James Wright, AI ethics and governance researcher and practitioner, engaged in international initiatives on responsible AI and capacity-building, including work aligned with UNESCO-led efforts.&nbsp
Davor Orlič, Chief Operating Officer of the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) under UNESCO, with extensive experience at the intersection of AI research, innovation, and global policy.&nbsp
Theodore Lechterman, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at IE University and UNESCO Chair in AI Ethics & Governance, specialising in political philosophy, democratic ethics, and AI governance.&nbsp
Numtip Smerchuar, Assistant Professor in public administration and public policy, with research interests in governance, development policy, and socio-economic impacts of emerging technologies.&nbsp
Watcharaphong Yookwan, Computer science researcher specialising in artificial intelligence, computer vision, and image processing, with academic affiliation in Thailand.

UNESCO, the International Research Centre on AI (IRCAI), and the International Center for AI Research and Ethics (ICAIRE) are pleased to announce a call for abstracts and panel proposals for a research workshop at the upcoming Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (GFEAI) 2026, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 14-17 September 2026.

2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the adoption by 193 countries of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI, the only globally agreed normative instrument in the domain of AI ethics. This milestone offers an opportunity to take stock of the global progress made in implementing the Recommendation across different regions, countries, sectors, and policy areas, to identify emerging challenges and opportunities, and to chart the path forward.

With this call, we invite scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and students from around the globe to contribute their insights and research to the workshop through individual abstracts or panel proposals.

The workshop seeks to bring together researchers working on these themes across different disciplines. Abstracts are welcomed from law, public policy, ethics, social sciences, economics, and related disciplines, as well as from computer science, data science, and related disciplines.

Contributions should engage with the themes outlined above. We are seeking original and unpublished papers or panel proposals. Priority in the selection process will be given to evidenced papers that are cross-disciplinary.

Five years after the adoption of the Recommendation, the landscape of AI has been transformed. The proliferation of generative AI, the expansion of AI-driven decision-making in critical sectors, the rise of agentic AI, and the intensifying geopolitical dimensions of AI governance have all underscored the urgency and prescience of the Recommendation’s framework. At the same time, they have raised new questions and challenges for multilateral organisations, national governments, and other organisations and actors involved in efforts to implement the Recommendation and ensure AI is governed ethically and responsibly.

This Forum invites contributions that critically engage with the implementation of the Recommendation since its adoption in November 2021. Topics could include (but are not limited to):

• critically examining how the Recommendation has been put into practice across different contexts and geographies, including via tools of the Recommendation such as the AI Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) and Ethical Impact Assessment (EIA);
• the roles of multilateralism, international cooperation, intersectoral collaboration, regional organisations, and/or multi-stakeholder partnerships in shaping coherent, inclusive, and effective AI governance, as well as the challenges of such efforts;
• how the ethical values and principles of the Recommendation have been operationalised in the design, development, deployment and/or governance of AI, including via policy-oriented or technical approaches;
• the relevance and adaptability of the Recommendation’s policy areas to new technological realities, including across: environments and ecosystems, gender, culture, education, health and social well-being, and communication and information;
• forward-looking approaches to the future of the ethical governance of AI.

  TRACK 1: ABSTRACTS PROPOSALS

• Individual abstracts should be between 500 and 1,000 words, clearly outlining the research focus, methodology or theoretical framework, and preliminary findings or arguments.
• Abstracts and panel proposals must be submitted in English.
• Each submission should include the author(s)’ name, affiliation, and contract information.
• Submissions should be original work, not previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• A maximum of two submissions may be made per person (whether as individual abstracts, as part of panel proposals, or a combination of the two).
• All submissions will be peer reviewed.
• Papers should follow the JAISD author guidelines and formatting requirements (link https://www.jaisd.org/about/.

TRACK 2: PANEL PROPOSALS

Panel proposals should present a coherent thematic session bringing together three to four presenters to address a shared question or theme from complementary perspectives. Panel proposals should include:

• A panel title and a rationale of 500-1,000 words explaining the panel’s thematic coherence, relevance to the Forum, and the contribution of each panelist.
• An abstract of 300-500 words for each individual presentation within the panel.
• The name, affiliation, and contract information of the panel convenor and of each panelist.
• Papers should follow the JAISD author guidelines and formatting requirements (link https://www.jaisd.org/about/.

Abstracts and panel proposals deadline: 18 July 2026
Research workshop at Global Forum on the Ethics of AI: 14 September 2026
Publication of extended abstract in Proceedings of the Global Forum: 31 October 2026

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to your valuable contributions to this critical discourse on the ethics and governance of AI. For more information, please contact ai-ethics@unesco.org.

For more information about editing and publication, contact the editorial team at info@ircai.org.