Beaconhouse, marking 50 years as a leading education provider and the 25th anniversary of its School of Tomorrow (SOT) conference series, will host Edition XIX on November 29–30 at Faletti’s Hotel in Lahore. Themed “Co-Creating Tomorrow: Humans, AI, and the Future,” the free public event will gather over 100 global thinkers, technologists, artists, policymakers, and educators for discussions on AI ethics, global politics, climate resilience, cultural innovation, and human-AI collaboration. With 30+ sessions, immersive art, AI avatars, live performances, food, and interactive zones, SOT XIX builds on the series’ legacy since its 2000 debut as the Beaconhouse Academic Conference, evolving from internal forums to a global platform for paradigm shifts.
The summit, organized by Beaconhouse’s School of Tomorrow initiative under Change Mechanics Private Limited in media partnership with TechJuice, has previously hosted editions in Pakistan and Malaysia, featuring over 500 thought leaders, including heads of state. Past themes included “Towards 2035” (2000), “Rethinking Education” (2000), and “Freedom to Learn” (2010). The 2024 Reboot edition addressed post-pandemic recovery, while XIX emphasizes AI-human synergy through panels, fireside chats, film screenings, masterclasses, and roundtables.
13:20–14:20 PKT
• In Conversation – From Analog to Digital: An Artist’s Talk
• Big Conversation – The End of the Ivory Tower? Universities in the Age of AI
• Film Screening – “Screen Locked” Film Screening and Q&A
• Big Conversation – The Trust Deficit: Building Vaccine Confidence in Pakistan
14:40–15:40 PKT
• Fireside Chat – Stories Only Humans Can Tell
• Big Conversation – Rewriting the Code: AI, Ethics, and the Future of Human Decisions
• Frame by Frame – Parenting in the Age of AI
• Big Conversation – Reimagining Tomorrow: Young Voices on Climate Change and Action
16:00–17:00 PKT
• Big Conversation – World Order 2.0: Power, Politics, and the Algorithmic Cold War
• Big Conversation – The Genius Question: Can AI Claim the Next Big Discovery?
• Big Conversation – A Glimmer of Hope: Navigating Difficult Feelings and Finding Support
• Masterclass – بات سے بات: اردو ایپ کی کہانی تعلیم و تکنیک کا سنگم
17:15–17:45 PKT
• Performance – Dastan Shehre Lahore Ki
Awards: Distinguished Alumni Awards
11:10-12:10 PKT
Story Circle: Al as the New Co-Founder: Dreamers & Doers
Big Conversation: Risks & Opportunities: How can we ensure that Al facilitates Pakistan’s development?
Big Conversation: The Future of Performance: When Humans, Avatars, and Algorithms Share the Stage
Big Conversation: Al & the Post Truth Society
12:30-13:30 PKT
Frame by frame: Silicon Valley or Shenzhen: Choosing Our Digital Destiny
Big Conversation: Peace, Justice, and Palestine: What the World Must Confront
Big Conversation: Ozempic Dreams and Filtered Realities: Aesthetics, Al, and the New Morality of Perfection
Big Conversation: Taking Online Learning from Proof of Concept to Scale
13:50-14:50 PKT
Big Conversation: The role of entrepreneurship centers in the modern economy
Big Conversation: How can the media do more programming for peace promotion?
Big Conversation: Al for Balance: Reimagining Success Between Earnings and Empathy
Big Conversation: Children at Risk: Abuse, Exploitation, & Safety in the Age of Al
15:10-16:10 PKT
Lens Trilogy: Many Faces of Inclusion in a Changing World
Roundtable Discussion: Learning Without Schooling: Pathways for the Left Behind
Big Conversation: Who Owns the Beat? Al, Music, and the Battle for Creativity
Big Conversation: Brains, Bots, and Broken Curriculums: Who Prepares Us for Tomorrow?
16:30-17:30 PKT
Big Conversation: Al in the Newsroom: Friend or Foe?
The “AI in the Newsroom” session, closing the summit, promises a deep dive into AI’s transformative role in journalism. Chaudhry, TechJuice’s CEO and a veteran media innovator known for covering Pakistan’s tech ecosystem, will express his take on exploring how tools like generative AI are reshaping newsrooms from workflow automation to content creation and ethical dilemmas.
Expect discussions on AI’s impact beyond efficiency (e.g., fact-checking, personalized feeds, and combating disinformation), drawing from 2025 trends like Reuters Institute’s report on 97% of publishers increasing AI budgets for editorial tasks. The panel will also likely highlight local challenges: Pakistan’s newsrooms adopting AI for Urdu content generation amid resource constraints, with panellists Waheed (digital journalist), Ali (AI ethics expert), and Shabbir (data analyst) sharing case studies on tools like Grok for real-time reporting.
The event features a high‑profile lineup spanning education, policy, media, tech, entrepreneurship, wellbeing, and human rights. Key global and national education voices include Dr Jürgen Schmidhuber, Andreas Schleicher, Dr Moeed Yusuf, Dr Sohail Naqvi, Dr Athar Osama, Dr Sabieh Anwar, Dr Maryam Mustafa, Dr Tayyaba Tamim, Nassir Kasuri, Kasim Kasuri, Isfundiar Kasuri, and Ayesha Kasuri, alongside school and curriculum leaders such as Sophia K. Kasuri, Dr Aamna Pasha, Dr Yasmeen Sultana Farooqui, Wajid Jawad, Farhan Ashraf, Uzma Yousuf, Shahab Siddiqi, and Caroline Jenner.
Public policy, governance, and media are represented by Hina Rabbani Khar, Dr Umar Saif, Nasim Zehra, Fahd Hussain, Talal Chaudhry, Syed Talat Hussain, Fasi Zaka, Amber Rahim Shamsi, Zarrar Khuhro, Rai M. Azlan, Asad Baig, Asad Shabbir, Farwa Waheed, Syed Muzammil Shah, and Moneeza Hashmi, who explore geopolitics, democracy, AI, and information integrity. Technology, entrepreneurship, and corporate innovation feature Badar Khushnood, Monis Rahman, Shershah Hassan, Ahmed Khan, Omar Maniar, Jazib Zahir, Khizar Tahseen, Saba Shahid, Mahnoor Hayat, Annum Sadiq, Umar Nadeem, Usman Khan, Humayun Bashir Tarar, Helen Chorlton, Abid Gill, Gulalai Khan, and Dr Aminah Khan, covering AI, startups, skills, and digital governance.
Mental health and wellbeing leaders include Iram Naqvi, Dr Asha Bedar, and Sarah Ahmad. Human rights and youth leadership are represented by Aisha Ryan, Syed Uzair Nizami, and others. AI avatars Amna, Hammad, Sara, and Danial highlight the role of technology in these areas.
Attendees can anticipate practical takeaways, such as integrating AI without bias, and a Q&A on balancing innovation with journalistic integrity, a timely topic as Pakistan’s media navigates election coverage and fake news surges.
SOT XIX emphasizes inclusivity, with AI avatars like Amna and Danial participating, immersive art, food, music, and story circles. Free and open to all, it continues Beaconhouse’s commitment to forward-thinking education, expecting outcomes like new collaborations and policy insights.