6^thInternational Conference on Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence
QCAI’2026

Scope and Topics

The Laboratory of Research in Artificial Intelligence (LRIA) of the Computer Science Faculty (FI) at the University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene (USTHB) organizes the International Conference on Quantum Computing and Artificial Intelligence (QCAI’2026) to be held on October 11-12, 2026, in Algiers, Algeria.
The QCAI’2026 is open to all researchers in Artificial Intelligence including Quantum Computing, Generative AI, and Agentics, which are gaining increasing importance in solving complex and large-scale problems. Accepted contributions from the 6th AID’2025 edition alongside new submissions are welcomed. QCAI’2026 is structured around three complementary tracks: a Main Research Track covering foundational and applied AI topics, a Quantum Computing Track dedicated to quantum-inspired, hybrid and fully quantum contributions, and a “Connect to the Industry” Track designed to foster interaction between academia and industrial stakeholders. Which offers a unique opportunity for all confirmed researchers from research laboratories and industrial R&D, doctoral and master students to present their research, receive feedback from domain experts, and interact with other researchers in a dynamic and supportive environment. A selection of the best papers will be presented during oral sessions. The event will also feature invited talks from prominent researchers in both Gen-AI and Quantum Computing.
Submissions are welcomed in all areas related to Artificial Intelligence, including but not limited to:

Where

Algiers, Algeria at USTHB

When

October 11-12, 2026

CFP

Call For Papers

Honorary Chair

• Prof. Emerit. Habiba ZERKAOUI-DRIAS, USTHB, Algeria

General Chair

• Dr. Naila Aziza HOUACINE, USTHB, Algeria

Co-General Chair

• Dr. Ilyes KHENNAK, USTHB, Algeria

Program Committee Chair

• Prof. Dalila BOUGHACI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Nacera LAICHE, USTHB, Algeria

Steering Committee

• Prof. Saliha AOUAT, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Hamid AZZOUNE, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Dalila BOUGHACI, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Samir KECHID, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Feryel SOUAMI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Lyes ABADA, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Djamila DAHMANI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Ilyes KHENNAK, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Nacera LAICHE, USTHB, Algeria

Program Committee

• Dr. Lyes ABADA, USTHB, Algeria
• Pr. Mehdi ADDA, UQAR, Canada
• Dr. Mohamed AIT MEHDI, ENSIA, Algeria
• Dr. Rachid ALIRADI, CERIST, Algeria
• Dr. El-Amine AMEUR, UATL, Algeria
• Prof. Yacine AMIRAT, UPEC, France
• Prof. Saliha AOUAT, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Hamid AZZOUNE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Sadjia BABA-ALI, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Valentina Emilia BALAS, UAV, Romania
• Dr. Widad Hassina BELKADI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Fatma Zohra BELLALA, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Khadidja BELLATAR, U of Alger 1, Algeria
• Prof. Belaid BENHAMOU, amU, France
• Dr. Lamia BERKANI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Ikram BIDA, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Riad BOUARROUDJ, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Dalila BOUGHACI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Lokmane CHEBOUBA, UFMC1, Algeria
• Dr. Djamila DAHMANI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Yassine DRIAS, MEF, Turkey
• Prof. Khaled M. Elleithy, Bridgeport, USA
• Prof. Xiao-Zhi GAO, UEF, Finland
• Prof. Maria Gini, U of Minnesota, USA
• Dr. Adel GOT, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Allel HADJALI, ENSMA, France
• Dr. Kamel Eddine HERAGUEMI, ENSIA, Algeria
• Dr. Célia HIRECHE, SDUB, Algeria
• Dr. Naila Aziza HOUACINE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Oussama HOUHOU, YFUM, Algeria
• Dr. Selma KALI-ALI, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Nadjet KAMEL, UFAS1, Algeria
• Prof. Samir KECHID, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Célia KHELFA, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Meriem KHELIFA, UKMO, Algeria
• Dr. Ilyes KHENNAK, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Yacine LAALAOUI, TU, Saudi Arabia
• Dr. Abdelmadjid LAHRECHE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Nacéra LAICHE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Naoual MEBTOUCHE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Imane MESSAOUDI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Hadjer MOULAI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Tarek NABHANI, SU, Saudi Arabia
• Prof. Nima NAVIMIPOUR, Istanbul, Turkey
• Dr. Hamid NECIR, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Messaouda NEKKAA, UMBB, Algeria
• Dr. Tahar RAFA, YFUM, Algeria
• Dr. Abdellah REZOUG, UMBB, Algeria
• Prof. Abdelmalik TALEB-AHMED, IEMN UPHF, France
• Dr. Zahia TAMEN, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Hanane TEBBI, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Farouk YALAOUI, UTT, France
• Prof. Emerit. Habiba ZERKAOUI-DRIAS, USTHB, Algeria
• Prof. Djaafar ZOUACHE, UBBA, Algeria

