SSIT Insights
NOVEMBER 2026
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Call for Bids to Host ISTAS28
Submitted by Heather Love
The IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (IEEE SSIT) is pleased to invite expressions of interest from qualified universities, research institutions, professional organizations, and other appropriate host organizations to submit bids to host the 2028 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS28). This series is typically held in September–October; full details on the Call for Bids will be made available at the SSIT Blog.
Initial Letters of Intent are due 30 November 2026.
IEEE ETHICS-2027: Cultivating Ethical Technology: Character, Leadership, and Education – Call for Papers Open!
Submitted by Joe Herkert
The IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science, and Technology (ETHICS) is a conference series sponsored by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). Launched in 2014, ETHICS draws together the global, multicultural, interdisciplinary community of technology and ethics scholars and practitioners from industry, academia, government, and civil society.
ETHICS-2027 will be hosted by The Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University, a leader in engineering education with innovative teaching and scholarship spanning four engineering departments and a broad network of multidisciplinary institutes and centers that connect engineering with medicine, science, the humanities, social sciences, public policy, and ethics. Located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, Duke is also embedded in a vibrant regional ecosystem of universities, research organizations, technology companies, and community partners, extending opportunities for engagement across academia, industry, and the public sphere. The conference will take place from 25-27 June 2027.
ETHICS-2027 centers on the challenge of cultivating technology that serves society responsibly, with particular attention to trust, equity, sustainability, and public well-being. As artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, digital platforms, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies increasingly shape society, engineers and technology professionals face ethical questions that extend well beyond technical performance. The conference will explore how character formation, ethical leadership, and ethics education can prepare engineers and technology professionals to navigate these challenges and guide responsible innovation. Bringing together perspectives from engineering, computing, education, philosophy, the social sciences, industry, and public policy, ETHICS-2027 will examine how we develop technologies in ways that advance their positive social impact through education, personal growth, and ethical leadership.
ETHICS-2027 Conference Topics include but are not limited to:
- Character, Professional Integrity, and Ethical Responsibility in Engineering and Technology
- Ethical Leadership in Technology Development, Governance, and Industry
- Ethics Education in Engineering, Computing, and STEM
- Social, Ethical, and Environmental Implications of Emerging Technologies
- Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Ethical Decision Making
- Public Trust, Transparency, and Accountability in Technology Systems
- Community Education and Engagement on Ethical Engineering and Technology Issues
- Perspectives on Technology Ethics from the Humanities and Social Sciences
Submission Guidelines
The ETHICS-2027 Program Committee welcomes original work not previously or simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. Individual submissions may include abstracts (to be presented as posters), short papers (3-5 pages), and regular papers (6-10 pages, references excluded from page counts). We also welcome proposals for workshops and pre-organized panel sessions. All accepted papers and abstracts will be submitted to IEEE Xplore for publication as part of the Conference Proceedings. Papers, poster abstracts, workshop proposals, and panel proposals must be submitted through EasyChair by the deadlines indicated below. Detailed information on submission guidelines, including IEEE Xplore requirements, can be found on the conference website.
Deadlines
11 January 2027: Papers, Abstracts, Panel Session, and Workshop Proposals due
15 March 2027: Decision notices
10 May 2027: Final “Camera-Ready” Papers and Abstracts Due
More Information
ETHICS-2027 Conference Co-Chairs: Siobhan Oca ([email protected]) & Stacy Tantum ([email protected])
ETHICS-2027 Technical Program Chair: Cameron Kim ([email protected])
iSRED 2026: Registration and Program Now Available!
Submitted by Heather Love
Registration is now open for the 2026 iteration of the International Symposium on Social Robots and Ethical Design (iSRED) until 31 October 2026. With the generous supports from Japan Science & Technology Agency (JST) and Kyushu University, there is NO registration fee to be charged for this symposium. SSIT is a Technical Cosponsor for the event.
