Paris Conference on AI & Digital Ethics reveals new focus areas for 2026
The Paris Conference on AI & Digital Ethics (PCAIDE) has announced its fourth edition, scheduled for June 2026 in Paris, and has opened the call for paper submissions. This high-profile event, organised by PCAIDE—a non-profit initiative led by Hubert Etienne, CEO of Quintessence AI—serves as a critical platform for dialogue among academia, industry, and policymakers. It aims to confront the complex ethical, social, and environmental challenges posed by artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
PCAIDE’s 2026 conference invites researchers and practitioners across disciplines to contribute papers that engage with four key thematic tracks: AI and the Environment, chaired by Dr Sasha Luccioni; AI and Health, led by Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby; AI and Work, overseen by economist Philippe Aghion; and AI and Social Interactions, headed by Chloé Clavel. The conference is guided by a distinguished Scientific Committee including renowned figures such as Sven Nyholm, Claire Benn, Paul Egré, Sylvie Delacroix, Joanna Bryson, Alex Pascal, and Thomas Souverain, alongside Etienne himself.
The submission deadline is set for 20 December 2025, with the conference agenda scheduled to be released in February 2026. According to the organisers, the Paris event will continue to foster interdisciplinary and international cooperation to ensure AI developments align with ethical principles and societal values.
PCAIDE builds its reputation in a landscape of growing global attention to AI ethics, where conferences have increasingly broadened their scope and sharpened their focus. For instance, the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics (ICAIDE), to be held in Guangzhou, China, in May 2026, takes a complementary approach by emphasising practical implementation through workshops, case studies, and interactive exercises that address ethics in AI deployment across diverse sectors. ICAIDE broadens the scope to include cutting-edge topics such as Artificial General Intelligence and quantum computing, reflecting the rapidly evolving technological frontier.
Moreover, conferences like DIGITAL 2026 in Nice, France, also scheduled for July 2026, address the broader societal impact of digital transformation, focusing beyond AI to include Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and big data. DIGITAL 2026 accommodates both onsite and remote participation, illustrating an inclusive approach to knowledge-sharing in an increasingly digitised world.
PCAIDE distinguishes itself by the rigorous academic and policy-oriented dialogue it facilitates, aiming to generate actionable insights and foster ethical stewardship of AI technologies. The conference particularly encourages interdisciplinary scholarship and practical perspectives that address AI's implications on health, work, environment, and social interactions—areas critical to both industry leaders and policymakers working to navigate the digital age responsibly.
Executives and leaders from associations, trade bodies, and confederations may find PCAIDE a valuable occasion to engage with cutting-edge ethical debates and policy development in AI, further enabling them to serve their members in an era where technology and ethics are increasingly intertwined.