The 6th IHEC of Sousse International Symposium, scheduled for April 17–18, 2026, invites researchers, academics, policymakers, industry leaders, and students to engage around the theme “Beyond Artificial: Redefining Intelligence, Creativity, and Human Potential for a Prosperous Future.” More than an academic gathering, the symposium serves as a dynamic platform for rethinking the role of artificial intelligence in shaping a human-centered future.
At the core of this theme is a reflection on the capacity of human beings to transcend the mere use of artificial intelligence and become its intellectual architects—by understanding it, mastering it, and intelligently guiding it toward an inclusive, sustainable, ethical, and prosperous future. In an era where AI increasingly influences economies, societies, and creativity, the symposium seeks to explore how human intelligence and creativity can coexist with, complement, and be enhanced by artificial systems.
Researchers will present cutting-edge studies that challenge traditional boundaries between human and machine intelligence. Policymakers will examine governance and regulatory frameworks that ensure responsible and ethical AI development, while industry leaders will share innovative practices for harnessing AI to drive performance and innovation without diminishing human value.
Students, as the innovators and leaders of tomorrow, will play a central role through active participation in discussions, interactive sessions, and exchanges that bridge academic theory with real-world applications.
Through inspiring keynote addresses, expert panels, and interdisciplinary dialogue, the symposium aims to connect ideas with action. By fostering collaboration across disciplines and sectors, it aspires to redefine intelligence and creativity in the age of AI and contribute meaningfully to building a prosperous, ethical, and human-driven future.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Keynote Speakers ( 3 Plenary Sessions)
Pr. Zhenya Liu
Professor of Finance, EM Normandie, France
Zhenya Liu is a professor in Finance and joined EM Normandie in 2023. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics at the Renmin University of China in 1994 and did his post-doc at Purdue University. His career has taken him across China and the UK, such as Renmin University of China, the University of Birmingham Business School, and JP Morgan Futures (China). He published more than 20 books on the Chinese financial system and 60 papers in the Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Econometric Theory, Journal of Empirical Finance, Econometric Reviews, Annals of Operations Research, International Journal of Forecasting, China Economic Review, etc. Professor Liu is a leading expert in financial econometrics, hedge fund strategy, and quantitative investment. His research focuses on financial econometrics, statistical factor models, stochastic optimal stopping time, random matrix theory, and machine learning.
Pr. Carlos Flavian
Full Professor of Marketing, University of Zaragoza, SPAIN
Carlos Flavián is a distinguished Professor of Marketing at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) and the director of the METODO Research Lab, where he leads research on consumer interactions with digital and Industry 4.0 technologies. His work focuses on how people perceive, adopt, and behave with emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality, service robots, and online systems—and examines outcomes such as usability, satisfaction, e-WOM, loyalty, and technology acceptance. Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate and listed among the top global influencers in marketing, he has an extensive publication record with tens of thousands of citations. He holds key editorial roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC and editorial positions with major international journals. Flavián also contributes as a guest editor for multiple special issues in leading journals and serves on editorial boards, reflecting his broad influence on research related to digital consumer behavior, service marketing, and technological innovation in marketing practice.
Pr Khaled Ghedira
Founding president of the Tunisian Association of Artificial Intelligence (ATIA-Tunisia)
Khaled Ghedira is a distinguished Tunisian professor, researcher, and academic leader, widely recognized as a leading figure in artificial intelligence and information sciences in Tunisia and Africa. He currently serves as Rector of the Université Centrale de Tunis, part of the Honoris United Universities network. He holds a strong multidisciplinary academic background, with advanced training in mathematics, engineering, computer science, and artificial intelligence from prestigious institutions in Tunisia and France, and an Habilitation to supervise research. Over the course of his career, he has held several high-level academic and institutional positions, including Director of the National School of Computer Science (ENSI), Director General of the Cité des Sciences de Tunis, and Director General of the National Agency for the Promotion of Scientific Research. A prolific scholar, he has supervised numerous doctoral theses and authored hundreds of scientific publications. He is also the founder and honorary president of the Tunisian Association for Artificial Intelligence and an active contributor to national and international science policy, with a strong commitment to advancing AI education, research, and innovation.