The symposium program is now also available to view. Please note that due to a larger influx of submissions than expected, the symposium has been extended by one day from 10-12 November 2026 to facilitate better communication among participants.
iSRED 2026 features the theme “Leveraging Design Thinking for the Implementation of Responsible Robotics.” The symposium explores how Design Thinking—a human-centric, iterative methodology—can serve as a foundational framework for Responsible Robotics.
NEWS
Celebrating the Success of IEEE Ethics Week 2026
Submitted by Tom Creely
As IEEE’s inaugural Ethics Week 2026 comes to a close, we celebrate a week that demonstrated our shared ethical values across the full spectrum of our organization. Together, we successfully highlighted ethics-related initiatives in every area, spanning technical societies, councils, and geographic units to standards, publications, and educational programs. Through dynamic seminars, interviews, roundtables, and local events, participants brought curiosity, deep insight, and a shared commitment to navigating today’s most complex technological questions.
This year, the work centered on five areas of focus:
- Ethics of Technology: We examined how innovation can serve people responsibly, from artificial intelligence to data privacy and beyond.
- Research Ethics: We reaffirmed the importance of integrity, transparency, and respect for participants in the pursuit of knowledge.
- Professional Ethics: We reflected on the standards of conduct, accountability, and trust that define our work and our relationships.
- Ethics in Education: We explored how to foster honesty, fairness, and moral reasoning in the classroom and in the students we teach.
- Ethics in Public Policy: We considered how decisions made on behalf of communities can balance competing interests while upholding justice and the common good.
To conclude the week, 2026 IEEE President-Elect Jill Gostin shared her closing reflections, which you can watch on the homepage here.
If you missed any programming during the focused 12–20 September activity window, you can still view the welcome messages, recordings, and featured resources at ethicsweek.ieee.org. These tools remain available year-round to support your initiatives, and additional ethics-related events will continue to take place across the globe.
Ethics Week 2026 was hosted by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology in collaboration with IEEE TechEthics and generous funding support from the IEEE Innovation Committee. We were thrilled to have active participation from over 110 partner organizations. As we look ahead to 2027, we plan to engage the broader scientific community and the public. Contact us at [email protected] to get involved!
R10 Award Recognition for Dr. Harivardhagini Subhadra
Submitted by Harivardhagini Subhadra
Congratulations to SSIT’s Dr. Harivardhagini Subhadra, who has been awarded the 2026 R10 Women in Engineering Outstanding Professional Volunteer Award. She currently serves as the Chair of the Chapters Committee and Member-at-Large on the IEEE SSIT Board, as well as the Vice Chair of WIE, SSIT.
IEEE R10 IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) takes initiatives to provide various values for IEEE members and societies in Asia Pacific Region (R10) and promote achievements of women engineers/professionals. Learn more about the award here.
SSIT at the IEEE TechSummit on Ethical AI in Budapest, Hungary
Submitted by Harivardhagini Subhadra
SSIT’s membership had a notable presence at the IEEE TechSummit on Ethical AI in Budapest, Hungary. Appearances and contributions included:
- Murty Polavarapu, SSIT President, introduced the keynote speaker, Prof. Renée Cummings of the University of Virginia, who delivered a keynote talk on AI Policy and Regulation.
- Heather A. Love, SSIT Vice President (Conferences) was one of the panelists at the session “Culture and AI: Perils and Potentials.”
- Monique Morrow and Phoebe Li served as panelists for “The Impact of AI Ethics Standards: Putting Humanity into Technology.”
Report on ACSOS 2026: Exploring Sustainable and Trustworthy Autonomous Systems
SSIT members were among the participants at the 7th IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing and Self-Organizing Systems (ACSOS 2026), held at the University of Bologna’s Cesena Campus in Italy, 7-11 September 2026. The conference brought together researchers and practitioners working on autonomic computing, self-adaptation, and self-organizing systems.
Four workshops complemented the main conference programme:
- The 13th International Workshop on Self-Improving System Integration (SISSY) explored how interconnected systems can adapt, coordinate, and improve as their components and environments change.
