Global Forum on the Ethics of AI (GFEAI) 2025

Thank you to all applicants!

Submissions are now under review. Selected papers will appear in Global Forum proceedings: July 2025.

UNESCO and partner organizations are pleased to announce a call for papers for the upcoming Global Forum on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 24-27 June 2025. This call is dedicated to exploring the rapidly changing landscape of AI policy in the context of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, the only globally agreed normative instrument in the domain of AI ethics, which has been adopted by 194 countries. The Global Forum acts as a venue for policymakers, civil society, academia and the private sector to share their experiences and good practices for implementing the Recommendation. With this call, we invite scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and students from around the globe to contribute to the Forum with their insights and research.

Presentation at the Forum and publication

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to present and discuss their research in a workshop at the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI in Bangkok on 24-27 June 2025. The costs associated with travel and participation in the Forum will be subsidized by the organizers. Authors may choose to have either an extended abstract or full working paper subsequently published in a proceedings of the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI. For those interested, we will seek to organize one or more special issues of relevant academic journals following a process of peer review and revision.

Submission Themes

This call consists of two tracks. The first track is for law, public policy, ethics, social sciences, economics, and related disciplines. For this track, we are seeking original and unpublished papers focusing on the following sub-themes linked to Policy Areas of the UNESCO Recommendation.

GFEAI 2025 Ethical Governance & Stewardship

Ethical Governance and Stewardship

Local / national / regional / global approaches to addressing AI governance, including policies, strategies, collaborations, interoperability of governance mechanisms, and good practices for institutional design of governmental agencies.
Optimal institutional design for AI supervision in the public sector, including structures and frameworks for effective AI oversight and regulation.
The role of civil society in setting the agenda for and participating in AI governance.
Approaches to the ethical design, development and deployment of AI technologies.

Communication and Information

Social, political and ethical implications of AI systems, including challenges related to the amplification of hate speech, disinformation, bias and all forms of discrimination as well as potential benefits for addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Environment and Ecosystems

Measuring, monitoring and mitigating the impact of AI technologies on the environment, including relevant tools, methodologies, practices and standards.

Culture

Ethical design, use and governance of AI systems in domains of languages, arts, religion, cultural heritage, and indigenous knowledges.

Ethical Impact Assessment

Frameworks and good practices in assessing the ethical impacts of AI technologies throughout the AI life cycle, particularly in relation to the UNESCO Ethical Impact Assessment tool.

Gender

Examining the impact of AI technologies on the gender equality agenda.

Health and Social Well-Being

Challenges and opportunities in advancing inclusive AI systems for and with persons with disabilities, and ensuring accessibility, fairness, and non-discrimination in AI design and deployment.

Ethical Governance and Stewardship

Local / national / regional / global approaches to addressing AI governance, including policies, strategies, collaborations, interoperability of governance mechanisms, and good practices for institutional design of governmental agencies.
Optimal institutional design for AI supervision in the public sector, including structures and frameworks for effective AI oversight and regulation.
The role of civil society in setting the agenda for and participating in AI governance.
Approaches to the ethical design, development and deployment of AI technologies.

Gender

Examining the impact of AI technologies on the gender equality agenda.

Communication and Information

Social, political and ethical implications of AI systems, including challenges related to the amplification of hate speech, disinformation, bias and all forms of discrimination as well as potential benefits for addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Environment and Ecosystems

Measuring, monitoring and mitigating the impact of AI technologies on the environment, including relevant tools, methodologies, practices and standards.

Culture

Ethical design, use and governance of AI systems in domains of languages, arts, religion, cultural heritage, and indigenous knowledges.

Health and Social Well-Being

Challenges and opportunities in advancing inclusive AI systems for and with persons with disabilities, and ensuring accessibility, fairness, and non-discrimination in AI design and deployment.

Ethical Impact Assessment

Frameworks and good practices in assessing the ethical impacts of AI technologies throughout the AI life cycle, particularly in relation to the UNESCO Ethical Impact Assessment tool.

We welcome research focused on aspects of implementation as well as critical theoretical approaches to the topics listed above. Priority in the selection process will be given to evidenced papers that are cross-disciplinary.

The second track is for computer science, data science, and related disciplines. For this track, we are seeking original and unpublished papers focusing on the following sub-themes:

E-Government

Policy Analytics

Digital Rights Management

Digital Citizenship, Digital Identity

AI and Machine Learning

Personal Data Protection and Privacy

Innovation in Public Management

Sustainable Technology

Policy Standards and Guidelines

Key Dates

Deadline for submission of abstract: 1 May 2025.
Notification of acceptance for presentation and/or publication: 31 May 2025.
Publication of extended abstract / working paper in proceedings of Global Forum: July 2025.
Publication of full papers following a round of peer review and revisions: late 2025 / early 2026.

Submission Guidelines

Abstracts must be submitted in English and should be between 500-1000 words, clearly outlining the research focus, methodology / theoretical framework and preliminary findings or arguments.

Each submission should include the author(s)’s name, affiliation, and contact information.

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or under consideration for publication elsewhere.

A maximum of two abstracts may be submitted per person.

All submissions will be peer reviewed.

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.

Join us in shaping the future of AI governance!

CONTACT

International Research Centre
on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI)
under the auspices of UNESCO

Jožef Stefan Institute
Jamova cesta 39
SI-1000 Ljubljana

info@ircai.org
ircai.org

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