Organizing Committee Chairs

• Dr. Naoual MEBTOUCHE, USTHB, Algeria

Organizing Committee

• Dr. Mohamed AIT MEHDI, ENSIA, Algeria
• Ms. Imane AMEUR, USTHB, Algeria
• Ms. Anfel AMIRAT, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Riadh BOUARROUDJ, USTHB, Algeria
• Ms. Maria DJADI, USTHB, Algeria
• Mr. Laib Mohamed DJOUNAID, USTHB, Algeria
• Ms. Maya HOUACINE, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Selma KALI ALI, USTHB, Algeria
• Dr. Célia KHELFA, USTHB, Algeria
• Mr. Hichem MABED, USTHB, Algeria
• Mr. Mohammed Lamine MIRA, USTHB, Algeria
• Ms. Ibtihel REZAIGUIA, USTHB, Algeria
• Mr. Abdelkrim SAHNOUNE, USTHB, Algeria
• Ms. Sonia ZEMMOUR, USTHB, Algeria

Prof. Houari SAHRAOUI, Department of computer science and operations research, University of Montréal Canada

Title

It Passes the Tests. But Is It Good? Rethinking Generative AI in Software Engineering

Abstract

Generative AI is rapidly transforming software engineering through the automation of development and maintenance tasks. However, most current approaches and evaluation practices remain centered on functional correctness and benchmark accuracy. While important, these dimensions are insufficient to capture what makes AI systems truly useful and adoptable in practice.

This talk argues that the next frontier of AI for software engineering lies beyond accuracy. Developers care not only about whether generated artefacts are correct, but also whether they align with coding preferences, provide actionable and socially acceptable feedback, adapt to different user profiles, and integrate naturally into human workflows. Recent studies on reward hacking further illustrate the limitations of optimizing AI systems solely for narrow measurable objectives.

Through a series of recent research contributions, the talk explores preference-based code generation, civility and actionability in automated code review, effective delivery of AI-based modeling assistance, and adaptive automation tailored to user profiles. Together, these works illustrate a broader shift from viewing AI as a generation engine toward designing AI collaborators that better support human values, developer needs, and long-term software quality.

Biography

Houari Sahraoui is a Professor in the GEODES Software Engineering Lab within the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at the Université de Montréal. He also serves as Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Pierre and Marie Curie University (LIP6) in 1995, specializing in Artificial Intelligence.

His research focuses on AI for Software Engineering, including software automation, model-driven engineering, digital twins, and generative AI for code and modeling tasks. He has published more than 200 papers in leading venues and has received multiple Best Paper Awards, ACM SIGSOFT Distinguished Paper Awards, and the IEEE TCSE 10-Year Most Influential Paper Award.

He has held several leadership roles in the software engineering community, serving as General Chair of ASE, MODELS, and VISSOFT, Program Chair of MODELS and VISSOFT, and Program Committee member for numerous leading IEEE and ACM conferences. He has also served as Associate Editor for several journals, including Springer Software and Systems Modeling, and is a founding member of CS-Can | Info-Can, the Canadian computer science society. He is a Fellow of Automated Software Engineering and the recipient of the CS-Can | Info-Can Lifetime Achievement Award in Computer Science.

Prof. Sadok BEN YAHIA, University of Southern Denmark

Title

TBA

Abstract

TBA

Biography

Sadok BEN YAHIA Full Professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) since September 2023. Before joining SDU, he was a full professor at the Technology University of Tallinn (TalTech) since January 2019. He obtained his HDR in Computer Sciences from the University of Montpellier (France) in April 2009. His research interests mainly focus on trustworthy & safe LLM-based AI systems and their application to urban mobility in smart cities (e.g., information aggregation & dissemination, traffic congestion prediction), Recommendation Systems, and fake content fighting.

Prof. Faicel HNAIEN, University of Technology of Troyes, France

Title

TBA

Abstract

TBA

Biography

Faicel Hnaien received the engineering degree in industrial engineering from the National Engineering School of Tunis, Tunis, Tunisia, in 2004, the master's degree in industrial engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble, Grenoble, France, in 2005, and the Ph.D. degree in industrial engineering from the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France, in 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he held a temporary teaching and research position at the French Institute of Advanced Mechanics, Aubière, France. Since 2009, he has been with the University of Technology of Troyes (UTT), Troyes, France, first as an Associate Professor and, since 2024, as a Full Professor. His academic work has focused on developing combinatorial and quantum optimization methods in industrial engineering.