Pr. Emmanuel Goffi
Professor of ethics applied to Artificial intelligence at ISEP, Paris Institute of Digital Technology
Emmanuel R. Goffi, PhD, is a leading ethicist, philosopher of technology, and professor specializing in the ethics of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and emerging technologies. He combines a distinguished 27-year career as a senior officer in the French Air and Space Force, where he held roles in strategic communication, international cooperation, and military education, with a strong academic and research profile. Dr. Goffi holds a PhD in Political Science from Sciences Po Paris (Centre de recherches internationales) and has taught ethics, international humanitarian law, and relations at multiple institutions in France, Canada, and Germany. He has served as Professor and Associate Researcher at ISEP – École d’ingénieurs du numérique and leads the Ethics & AI Observatory at Institut Sapiens, contributing to ethical frameworks for public and private institutions. He is Co-Founder and former Co-Director of the Global AI Ethics Institute, a research associate at several international centers—including the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba (Canada) and research teams in Morocco and Brazil—and regularly speaks at global conferences. Dr. Goffi’s work focuses on ethical reflection on AI, autonomous weapons, disruptive technologies, and the societal impacts of digitalization, advising organizations on integrating ethical principles into digital and AI strategies
Pr. Hafiz Hoque
Professor of Finance in Swansea University, United Kingdom
Hafiz Hoque is Professor of Finance at Swansea University, United Kingdom, and Director of the Hawkes Centre for Empirical Finance. His research covers corporate finance, banking, financial institutions, ESG and sustainable finance, with a strong focus on firm performance, governance, risk, and innovation.
He holds a PhD in Finance from Bayes (formerly Cass) Business School, University of London. His work has been published in leading international journals such as the Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Banking & Finance, International Journal of Finance & Economics, Global Finance Journal, and the Journal of International Financial Management & Accounting. Professor Hoque has obtained competitive research funding, supervised numerous PhD students, and presented extensively at international conferences. He also serves as an associate editor and reviewer for several academic finance journals, contributing actively to the development of research in the field.
Pr. Ouajdi Korbaa
Professor at the Institute of Computer Science and Communication Technologies (ISITCom), University of Sousse
Ouajdi Korbaa is a senior Tunisian academic, professor of computer science, and educational leader with extensive experience in higher education and research. He holds an Engineering Diploma from École Centrale de Lille (France) and a Ph.D. in Production Management, Automatic Control, and Computer Sciences from the University of Sciences and Technologies of Lille, followed by a Habilitation to Supervise Research from the same institution. Professor Korbaa has served as Full Professor at the University of Sousse and has held key leadership roles, including Director of the Institute of Computer Science and Communication Techniques (ISITCom) in Sousse and head of the university’s e-learning department. He has published widely on topics such as optimization, scheduling, performance evaluation, and discrete optimization and has contributed to international academic projects and ranking initiatives, including his role with UI GreenMetric World Universities Ranking. In addition to his academic leadership, he represents Tunisia in scientific advisory roles within the European Commission’s Horizon Europe governance network and participates in pedagogic innovation and ICT research collaborations across the Mediterranean region.
Pr. Dhafer Saidane
Professor of Economics at SKEMA Business School, France
Dhafer Saidane is a prominent Tunisian economist, professor of finance, and academic leader, widely recognized for his expertise in financial markets, banking, and risk management. He is a Professor of Finance with a long-standing career in higher education and has held several senior academic and administrative positions, including Dean of business schools and leadership roles within Tunisian and international academic institutions. Professor Saidane holds a PhD in Finance and has contributed extensively to research on banking performance, financial stability, market efficiency, and corporate finance. He is the author and co-author of numerous scientific publications and reference books in finance, and a frequent speaker in academic and professional forums. Beyond academia, he is also known as a public intellectual and economic commentator, actively engaging in debates on financial reforms, economic policy, and development issues in Tunisia and the MENA region.