- The 4th International Workshop on Sustainable and Scalable Self-Organisation (SaSSO) examined sustainability, self-governance, and coordination across complex systems, including applications in healthcare, transportation, and food systems.
- The 4th International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence for Autonomous Computing Systems (AI4AS) addressed the use of AI and machine learning in adaptive systems, with attention to explainability, robustness, safety, and environmental sustainability.
- The 1st International Workshop on AI-Driven Cyber-Resilience for Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems (AICR-ACS) focused on systems capable of detecting threats and adapting their defences, including applications in energy infrastructure, transportation, and industrial environments.
Workshop keynotes also connected technical research with broader societal questions, including fair collective decision-making in the era of AI, the environmental impact of autonomous computing, and the protection of critical infrastructure.
These themes offer a useful connection between research on autonomous systems and the SSIT community’s interest in the social implications of technological development.
Report on LawTech 2026: Professor Katina Michael on Deepfakes and Digital Evidence
At LawTech 2026 on Australia’s Gold Coast, Professor Katina Michael presented “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Fabricated Evidence, Deepfakes and the LawTech We Now Have to Build.” The talk, recorded on 18 September 2026, examined how fabricated digital evidence challenges trust, accountability, and access to justice.
Drawing on fictional scenarios and courtroom examples, Professor Michael highlighted a crucial distinction: authenticating a recording is not the same as establishing whether the event it depicts actually occurred. She cautioned that AI-based image enhancement can generate plausible details rather than recover missing information, and that deepfake detectors should be assessed through documented error rates rather than treated as infallible authorities.
Professor Michael outlined five practical priorities for legal technology: preserving original files and metadata; retaining information about their provenance; corroborating events through independent evidence; documenting detection tools’ limitations; and recording AI use and changes to individual exhibits. Her emphasis was on building reliable evidence-handling processes, rather than relying solely on increasingly sophisticated detection tools.
The presentation also raised an access-to-justice concern: casting doubt on genuine evidence can be inexpensive, while rebutting that doubt may require costly expertise. Professor Michael therefore called for affordable, standardized safeguards built into everyday workflows. Her central message was that trustworthy evidence depends not simply on convincing images, but on traceable processes, independent corroboration, and accountable human judgment.
REGULAR FEATURES
SSIT Standards Committee Column: On Hiatus
The SSIT Standards Committee Column is on hiatus this month. For previous installments, see the September 2023– October 2026 issues (available at the SSIT Newsletter Archive).
SSIT In Action: Insights on SSIT Insights: Looking Back at Newsletter Roles and Responsibilities
By Shannon Lodoen
Over the past number of years, I had the pleasure of working on the SSIT monthly Newsletter—first as Associate Editor under Heather Love from 2023 to 2024, and more recently as Editor-in-Chief from 2025 to 2026. Across these roles, I was able to contribute to SSIT’s communication network by publishing and promoting society news, announcements, activities, and perspectives on the social implications of technology.
As Associate Editor, a role I held during my PhD in English (Rhetoric) at the University of Waterloo, I supported the Newsletter’s editorial work under the leadership of Heather Love. Heather provided an excellent example of building supportive professional networks and working with SSIT folks across a variety of geographic and disciplinary regions, work that she’s continuing in her current role as Vice-President of Conferences. My responsibilities as Associate Editor gave me experience with content procurement, publication workflows, and communication with an interdisciplinary readership spanning technical, humanistic, and social scientific fields (and more!).
Upon stepping into the Newsletter Editor-in-Chief role last summer, I wanted to reaffirm that we were meeting our readership’s expectations and interests with the Newsletter. My Associate Editor, Aleksander Franiczek, and I conducted a broad readership poll among SSIT members, which provided invaluable insight into what they wanted to see in the Newsletter—including greater representation from global chapters, more “on-the-ground” reports from volunteers, and improved navigation. The findings helped inform our redesign of the Newsletter. Keeping the longstanding lineup of features and topics, we added a new regular feature, reworked the Newsletter layout, and set up new pathways for contribution. Throughout this process, our goal was to balance the interests of a diverse professional readership while maintaining consistency and quality across the publication.
