03 · Summit Agenda

U.S. - Mexico AI Summit Agenda

October 22, 2026 · Sanford Consortium

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Welcoming Remarks

Panelists

Corinne Peek-Asa

Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation · UC San Diego

Rajesh Gupta

Dean, School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences · UC San Diego

Rafael Fernández de Castro

Director, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies · UC San Diego

9:00 – 9:45 AM

AI and the Binational Future:

What's at Stake for the U.S.–Mexico Relationship?

Speaker

Fernando Sepúlveda

Chairman · Iberoamerican Technology Foundation (ITF)

9:45 – 10:10 AM

Survey

10:15 – 11:15 AM

AI, Cybersecurity & the New Geopolitical Fault Lines:

Where Does the U.S.–Mexico Border Fit?

Global AI competition is increasingly a story about who controls critical infrastructure and who's allowed inside the perimeter of trust. Where does the U.S.–Mexico border sit in that story?

Panelists

Rafael Fernández de CastroModerator

Director, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies · UC San Diego

Natalia Cote-Muñoz

Managing Partner and CEO · Vantage Point Strategies

Peter F. Cowhey

Dean Emeritus and Qualcomm Chair Emeritus · UC San Diego

Adriana Obregón

CEO Office and Government Affairs · Incode Technologies

David Michael

Managing Director, Anzu Partners; Professor of Practice · UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

11:15 – 11:30 AM

Coffee Break

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

AI at Ports of Entry in CaliBaja:

Smart Infrastructure, Mobility & Transborder Operational Coordination

How is AI transforming the physical and logistical management at the world's busiest border crossings?

Panelists

Joaquin LukenModerator

Executive Director · Smart Border Coalition

Venu Sarakki

Founder & CEO · Sarakki Associates Inc.

Jorge Goytortúa

CEO · Cross Border Xpress (CBX)

12:15 – 1:00 PM

AI, Nearshoring & the USMCA Corridor:

Efficiency, Compliance & Regulatory (Un)Certainty

Is the CaliBaja manufacturing corridor genuinely ready for AI-driven trade under USMCA, and which side of the border ends up setting the terms?

Panelists

Caroline FreundModerator

Dean · UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

Nikia Clarke

Chief Strategy Officer · San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation

Diego Flores

Head, Digital Economy Unit · Ministry of Economy (MX)

Eugenio Gómez Alatorre

Professor - Researcher, School of Government and Economy · Universidad Panamericana

1:00 – 2:15 PM

Lunch

2:30 – 3:15 PM

Beyond Regulation:

AI Safety, Sovereignty & Governance Across Political Systems: From China to the U.S.–Mexico Relationship

Given how differently Mexico and the U.S. approach AI regulation, is meaningful convergence possible at the CaliBaja border?

Panelists

Catheryn CamachoModerator

Associate Director · UC San Diego Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies

Claudia del Pozo

Founder and CEO · Eon Institute

Alejandro Ordóñez Torres

Phygital Lab Director · Universidad Panamericana

Héctor Corzo

Senior Science Officer · California Council on Science and Technology

Margaret E. Roberts

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science · UC San Diego

3:15 – 4:15 PM

AI-driven Innovation in the U.S.–Mexico Relationship:

Health, Education, and Workforce Opportunities

The CaliBaja region is arguably the most natural laboratory for U.S.–Mexico AI collaboration in health, education, and workforce development. Where should that collaboration start, and who gets left behind if it doesn't happen here first?

Panelists

Eduardo GarciaModerator

Senior Advisor for Policy & Public Affairs · UCLA Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

Kurt Honold

Secretary of Economy and Innovation · State of Baja California (MX)

Thomas Beyer

Executive Director, Master of Science Business Analytics · UC San Diego Rady School of Management

Alexander Khalessi

Chief Innovation Officer · UC San Diego Health

Manuel Pliego

Government Affairs VP AI · Microsoft

4:15 – 4:30 PM

Coffee Break

4:30 – 5:15 PM

Data Centers & Energy:

The Upcoming Sustainability Challenges

Can data centers grow at the pace demanded by AI without becoming a structural obstacle to the energy transition?

Panelists

Gustavo Pérez

Sales Director, Latin America · Vertiv (MX)

Andrés García Fajer

Chief Development Officer · KIO Data

Jeremy M. Martin

Vice President, Energy · Institute of the Americas

Brian Balderston

Director of Infrastructure, Research Data Services · San Diego Supercomputer Center, UC San Diego

5:15 – 6:00 PM

AI in Migration Processing and Border Enforcement:

Deployment, Accountability & Rights

AI is already shaping who gets flagged, detained, or processed at the border. Who is deploying these systems, who is accountable when they get it wrong, and how to protect the rights of migrants caught in between?

Panelists

Judith Mariscal

Executive Director · Centro LATAM Digital

Orly Lobel

Warren Distinguished Professor of Law; Director, Center for Employment and Labor Policy · University of San Diego

6:00 – 6:15 PM

NOURISH and BAIRO Platforms

6:30 PM

End of Activities