Pr. Riadh Bouzaouache
Professor of Entrepreneurship at IHEC of Sousse, University of Sousse
Riadh Bouzaouche is a senior expert and senior lecturer at HEC Sousse (Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration), University of Sousse, Tunisia, where he has served in academic and advisory roles since the early 1990s. He holds advanced academic credentials from Université de Sherbrooke, Faculty of Administration (Canada) and brings decades of experience in business education, entrepreneurship programs, and executive training. In addition to his long‑standing teaching career, Bouzaouche has played a leading role in coordinating entrepreneurial programs at the University of Sousse and serving as General Coordinator of FICRE, a university initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities among students and recent graduates. He also represents Tunisian higher education internationally, having participated in global academic conferences and partnerships to promote collaboration in teaching, research, and innovation across the Euro‑Mediterranean region.
Guest Speakers
Pr. Khaled Guesmi
Professor of Finance and the Director of the Center of Research for Energy and Climate Change (CRECC) at Paris School of Business.
Khaled Guesmiis a full professor of Finance and the Director of the Center of Research for Energy and Climate Change (CRECC) at Paris School of Business. He also holds positions as an Adjunct Professor at Telfer School of Management, University of Canada, and an Affiliate Professor at the University of Luxembourg. Dr. Guesmi's research and teaching interests lie in empirical finance, applied time-series econometrics, and commodity markets. He obtained his HDR (Habilitation for Supervising Doctoral Research) in July 2015 and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University Paris Nanterre (2011) and an M.Sc. in Finance from Paris I University of Sorbonne (2005). Dr. Guesmi has co-authored numerous books and published over 100 articles in leading refereed journals. He currently serves as a Senior Editor at Finance Research Letters, a Senior Editor at the International Journal of Emerging Markets, an Associate Editor of Research in International Business and Finance and a Senior Editor of Journal of Economic surveys In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Guesmi is the Project Manager of the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Program for Research and Innovation. This program seeks to promote a radical re-design of energy strategies in the southeastern Mediterranean region by developing new models of cooperation between the EU and these countries. The focus is on sustainability and efficiency policies, with cooperation applied to various aspects of the energy sector such as the development of renewables, energy efficiency technologies, and demand-side policies. Dr. Guesmi believes that the EU's support in these areas could bring added value and contribute to the sustainable development of these countries
Pr. Marc Arthur Diaye
Professor of Economics at Université Paris 1 Panthéon‑Sorbonne
Marc‑Arthur Diaye is a Professor of Economics at Université Paris 1 Panthéon‑Sorbonne and, as of 1 September 2025, the Director of the Sorbonne School of Economics. He began his academic career in 1999 at the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Analyse de l’Information (ENSAI) and has held positions at the University of Évry (Paris‑Saclay), where he created graduate programs in risk and asset management and in data science. He also served as a senior researcher at the Centre d’Études de l’Emploi and as Director of the Department of Economics at ENSAI. Since 2016, he has led the Master’s program in Econometrics and Statistics at Paris 1. His research spans microeconometrics, decision theory, data modeling, and the prediction of behavior from data, and he is active in academic governance, including membership of the Academic Council and training commissions at Paris 1. Diaye’s work bridges quantitative methods, economic theory, and data science, and he has published extensively in international journals.
TRACKS
Interdisciplinary Approach to Symposium Tracks
Finance tracks
Track 1: Augmented Portfolio Construction: The Human Intelligence Guiding Machine-Assisted Investment Decisions
This track examines the advanced integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into quantitative portfolio construction. Research focuses on the methodologies by which human financial architects design and parameterize learning algorithms to optimize risk-adjusted returns. Key contributions will explore the governance models that ensure ultimate intellectual control and strategic input from portfolio managers, moving beyond mere AI use toward human-driven system augmentation.
