Live Duel at #PECBConf26: Can AI Still Be Trusted to Verify Who We Are?

What happens when the technology designed to verify who we are can no longer be trusted to tell who is real?

At PECB Conference 2026 in Rome, we’re taking this question out of the traditional panel format and putting it into a completely different setting: a Live Duel.

On one side, Aaron Kalvani, Independent Global AI Strategist & Advisor on Multilateral AI Governance. On the other, Maha Al-Saadi, a regulatory and compliance leader with experience across financial services and international regulatory environments. In the middle: Eleonora Rocca, Founder of WomenX Impact and Global Head of Marketing at TraqCheck, an AI-powered workforce trust platform focused on recruitment, verification and background checks.

And the question they will be going head-to-head over?

Identity Crisis: Deepfake KYC Failures Mean What – Reverse to In-Person or Trust AI Detection?

MEET THE DUELISTS

Aaron Kalvani approaches the question from the world of AI strategy, governance and emerging technology. As an Independent Global AI Strategist and Advisor on Multilateral AI Governance, Aaron works across governments, international organizations, industry, defence and academia. His work sits at the intersection of AI, trusted data, autonomous systems, global security and
real-world deployment. He has addressed senior governmental and executive audiences around the world, including at the Houses of Parliament, the White House, Chatham House, Davos and the United Nations.

For Aaron, the question isn’t simply whether AI can be trusted today. It’s about whether we can build and govern AI systems capable of operating securely and responsibly in increasingly complex environments.

Maha Al-Saadi brings a very different lens to the confrontation. Her career spans regulatory affairs, compliance, and financial services, including serving as Head of Regulatory Affairs at the Qatar Financial Centre Authority and Director of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs at Bankhaus Scheich Wertpapierspezialist AG.

Today, Maha is also an Ambassador for Global Women in AI, a Council Member of the MENA Fintech Association’s Policy & Regulation Working Group, and an Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council.

Her experience places her directly at the intersection of innovation, regulation, financial services, and accountability, making her uniquely positioned to challenge what happens when organizations place increasing trust in automated identity decisions.

Holding the duel together will be Eleonora Rocca. She brings a unique combination of technology, business, marketing, and community-building experience to the stage. She is the Founder of WomenX Impact, one of Europe’s leading female empowerment and entrepreneurship communities, where she has spent years bringing together global speakers, businesses, and thought leaders through conferences, events, and community initiatives.

Before her current role, Eleonora served as EMEA Channel Marketing Lead at Meta, working across Meta’s VR, MR, and XR solutions and leading strategic partner marketing initiatives across the region. Her experience there included working with technology ecosystems, enterprise
partners and large-scale campaigns designed to drive the adoption of emerging
technologies.

Today, she is Global Head of Marketing at TraqCheck, an AI-powered workforce trust platform transforming how organizations hire, verify and onboard talent. The company’s technology combines AI-powered sourcing, background screening, and compliance automation, with a focus on maintaining accuracy, compliance, and human oversight.  That makes Eleonora particularly well positioned to moderate this conversation: she understands the technology, the business case, and the importance of the human element behind it.

This isn’t a panel; it’s a duel.

The Live Duel format is designed to bring a different kind of energy to the conference stage.

There won’t be two speakers presenting their perspectives before politely agreeing that “both sides have valid points.”

Instead, Aaron and Maha will take opposing positions and defend them.

Who will convince you? Whose side will you be on?

Trust AI detection or bring the human back?

The duel begins at PECB Conference 2026.