Call for Chapters:

AI, Youth and Communication in Digital Cultures: Ethics, Play, Imagination and Social Effects
Seville University Press (Editorial Universidad de Sevilla)
http://commlist.org/archive/all/2026-03/msg00026.html

Deadline for submission of abstracts and bio statements: April 6, 2026

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is more present than ever, young digital citizens are increasingly immersed in ongoing technological transformations. Regulatory frameworks for AI, together with issues of transparency and ethics, remain among the main concerns today for young people: “the lack of control over personal data, fears of misuse, and frequent security breaches” (Shrestha et al., 2024). However, beyond policy concerns, AI is also reshaping communication in multiple ways that should not necessarily be framed as negative.

In particular, this monograph seeks contributions that explore emerging communicative forms enabled by AI. This includes creative and narrative dimensions (such as new storytelling practices, hybrid formats, and AI-assisted cultural production) as well as more cognitive dimensions, including imagination, meaning-making, and new symbolic languages fostered by AI environments. We also welcome studies examining how ideologies, discourses, and cultural frameworks surrounding AI shape meaning‑making processes and communicative practices among young people. Additionally, research exploring the social, cultural, cognitive, or communication effects of AI on youth perceptions, practices, and everyday experiences is encouraged. We are interested in proposals addressing game-based educational tools, experimental storytelling, and intergenerational connections that foster dialogue between different age groups.

Likewise, given that it is the users themselves who are experiencing these changes most directly, we are also interested in reception studies on engagement that explore the experience of young people from their own point of view.

This book is particularly interested in, but not limited to the following:

1.AI, Childhood and policy frameworks

• AI Ethics
• Media Trust
• Governance and regulation
• Institutional Responsibility

2.AI, Media Literacy and Youth Engagment

• AI Literacy
• Media Literacy
• Critical AI Skills
• Civic Engagment

3.Play-based and gamified AI storytelling and learning for youth

• Gamification
• Interactive Learning
• AI Educational Tools
• Storytelling

4.Intergenerational perspectives on AI

• Generational gaps
• AI imaginaries
• AI across life stages

5.Reception Studies: youth experiences and meanings of AI

• AI perceptions
• Ideologies and discursive frameworks
• Youth imaginaries
• Audience studies
• Cultural reception
• Effects of AI on youth

We welcome abstracts of 300-450 words plus a 150-200 word biography. Please send these to: ((srusinol /at/ us.es)) with “AI, Youth and Communication” as the subject heading. This call for papers will close on Monday 6th April 2026.

The volume, which will be edited by Silvia Rusiñol-Romero, Sergio Cobo-Durán and Víctor Hernández-Santaolalla, will be published by the Seville University Press (Editorial Universidad de Sevilla).