Track 2: Investor Psychology in the Algorithmic Era: Mastering Human Judgment When Facing Automation
This stream investigates the complex interplay between classic behavioral biases and the cognitive effects of algorithmic recommendations. Submissions should analyze how human financial agents mitigate or manipulate the influence of automated systems to retain critical judgment and non-consensus insight. The track welcomes empirical studies on the emergence of novel biases (e.g., algorithmic complacency) and frameworks for preserving human intuition as a source of market alpha.
Track 3: Hybrid Forecasting Models: Synthesizing Expert Domain Knowledge with AI Predictive Analytics
This track is dedicated to the development and empirical validation of hybrid human-AI models for financial forecasting. Emphasis is placed on mechanisms for explicitly encoding expert knowledge, contextual factors, and 'black swan' scenarios into AI architectures. The objective is to present superior predictive frameworks where human expertise serves as a necessary structural component and corrective force, driving model performance beyond purely data-driven automation.
Track 4: Quantifying Unstructured Drivers: Integrating Sentiment and Uncertainty Metrics into AI-Driven Performance Models
This Track addresses the challenge of translating intangible psychological and social factors, specifically market sentiment and economic uncertainty,into measurable features for AI consumption. Contributions should detail novel methodologies for human-led data engineering, including the extraction, validation, and weighting of these unstructured data sets. The goal is to demonstrate how human analytical insight directs algorithmic focus toward new, complex market drivers.
Track 5: Ethical & Sustainable Financial AI, Human Governance and Responsible Direction of Intelligent Tools
This critical track explores the paramount role of human governance in actively shaping the societal impact of financial AI. Submissions should focus on regulatory, ethical, and design frameworks that mandate alignment of intelligent systems with principles of inclusivity, transparency, and sustainability. The core discussion revolves around how human agents control and enforce ethical guardrails within the AI lifecycle to ensure the technology serves long-term, prosperous, and equitable financial outcomes.
Track 6: AI-Driven Corporate Finance and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Value Creation
This track investigates how artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and sustainability imperatives are reshaping corporate finance at the firm level. In a world where technological disruption and the green transition are redefining competitive advantage, financial leaders must integrate data-driven insights, ESG principles, and intelligent systems into every aspect of corporate decision-making.
The track aims to develop a dialogue on how digital transformation and AI tools can empower firms to create sustainable financial value, enhance resilience, and align with global sustainability goals.
Accounting Tracks
Track 1: Carbon Accounting and Sustainability Intelligence
This track explores how accounting professionals can leverage artificial intelligence and data-driven tools to measure, report, and reduce corporate carbon footprints, aligning financial decision-making with sustainability goals. It highlights the integration of human creativity, judgment, and ethical responsibility with AI technologies to enhance ESG reporting, carbon accounting, and strategic environmental planning. Contributions may include innovations in sustainability measurement, assurance of AI-generated environmental data, predictive analytics for carbon reduction, and the role of accountants in driving a prosperous and sustainable future.
Track 2: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Redefine Ethical Tax Practice and Risk Management
This track explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping tax compliance and the fight against avoidance and evasion. It emphasizes the integration of AI tools with human judgment, ethics, and professional responsibility, highlighting strategies for practitioners to harness AI responsibly. Contributions may focus on predictive analytics, real-time monitoring, governance frameworks, and innovative approaches to building a fair, transparent, and resilient fiscal ecosystem.
Management tracks
Track 1: Augmented Leadership and Emotional Intelligence: The Human Prerogative in Guiding Intelligent Systems
This track focuses on the fundamental transformation of the leader's and manager's role in the face of AI integration. It investigates the emergence of augmented leadership, where data and algorithmic analysis serve as support, but do not replace, human decision-making. Submissions should analyze how managers must develop and exercise superior Emotional and Social Intelligence (EQ) to navigate complex, hybrid environments. Research will examine how humans leverage AI tools to enhance team performance while retaining the ethical authority and interpretive capacity necessary to steer organizations toward an inclusive and responsible future.
