Updated April 27, 2026. This page supersedes the April 5 draft. Name and direction are locked.
Name: confirmed
Futureproof Festival is the locked public-facing name. BC + AI Festival Week remains the internal planning name.
Website is live: futureproof.website
What it is (confirmed)
A week-long gathering where the big wide AI community comes together -- artists and engineers, educators and ethicists, filmmakers and founders. Vancouver, October 25-31, 2026. Presented by BC + AI.
Seven days. Six tracks. Evenings that matter.
Confirmed programming (locked)
- Mon Oct 26 -- Education Day -- Anthonia Ogundele (Ethos Lab)
- Tue Oct 27 -- Life Sciences Day -- Simon Haworth (Intellomx)
- Wed Oct 28 -- Data Nerds Day -- Gordon Hamilton (Data for Good Vancouver) + Andrew Reid (Rival Technologies). Includes Hackathon Round 5, Data for Good showcase talks, DAMA-Vancouver governance session, Vancouver AI Meetup.
- Thu Oct 29 -- MAC Day (Mind, AI & Consciousness) -- Loki Jorgenson
- Fri Oct 30 -- Ethics Day -- Jesi Carson + Sarah Downey (AI Ethical Futures Lab)
- Sat Oct 31 -- Film Festival + Squatchies -- Kevin Friel (Nera Studios / BC + AI Film Club)
Evening anchors: Opening Reception (Sun Oct 25), DEFRAG #1 (Tue Oct 27, Internet Archive), AI Meetup (Wed Oct 28, HR MacMillan Space Centre), DEFRAG #2 (Thu Oct 29, Internet Archive), AEFL reception (Fri Oct 30), Squatchies Awards (Sat Oct 31).
Venue strategy (confirmed)
- Internet Archive Vancouver: DEFRAG (Oct 27 + Oct 29)
- HR MacMillan Space Centre: Vancouver AI Meetup (Oct 28)
- Parker Street Studios: Ethics Day (Oct 30)
- Ethos Lab: Education Day (Oct 26, informal confirmation)