Welcome to the 2026 NCWIT Summit. We are living in an era of rapid change, where technical proficiency cycles at breakneck speeds. This is driven in part by the exponential explosion of artificial intelligence (AI) across every sector of industry, education, and people’s personal lives. We are simultaneously on the cusp of harnessing the power of quantum technologies, an advancement that will eclipse our current computing power in dramatic and unprecedented ways. With progress comes risk. How do we balance the power demands of these new technologies with their environmental impact? How do we ensure inclusion, access, and freedom from algorithmic bias? NCWIT’s power has always resided in the passionate community dedicated to widening inclusion in tech. Now is the time to center the uniquely human capacity for critical thinking, ethics, and empathy to shape our technical future before we are shaped by it. Our time here, in Boulder, CO, gives us an intimate, grassroots opportunity to meet and collaborate with changemakers from across NCWIT’s ecosystem. Together, we will serve as a brain trust to ensure our technical future belongs to everyone.
2026 NCWIT Summit: Brain Trust