Track 2: Organizational Learning, Culture, and Creativity in Hybrid Ecosystems
This track is dedicated to the challenges and opportunities in the structural and cultural evolution of organizations. It explores the processes of organizational learning and innovation when humans and AI collaborate daily. Papers should analyze how organizations can intentionally shape their culture to developp creativity and problem-solving through the ethical exploitation of AI. The objective is to understand how the human orchestrates intelligent ecosystems to generate new knowledge and sustain competitive advantage, ensuring that learning and creative processes are not simply automated, but are augmented and directed by strategic human objectives.
Track 3: Management facing the rise of IA : Challenges and Opportunities
This track examines how managers can navigate the transformative impact of AI, balancing opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and competitive advantage with challenges such as workforce adaptation, ethical considerations, and organizational change. It explores the integration of AI into management processes, including data-driven decision-making, predictive analytics, and automation, while emphasizing the human dimension of leadership, employee engagement, and skill development. Contributions to this track may address practical strategies, case studies, and theoretical insights that illuminate how organizations can harness AI responsibly and effectively.
Track 4: Entrepreneurship mindset in the AI Era
This track explores how artificial intelligence is transforming entrepreneurial thinking, opportunity recognition, and business creation. It focuses on developing an AI-driven entrepreneurship mindset, where innovation, adaptability, and data-informed decision-making become critical for success. Participants will examine how AI tools can support ideation, market analysis, and scaling strategies, while also considering ethical, social, and strategic implications of AI-enabled ventures. The track highlights the evolving skills and cognitive approaches entrepreneurs need to thrive in a technology-augmented landscape, fostering a culture of creativity, resilience, and proactive problem-solving.
Marketing tracks
Track 1: AI, Consumer Behavior, and rebuilding Trust
This track investigates the causal relationship between the deployment of AI-driven marketing systems and evolving consumer behavior and perception. Research should analyze how human strategists must apply psychological principles and ethical oversight to the algorithms that shape targeting, pricing, and personalized communications. Key contributions will explore the role of human-guided branding in maintaining authenticity and brand equity when facing automation, and frameworks for ensuring that AI-driven insights are used to build, not exploit, consumer trust. This stream positions the marketer as the key architect who understands and ethically steers the consumer journey.
Track 2: Marketing Strategy, Creativity, and the Future of Content
This track examines the essential partnership between human creativity and intelligent systems in developing compelling marketing content and defining market strategy. Submissions should analyze new models for human-in-the-loop content generation and storytelling, where the marketer provides the creative vision and ethical boundaries, and AI optimizes production and delivery. Research will explore methodologies for human strategic input into predictive models for trend forecasting, competitive analysis, and campaign optimization, ensuring that the ultimate marketing narrative and strategic decisions remain rooted in human insight, not solely algorithmic data.
Track 3: Marketing Trends in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Redefining Strategy, Creativity, and Consumer Engagement
This track explores how AI-driven technologies are revolutionizing the way firms understand consumers, personalize experiences, and design data-informed strategies. From predictive analytics and sentiment analysis to generative AI and immersive digital experiences, marketing is entering a new era of creativity powered by intelligence. We invite contributions that address how firms leverage AI to enhance brand authenticity, consumer trust, and strategic agility. Topics may include (but are not limited to): AI in customer journey mapping, ethical data use, marketing automation, digital storytelling, and the intersection of human creativity with machine intelligence
Economics tracks
Track 1: The Augmented Economy: Mastering AI for Stability, Growth, and the Evolution of Work
This track explores the future of economic systems in the face of pervasive Artificial Intelligence. It focuses on the human governance mechanisms required to channel the potential of AI toward macroeconomic stability and equitable growth. Research should analyze AI's impact on productivity, income inequality, and the redefinition of human capital. The objective is to present models and policy frameworks where human expertise, not automation, remains the strategic driver of decision-making, ensuring economic resilience and the alignment of technology with social imperatives.
