Guardiola Will Bring an International Perspective to Debate on Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers and the Moral Responsibility of Leadership
The PuLSE Institute, Detroit-based independent and national anti-poverty and economic justice think tank focused on economic inequality and the moral responsibility of leadership, announced today that Maria-Antònia Guardiola, a European Digital Education Hub Ambassador appointed by the European Commission whose work focuses on AI governance, responsible artificial intelligence, digital education and ethics, will deliver the closing address at The Institute’s 2026 Virtual Economic Justice Conference on Data Centers on Monday, October 12.
Guardiola, who is based in the Barcelona metropolitan area, will speak at 11 a.m. Eastern Time under the theme: GOVERNING THE AI AGE: Artificial Intelligence, Data Centers and the Moral Responsibility of Leadership.
Her appearance brings an international dimension to a Detroit-led conference confronting one of the defining questions of the emerging technological order: As artificial intelligence accelerates and the data centers powering it expand, who will establish the rules and who will be accountable for the economic and social consequences?
“The debate over artificial intelligence cannot be confined to what the technology is capable of doing,” said nationally acclaimed journalist, author and public intellectual Bankole Thompson, founder and chairman of The PuLSE Institute. “The more urgent question is what those who possess technological and economic power are obligated to do. Who governs AI? Who benefits from its expansion? Who bears the costs of the infrastructure supporting it? And where are communities that have historically been excluded from economic power in this conversation?”
Thompson said Guardiola was invited because her work sits directly at the intersection of global technology, governance, education, ethics and institutional responsibility.
“Maria-Antònia Guardiola brings a perspective that extends this discussion beyond Michigan and beyond the United States,” Thompson said. “At a moment when AI is advancing faster than many of the institutions charged with governing it, we need to understand what responsible leadership looks like across borders. Her voice will help us confront that question.”
Attorney Tina M. Patterson, President and General Counsel of The PuLSE Institute, said the emergence of AI and the infrastructure supporting it presents a fundamental test of whether governance will keep pace with technological power.
“Every major technological transformation eventually becomes a question of governance and accountability,” Patterson said. “Artificial intelligence is no exception. Communities should not be asked simply to live with the consequences of decisions made somewhere else. They deserve a meaningful place in determining how economic development proceeds, how public resources are affected and how institutions are held accountable. Responsible innovation must include responsible governance.”
Guardiola works at the intersection of AI in education, language learning, digital assessment, educational leadership and responsible innovation. Her work connects policy, research and practice, with particular attention to AI literacy, data responsibility, governance, skills development and moving ethical principles into practical implementation. She collaborates with organizations and institutions in Europe and internationally and has participated in forums examining the future of education, digital transformation and responsible technology.
“Artificial intelligence is not simply a technological revolution; it is a profound test of our collective values, democratic institutions and moral responsibility. Behind every AI system lies a physical and human infrastructure, with consequences for energy, natural resources, employment and communities,” Guardiola said. “The question is not only how far innovation can take us, but who benefits, who bears its costs and who has a voice in shaping its future. Responsible AI governance must place human dignity, economic justice, transparency and the public good at the centre of technological progress. Ultimately, the true measure of our leadership will not be how powerful our technologies become, but how fairly and responsibly we govern them.”
Her closing address will challenge conference participants to confront the relationship between AI governance and the vast physical infrastructure making the technology possible.
THE DATA CENTER QUESTION
The PuLSE Institute is deliberately placing artificial intelligence and data centers within the same conversation. Behind the seemingly intangible world of AI stands an expanding physical infrastructure facilities requiring major investments in energy, land, computing capacity and other resources. The Institute argues that the debate over data centers cannot be confined to technological innovation or corporate investment.
It must also confront questions of economic justice, community impact, public accountability and human dignity.
Patterson will open the conference with welcome remarks before the program moves into a major plenary discussion featuring senior executives from DTE Energy and Oracle.
DTE Energy Executive Chairman Jerry Norcia, President and CEO Joi Harris and Oracle Vice President of Sustainability Jake Oster are among the featured speakers of the plenary session.
Former Michigan State Representative Ronnie Peterson will be a featured voice during BEYOND THE BOARDROOM, a forum designed to move the discussion beyond corporate strategy to the experiences and concerns of communities affected by major economic and infrastructure decisions.
FROM DETROIT TO THE GLOBAL AI DEBATE
Guardiola’s closing address will culminate a conference deliberately moving from the local consequences of data-center development to the global challenge of governing artificial intelligence.
That progression reflects a reality increasingly difficult to ignore: AI May Appear Borderless. Its
That is why The PuLSE Institute argues that the future of artificial intelligence cannot be separated from the question of who exercises power over the physical infrastructure beneath it.
Guardiola’s address will bring the conference to the larger challenge confronting governments and institutions around the world: Technology is advancing globally while many of the laws, institutions and ethical frameworks responsible for governing it are struggling to keep pace.
The question before leaders is no longer simply whether artificial intelligence will transform society. The question is whether conscience, governance and democratic accountability will advance with it.
The PuLSE Institute’s 2026 Virtual Economic Justice Conference on Data Centers will be held Monday, October 12, 2026. The virtual gathering brings together leaders from business, government, technology and community life to examine the economic and moral implications of the rapidly expanding data-center industry.
To register for the conference visit eventbrite page.