In both editorial roles, I drew on my academic background in rhetoric and communication, particularly the importance of attending to audience, purpose, context, organization, and the presentation of ideas. These considerations are especially important in interdisciplinary societies such as SSIT, whose members share interests in technology, ethics, and society, but approach these topics in very different ways. Seeing the regular work, reflections, and accomplishments of our membership further spurred my interest in understanding the relationships between technological systems, institutions and organizations, and the people affected by them.
On a broader note, my editorial service to SSIT reflects my own commitment to supporting scholarly communities I believe in and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue to address the “wicked problems” of today. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to support, in my own small way, SSIT's efforts to connect its members, share knowledge, and advance discussions of the broader social implications of technology.
SSIT In Action: A Tour across Portugal and Spain as IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer
By Miroslav Skoric
As an IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer (class 2025-2026), I arranged the second DLP tour in April 2026. It included locations in Spain (Madrid-Leganes and Valladolid) and Portugal (Covilha & Lisbon). It was an opportunity to share amateur radio experience with students, teachers, and technology enthusiasts in both countries, as well as to learn about societies that I have visited for the first time.
The inaugural lecture was given at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Leganes. The session was introduced by professor Victor P. Gil Jimenez. The small and compact group of doctoral students were my audience. The chosen topic was “Environmental Monitoring”. It was an opportunity to give the students few ideas on possible contribution to the local or wider community, by installing weather stations or atmospheric sensors – and disseminate their output (monitored values of temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind direction, etc.) to ‘the air’ by using non-expensive amateur radio transmitters. In that view, I had a plenty of technical devices for introduction to the audience. My visit concluded by a lunch with Victor and prof. Ana Garcia-Armada who opened perspective for possible collaboration in times to come.
My journey continued to Universidad de Valladolid, where I met prof. Javier Prieto — the chair of the chapter that organized my DLP tour. My talks were distributed across two days. The first topic was “Environmental Monitoring”. A dozen of attendees included students and teachers from a secondary school. I found that encouraging because the youngsters were supposed to continue their education at the university. The session continued by discussing the new topic “GPS Games”, which was focused on situations where position of people are of crucial interest, such as during emergencies after natural or man-made disasters. The main point of the lecture was to introduce the public with a variety of GNSS (GPS) receivers and portable amateur radio transmitters capable to inform the surroundings on your position even though mobile and Internet networks are down – regardless your role is to help the victims or you are the victim as well. I emphasized timely preparation for unpredictable events because it saves numerous lives in a community, and help those in need before the authorities arrive to the scene. To support my talk, a display of various amateur radio instruments was arranged. At some point the audience changed and a group of national and international university students of telecommunications engineering took seats. Among the educators who greatly assisted was Ramón de la Rosa, a university professor who is an active radio operator EA1GTH. He provided his personal opinion on the vast pool of opportunities for amateur radio activity in educational environments. The particularly valuable was an active radio club within the university campus, which I was invited to visit. Another radio amateur, Marco Antonio Villa Aparicio, EA1FUH, a graduate student, was also member of the club.
My third lecture was at UBIMEDICAL – Telecommunications Laboratory, hosted by prof. Fernando José da Silva Velez, of Universidade da Beira Interior in Covilhã. Again my sessions were spread over two days — April 19-20. The first day’s morning lecture talked about “GPS Games”, while the afternoon topic was “Environmental Monitoring”, followed by practical activities in form of an outdoor demonstration. Fernando kindly invited a group of radio amateurs from nearby town to join the session, and they arrived well equipped by portable radios for display & demo. Number of student attendees was about 15 per session A lunch for all participants was arranged in the premises of UBIMEDICAL building and it was a splendid opportunity to share experience in technical areas, as well as discussed influence of radio amateur communications among local citizens. The second day’s lecture was devoted to amateur radio antennas in emergency situations, under the topic “Hands-on Antennas”. That talk was given at another location in Covilhã – a meeting room of Universidade da Beira Interior.