Track 2: Toward a Cognitive Economy: Redefining Productivity and Human Capital in the Age of AI
The aim of this track is to explore how the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping productivity, human capital, and organizational value creation in the emerging cognitive economy. It seeks to examine the evolving roles of human workers in AI-augmented environments, identify strategies for enhancing skills and creativity, and investigate frameworks that enable effective human/AI collaboration. The track intends to provide insights into redefining productivity metrics, optimizing workforce potential, and fostering innovation driven growth in organizations and economies increasingly driven by knowledge and cognitive capabilities.
Track 3: Economic Decision-Making in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: From Algorithmic Delegation to Human Responsibility
This track explores the intersection of AI algorithms and human decision-making, examining how reliance on AI reshapes risk assessment, resource allocation, and strategic planning. It addresses critical challenges such as algorithmic bias, transparency, and the delegation of decisions to machines, while emphasizing the enduring role of human oversight, moral reasoning, and accountability. Contributions may include theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, and practical case analyses that highlight best practices for integrating AI in economic contexts without compromising ethical standards. The track seeks to foster dialogue on balancing technological efficiency with human responsibility, ensuring that AI serves as a tool to enhance, rather than replace, informed and principled economic judgment.
Logistic tracks
Track 1: Sustainable Logistics and Social Inclusion in the Post-AI Era
As Artificial Intelligence becomes a foundational element of supply chain and logistics operations, the transition toward a “Post-AI” landscape calls for renewed attention beyond efficiency and performance gains. This track explores how AI-driven logistics can remain sustainable, socially inclusive, and human-centric, addressing critical challenges such as job transformation, digital skills gaps, algorithmic bias, and worker well-being. By bringing together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, the track aims to identify frameworks and practices that align intelligent logistics with equity, social responsibility, and long-term societal value.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Authors wishing to submit a presentation should send a full paper in PDF format and English via the submission tab.
The complete version of the paper should include the following information:
title,
name(s) of the authors,
abstract,
keywords,
JEL classification,
e-mail address for each author.
ORGANIZERS
The Institute of Higher Commercial Studies of Sousse (IHEC Sousse)
The Institute of Higher Commercial Studies of Sousse (IHEC Sousse) is a leading institution in higher education, renowned for its commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement. Established in 2002, the institute has continually fostered a dynamic academic environment that bridges theory and practice, equipping students to thrive in complex and competitive global markets. Mission IHEC’s mission is to prepare tomorrow's economic leaders distinguished by their effectiveness, performance, and proactivity. IHEC Sousse leverages highly qualified interdisciplinary teams, innovative pedagogy, and applied research tailored to the real-world demands of socio-economic stakeholders. Vision The IHEC of Sousse aspire to create an environment of excellence and personal development for all. IHEC Sousse is committed to fostering an inclusive atmosphere of collaboration, innovation, and mutual support, enabling every member: students, faculty, and administrative staff to realize their full potential and contribute positively to society.
LaREMFIQ (Laboratoire de Recherche en Économie, Management et Finance Quantitative)
LaREMFIQ (Laboratoire de Recherche en Économie, Management et Finance Quantitative) is a prominent research laboratory based in Sousse, Tunisia, affiliated with the University of Sousse. It specializes in multidisciplinary research across economics, management, and quantitative finance, addressing both theoretical frameworks and applied solutions to contemporary socio-economic issues. The laboratory is a hub for innovation and collaboration, bringing together researchers and practitioners to tackle challenges in areas like financial modeling, strategic management, and economic policy. With a focus on sustainability and regional development, LaREMFIQ contributes to advancing knowledge and supporting decision-making processes at both national and international levels, reinforcing its role as a leader in academic and applied research in Tunisia.
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