Good morning from the final day of the 2026 SBCC Summit in Panama City!
AI set the tone early on Day Four, taking center stage in a lively opening plenary on social and behavior change communication. The conversation wasn’t about hype. It was about balance: how to use powerful new tools without losing sight of trust, context, and the human judgment that makes SBCC work. Big opportunity, real caution, and a clear reminder that people – not algorithms – still have to lead.
Today we kick of early at 8:30 a.m. by hearing from all of you. We’ve spent the week collecting your insights through the app and at our booth in the exhibition hall—and now, on this final day, the Insights and Outputs Committee brings it all together to share what we’ve been hearing, thinking, and learning across the Summit.
And don’t miss the Closing Ceremony at 12:15 p.m., with vibrant Panamanian dancers and drums to close out a week in an unforgettable host country.
What Everyone Was Talking About
Artificial intelligence is already changing how social and behavior change communication (SBCC) professionals collect data, engage audiences, and deliver services. During Thursday’s opening plenary, Summit speakers explored both the opportunities and the risks that AI presents for the field.
Moderated by Nigerian strategic communications leader Fatimah Abubakar Alkali, the discussion focused less on the technology itself and more on how practitioners can ensure AI remains ethical, equitable and human-centered.
“Ultimately, the key ethical and equity questions around AI always come back to trust,” said Dino Rech, CEO of Audere (Equitable Care Worldwide). “Trust in the data, trust in the outcomes, and trust within the system.”
Throughout the session, panelists emphasized that AI should be viewed as a tool that supports human decision-making, not one that replaces it.
“AI is a support system for humans,” said Oluseun Onigbinde, global director of BudgIT Foundation in Nigeria. “The human mind remains the engine of civilization – our imagination, judgment, and creativity are what AI cannot replace.”
Anneka Wickramanayake of Jacaranda Health challenged attendees to think about the role SBCC practitioners should play in shaping AI’s future.
“The question is not whether AI will be part of development – it will,” she said. “The question is whether SBCC will help shape that future or simply respond to it.”
The conversation touched on everything from analyzing large volumes of community feedback to concerns about bias, local context, data ownership, and equity. Wickramanayake cautioned that while AI can help organizations identify trends and analyze information at scale, it cannot replace the cultural understanding and nuance that effective behavior change work requires.
Audience questions explored issues ranging from suicide prevention to informed consent. Rech stressed that AI must be designed with safeguards and pathways to human support, particularly in sensitive situations.
By the end of the session, panelists agreed that AI offers enormous opportunities for SBCC – but only if the field remains grounded in its core values of participation, inclusion, evidence, and human connection.
Closing the discussion, Alkali offered a final reminder: “When AI is employed and guided by the right hands, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for social and behavior change.”
Those hands, she added, were sitting in the room.
