academic presentations, and 8 workshops, covering cutting-edge topics such as AI and innovation in social work, academic writing, healthy aging, implementation science, clinical hypnosis, computational social science, curriculum internationalization, and non-pharmacological interventions.
The opening ceremony was officiated by distinguished guests including Leong Ka Fai, head of the Professional Development and Planning Division of the Social Welfare Bureau; Tam Sio Wa, head of the Division of Tertiary Educational Cooperation and Exchange of the Education and Youth Development Bureau; Pun Chi Meng, chair of the Professional Council of Social Workers (“CPAS”, from its Portuguese acronym); PeterSzto, president of APISWEA; Kong Fanqing, vice chairwoman of CityU Council; Sun Pei, executive associate dean of Faculty of Health and Wellness. Halaevalu F. O. Vakalahi, president of Council on Social Work Education (CSWE, US), also sent her congratulations via video.
Vice Chairwoman Kong Fanqing reviewed the ten-years development of CityU’s programs in social work. She noted that 2026 marked both the 45th anniversary of the University and the first decade of the programs. From bachelor to master’s programs, she regarded the progress as a leap from 0 to 1 and from its initial establishment to a stage of excellence. She emphasized that integrating professionalism and technology is an inevitable direction for the development of social work in the AI era.
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The conference included 7 keynote speeches, delving deeply into the integration and boundaries of artificial intelligence and social work.
- Brian E. Perron, professor at Michigan State University said, “Instead of replacing our thinking, AI is a tool that helps us to complete works in an effective way. The more a task requires professional judgment, the less suitable it is to be entrusted to AI.”
- Gerard Chung, assistant professor at the National University of Singapore emphasized that the professional knowledge is indispensable; without it, the learning experience will not achieve the quality it should have.
- Liu Ting, Founder of Asia EFT pointed out that AI can offer a sense of security, while only real human beings can give us the courage to step back into the world.
- Moon Jeong Choi, associate professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology reminded that while AI indeed improves efficiency, it also brings risks such as algorithmic bias, data privacy concerns, and a loss of human touch.
- Johnson Cheung, senior lecturer at the University of Hong Kong pointed out when sharing the AI-driven case stimulation project that the greatest challenge lies not in selecting the appropriate AI model, but in addressing the fundamental question that has continued underpinned social work education: what is case counseling, and what makes it effective?
- Lauri Goldkind, professor at Fordham University projected the advent of genuinely responsible, safe, and sustainable AI tools within the coming three to five years.
- Tang Ning, founder of Dawning Consulting framed the conference with the view that human-centered AI in social work means that human professional judgment, professional accountability, and the real-world experiences of service users must be consistently placed at the center throughout the design, use, and evaluation of AI systems.
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This conference not only built academic consensus, but also clarified development pathways for social work in the AI era across three key dimensions: research, education, and practice. In terms of research, it should be based on essence of social work, enhance empirical testing of AI in scenarios such as case assessment, risk prediction, and community governance, and focus on interdisciplinary ethical issues including algorithmic bias, data privacy, and cultural adaptability. In education, courses should cultivate students’ digital ethics literacy and critical thinking, with a focus on enhancing their ability to handle complex client relationships in a digital environment. Faculty evaluation should shift from assignment structures to understanding of human emotions. In practice, agencies should cooperate with others to develop “ethics guidelines for human-machine collaboration”, ensuring data sovereignty and algorithmic transparency. Frontline social worker should leverage AI to reduce administrative burdens, thereby devoting more energy to those irreplaceable core tasks such as community relationship building and counseling.
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This conference demonstrated the solid foundation of CityU Faculty of Health and Wellness and Department of Innovative Social Work in disciplinary development, research innovation, local engagement, and international connectivity. It also showcased CityU sustained efforts in advancing social work education innovation and international cooperation, contributing important academic strength to the professional development of social work both in China and globally.
Looking ahead, CityU will continue to encourage faculty and students to organize and participate in high-level academic exchanges, focusing on the practical needs of helping professions in the health field, and is committed to contributing greater wisdom and strength to the advancement of health and social care services in the Greater Bay Area.
