We are pleased to announce the AIDEM 2026: 2nd International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics and Democracy, a critical gathering that aims to explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in modern governance, public discourse, and democratic processes. As AI technologies continue to evolve, including generative AI systems, their influence permeates every aspect of our lives, from social media communication and content creation to decision-making in both public and private sectors. While AI promises numerous opportunities for improving efficiency, fairness, and public engagement, it also introduces significant challenges to democratic values, citizen privacy, and social integrity. This workshop brings together scholars, policymakers, industry experts, and practitioners to engage in discussions about the opportunities and risks posed by AI in the context of democracy. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the role of AI in social media ecosystems, disinformation, the regulation of algorithms, ethical concerns, content moderation, social justice, algorithmic fairness, and the implications of generative AI, including alignment, value diversity, and oversight. We aim to foster interdisciplinary dialogue that addresses the ethical, social, and political dimensions of AI technologies and offers solutions for balancing innovation with democratic principles.

Submission Guidelines

All contributions will be reviewed by at least three members of the Program Committee. All papers must be written in English and be in ECML PKDD 2026 LNCS submission format. The following kinds of submissions will be considered: research papers, tool papers, case study papers and position papers. Author instructions, style files, and the copyright form can be downloaded here:https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-guidelines

The following kinds of submissions will be considered:

• Regular papers (12 - 16 pages including references) presenting novel original work not published or submitted elsewhere. Regular papers should be anonymized (double-blind review process) and formatted according to the ECMLPKDD 2026 guidelines (see link below). Accepted regular papers will be included in the Springer Workshop proceedings of ECMLPKDD 2026.
• Short papers (6 - 11 pages including references) presenting work-in-progress and position papers. Short papers should be anonymized (double-blind review process) and formatted according to the ECMLPKDD 2026 guidelines (see link below). Accepted short papers will be included in the Springer Workshop proceedings of ECMLPKDD 2026.
• Non-archival submissions presenting relevant work recently accepted or currently under submission/review at other venues. These submissions must include the authors' names and will not be included in the Springer workshop proceedings.

Accepted papers will be published after the workshop by Springer in a volume of Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). Condition for inclusion in the post-proceedings is that at least one author per accepted paper has presented the paper at the workshop in-person. Pre-proceedings will be available online before the workshop. We also allow accepted papers to be presented without publication in the conference proceedings, if the authors choose to do so. Some of the full paper submissions may be accepted as short papers after review by the Program Committee.

The submission link is availale on https://aidem2026.isti.cnr.it/.

List of Topics

* AI and the Integrity of Online Information

- Integrity and Trust in Social Media Ecosystems

- Disinformation and Deepfakes in Social Media

- Content Moderation on Social Media

- Coordinated Online Behavior

- Polarization in Online Platforms

- Effects of Recommender Algorithms on Social Media Users

* Generative AI, Opinion Formation, and Democratic Values

- Generative AI in Social Discourse and Public Opinion

- Measuring, Auditing, and Quantifying Ideological Bias in Generative Models

- Steering, Alignment, and Control of Generative AI Systems

- Pluralism, Neutrality, and Value Diversity in Generative AI

- AI Companions and Personal Assistants: Trust, Dependency, and Democratic Risks

- Regulation, Transparency, and Democratic Oversight of Generative AI

* AI for Democracy, Governance, and Justice

- Regulation vs. Innovation in AI

- AI and Data Analytics for Social Justice

- Democracy in Justice and Crime

- AI methods for implementing public consultation processes

- Democratization of Social Services with AI

* AI, Bias, and Societal Impact

- Ethical Aspects and Implications of AI in Society

- Bias and Fairness in AI

- Citizen Privacy in the Age of AI

- Impact of Algorithms on Mobility

- Overreliance on AI Undermines Accountability and Responsibility

Committees

Program Committee

• Guillaume Bied (Ghent University)
• Elisabetta Biondi (IIT-CNR)
• Lorenzo Cima (University of Pisa)
• Eoghan Cunningham (University College Dublin)
• Tiziano Fagni (IIT-CNR)
• Yousra Fettach (Ghent University)
• Gizem Gezici (Scuola Normale Superiore)
• Diletta Goglia (Uppsala University)
• Matteo Magnani (Uppsala University)
• Edoardo Loru (Sapienza University of Rome)
• Giovanni Mauro (Scuola Normale Superiore)
• Marco Minici (ICAR-CNR)
• Virginia Morini (University of Pisa)
• Jacopo Nudo (Sapienza University of Rome)
• Georgios Panayotou (Uppsala University)
• Valentina Pansanella (ISTI-CNR)
• Laura Pollacci (University of Pisa)
• Andrea Pugnana (University of Trento)
• Giulio Rossetti (ISTI-CNR)
• Eugenia Siapera (University College Dublin)
• Alina Sirbu (University of Bologna)
• Serena Tardelli (IIT-CNR)
• Benedetta Tessa (University of Pisa)

Organizing Committee

• Stefano Cresci, IIT-CNR, Italy
• Tijl De Bie, Ghent University
• Lorenzo Mannocci, University of Pisa, Italy
• Anna Monreale, University of Pisa, Italy

Invited Speakers

TBD

Venue

The event will take place at the ECML-PKDD 2026 Conference at Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology - University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Contact

All inquiries should be addressed to:

Email: lorenzo.mannocci@di.unipi.it