Call for Papers:

Inclusive AI
A workshop at ICMI 2026,  the 28th ACM International Conference on Multimodal Interaction
October 5, 2026
Naples, Italy
Workshop: https://sites.google.com/view/inclusive-ai
ICMI 2026: https://icmi.acm.org/2026/

Deadline for submission of extended abstracts: June 15, 2026

We invite submissions to the inaugural Inclusive AI workshop at ICMI 2026. This workshop aims to rethink AI-based multimodal interaction through the lens of inclusivity, with a focus on diverse and underrepresented user populations.

As AI systems increasingly engage in social interaction, they often rely on normative assumptions about communication, behavior, and language. These assumptions can lead to exclusion, misrecognition, and interaction breakdowns, particularly for individuals with disabilities or diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This workshop seeks to critically examine these challenges and foster new approaches to inclusive, socially intelligent AI.

We welcome contributions from researchers and practitioners across HCI, HRI, AI, accessibility, and related fields.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

We solicit submissions on topics including, but not limited to:

• Inclusive multimodal interaction design
• Social AI for diverse and underrepresented users
• Accessibility and assistive AI technologies
• Bias and fairness in multimodal AI systems
• Inclusive datasets and data collection practices
• Modeling diverse social and communicative behaviors
• Human-centered and participatory AI design methodologies
• Ethical, societal, and policy implications of inclusive AI
• Applications in healthcare, education, employment, and beyond

IMPORTANT DATES

• Paper submission deadline: 15 June 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 15 July 2026
• Final camera-ready deadline (hard): 2 August 2026
• Workshop day: 5 October 2026

SUBMISSION FORMAT

We invite extended abstract papers (1–4 pages) that present position statements, early-stage research, or critical reflections relevant to the workshop themes.

Accepted submissions will be shared on the workshop website to support knowledge exchange and be included in the Adjunct Proceedings of the ACM Digital Library under the ACM Open Access Policy, as per ICMI 2026 guidelines

Submissions should aim to stimulate discussion, rather than present completed work and should be submitted via EasyChair which link can be found on the workshop website: https://sites.google.com/view/inclusive-ai 

ORGANIZERS

• Giulia Barbareschi, Professor, University of Duisburg-Essen
• Nataliya Kosmyna, Research Scientist, MIT Media Lab; Visiting Researcher, Google
• Maristella Matera, Full Professor, Politecnico di Milano
• Anoop Sinha, Research Director, Google
• Shruti Sheth, Program Manager, Google
• Micol Spitale, Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Milano
• Alessandro Vinciarelli, Full Professor, University of Glasgow

CONTACT

For questions, please contact the workshop organizer: micol.spitale@polimi.it