K J Somaiya Institute of Technology | 8–10 October 2026
How can technology shape the future while remaining accountable to humanity? This question formed the central idea of Renaissance 2026, the annual technical festival organised by K J Somaiya Institute of Technology from 8 to 10 October 2026. Centred on the theme Sentience: Conscious Engineered, the festival brought the possibilities of emerging technologies into focus, highlighting the importance of innovation, ethical responsibility and human welfare in engineering.
The festival was inaugurated on 8 October in the presence of chief guest Dr Umesh Kokate, System Manager, Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra, alongside Dr Vivek Sunnapwar, Principal, KJSIT, Prof. Vricha Chavan, Technical Coordinator, and Prof. Uday Rote, Dean, Student Welfare, among other faculty members and student representatives.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Kokate highlighted the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) across sectors such as healthcare, environmental science, defence and governance. He encouraged students to move beyond using existing AI tools and develop models capable of addressing real-world challenges. He also emphasised the growing opportunities in emerging fields, including data science, data engineering and agentic AI, underscoring the importance of strong foundations in mathematics, algorithms and data structures.
His address reinforced a central message for aspiring engineers: technological advancement must go hand in hand with responsibility. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, considerations of privacy, safety and accountability must remain central to its development and application. The objective, he emphasised, should be not merely to adopt technology, but to design it ethically for the benefit of society.
Building on this theme, Dr Sunnapwar drew upon science fiction author Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics to discuss the ethical dilemmas associated with technology and robotic systems. He encouraged students to consider how principles of safety and human welfare could inform engineering decisions. He also acknowledged Dr Kokate’s work on the AI-driven revamp of the Directorate of Technical Education portal, highlighting the role of technology in simplifying admission processes.
Prof. Rote encouraged students to participate actively in the festival’s activities, reflecting on the broader question of whether advanced machine learning systems can achieve genuine sentience or merely simulate conscious behaviour. Prof. Chavan acknowledged the efforts of the technical committees, student council and organising teams in bringing the festival together.
Beyond its technical focus, Renaissance aims to provide students with opportunities to strengthen teamwork, leadership and problem-solving skills. By bringing technological ideas into a collaborative campus environment, the festival encourages students to explore emerging possibilities while considering their wider implications.
Renaissance 2026 thus placed an important question before the next generation of engineers: as technology becomes more capable, how can it also become more conscious of its impact? The answer lies not only in what engineers build, but also in the responsibility and judgement with which they build it.
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