My final lecture was given on April 21 in a presentation room at the 11th floor of North Tower – Instituto de Telecomunicações in Lisbon. The session was moderated by officers of IEEE Portugal ComSoc chapter, António M. R. C. Grilo, associate professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, and Luis Filipe Bernardo (Chapter Secretary) who took care on arranging the presentation via Zoom video-conference to allow virtual attendees from a ‘sister’-chapter in Seattle, USA. The plan was to allow people from Seattle to participate and ask questions remotely.
PUBLICATIONS
IEEE Technology & Society Magazine
Information About the Journal
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine (TSM) is SSIT’s award-winning flagship publication. It features peer-reviewed and general interest articles that explore and analyze the profound impacts of technology on our world.
IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society
September 2026 Issue Now Available!
The September 2026 issue of IEEE Transaction on Technology and Society (TTS) is now available on IEEE Xplore. This month’s issue is on “Safeguarding Interconnected Systems.” The contents include topics such as multi-stakeholder risk assessment of socio-technical interventions, technology impact assessment for peace and stability in Australia and India, and a study on newborn fingerprint recognition. Most of the issue’s contents are available open access.
Information About the Journal
The IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society (TTS) publishes four issues each year (March, June, September, and December); submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
The editorial team seeks research papers on the interactions among technology, science, and society; on the impact of such interactions on individuals and society; and on the ethical, professional and social responsibility in the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For expressions of interest to serve on the editorial board as an ongoing reviewer or associate editor, or for other enquiries please email editor-in-chief Geroge Roussos at [email protected].
SSIT Insights
Information About the Newsletter
The SSIT Insights Newsletter publishes monthly issues that include SSIT reports, announcements, accolades, events, initiatives, conferences, and regular features from our members. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
We welcome submissions from all members for future newsletter content.
CONFERENCES
SSIT Financial Cosponsored Conferences
IEEE-ETHICS 2027 (CFP is Live)
25–27 June 2027
Durham, North Carolina, USA
The IEEE International Symposium on Ethics in Engineering, Science, and Technology (ETHICS) is a conference series sponsored by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). ETHICS-2027 centers on the challenge of cultivating technology that serves society responsibly, with particular attention to trust, equity, sustainability, and public well-being. As artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, digital platforms, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies increasingly shape society, engineers and technology professionals face ethical questions that extend well beyond technical performance.
The conference will explore how character formation, ethical leadership, and ethics education can prepare engineers and technology professionals to navigate these challenges and guide responsible innovation. Bringing together perspectives from engineering, computing, education, philosophy, the social sciences, industry, and public policy, ETHICS-2027 will examine how we develop technologies in ways that advance their positive social impact through education, personal growth, and ethical leadership.
The call for papers is currently live. The deadline to submit papers, abstract, panels sessions, and workshop proposals is 11 January 2027.
SSIT Technical Cosponsored Conferences
iSRED 2026 (Registration Open)
10–11 November 2026
Fukuoka, Japan
The 2026 iteration of the International Symposium on Social Robots and Ethical Design (iSRED) features the theme “Leveraging Design Thinking for the Implementation of Responsible Robotics”. As technological progress consistently outpaces traditional legislative processes, there is an urgent need for "compliance by design" in the development of social robots. This symposium explores how Design Thinking—a human-centric, iterative methodology—can serve as a foundational framework for Responsible Robotics. The symposium welcome submissions that provide a case study/theoretical analysis of socially embedded systems (e.g., healthcare or assistive robots), demonstrating how iterative prototyping and stakeholder feedback loops foster transparency and accountability.
SSIT Relevant Conferences
VFTSC 2026 (Registration Open)
2-5 November and 30 November - 3 December 2026
Online
The IEEE Virtual Forum on Technology for a Sustainable Climate (VFTSC) is a virtual forum that highlights recent developments in IEEE technologies and solutions that promote climate stability. It aims to provide interesting and relevant keynote talks on technology. Roadmaps, panels, and subject-matter experts continue to provide vital information about climate change. Participants will learn about IEEE’s use of technology to achieve goals related to addressing the challenges posed by adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, as well as achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SANKET 2026 (Registration Open)
4-5 December 2026
Mumbai, India
SANKET 2026, the International Conference on Sustainability through Ancient Knowledge and Emerging Technologies is now being supported by the IEEE SSIT Chapters in the Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh Sections. The event will be held at IIT Bombay in Mumbai, India.
Focus areas for SANKET 2026 include Energy, Water, Waste Management, and Climate. The conference themes will be of interest to the wider SSIT membership, particularly those working in sustainability, responsible technology, societal impacts of emerging technologies, and interdisciplinary approaches to development. The event brochure features more details and can be downloaded by clicking here.
Registration for the conference will be open from 1 October – 30 November 2026.
ONGOING CALLS
Call for Expressions of Interest to Host SSIT Conferences
IEEE SSIT organizes, co-organizes, and sponsors conferences focused on technology, society and ethics. IEEE SSIT is seeking expressions of interest from SSIT members interested in hosting the following conferences around the world.
IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS)
IEEE ISTAS is the annual flagship event of the IEEE Society on the Social Implications of Technology (SSIT). It is organized each year by SSIT in cooperation with SSIT Chapters and IEEE Sections. IEEE ISTAS brings together a broad range of disciplines (e.g., natural and social sciences, policy, ethics and education) to share research and experiences about the implications of technology adoption, adaptation and evolution.
SSIT is looking toward future ISTAS two to four years from now to allow planning and continuity between annual events. We are issuing a call for proposals for volunteers as organizers of ISTAS in 2026, and beyond.
IEEE Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century (21CW)
The 21CW conference series addresses the technical, social and personal legacy of the founder of cybernetics, control theory, and information ethics, Norbert Wiener. It has been held in Boston (2014), Melbourne (2016), and as a virtual event hosted from Chennai, India (2021), with satellite activities in India 2014, 2016, 2018.
Expressions of interest are welcome for 2027.
If you are interested in hosting one of these events, please contact SSIT Conferences Chair, Heather Love ([email protected]) to request SSIT’s Call for Proposals Guide, which provides:
- Guidance for conference organization and operations
- An overview of expectations for proposal content
- Background on ISTAS conference (including a list of recent events)
- A proposal template
Call for New Content: SSIT Website and IEEE.tv Channel
We invite SSIT members and Chapters to contribute content for publication on the SSIT website. Please send articles, event notifications and other relevant content (including pictures) to Terri Bookman, SSIT Administrator.
Videos of Chapter events and other SSIT supported events are also welcome, but please reach out to Terri Bookman first to review speaker permission, SSIT branding and file size.
Call for Nominations: IEEE SSIT Awards
IEEE SSIT has three major awards, all of which are open for nomination at this time.
The Carl Barus Award for Outstanding Service in the Public Interest is open to anyone, or group, who performs an important public service, possibly at the risk of career or reputation. This includes anyone, whether or not in the engineering profession, or a member of IEEE. The annual deadline for nominations is 1 April.
The SSIT Norbert Wiener Award for Social and Professional Responsibility is given to an individual or team for exceptional contribution, or outstanding career contribution in the field of the social implications of technology. The annual deadline for nominations is 1 April.
The Brian M. O’Connell SSIT Distinguished Service Award is for SSIT volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding service for the benefit of SSIT. The deadline for nominations is 1 July.
For award descriptions, including past recipients, and nomination forms please see this webpage.
Inquiries about the awards should be sent to Bob Dent ([email protected]).
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