Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)
Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty
8-10 September 2026 – Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
#dataforpolicy2026 #DfP2026 | @dataforpolicy
Data for Policy 2026 (DfP’26)
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
#dataforpolicy2026 | @dataforpolicy
Data for Policy 2026
Twin Transition in Data and Policy for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
8-10 September 2026 – Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
Data for Policy 2026 Programme
8 – 10 September 2026
Please Note: Programme may be subject to change at short notice
Venue:
Rooms: A (Auditorium), Room B, Room C and Room D
For detailed information about the rooms where the presentations will take place, you can refer to the map here.
Day Three
10th September 2026
09:00
Plenary Session 3
Curated Panel (Auditorium): Responsible AI: From Principles to Practice
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Panel: Responsible AI: From Principles to Practice
Panelists:
- Atia Cortes – Established Researcher, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
- Pablo Jimenez Arandia – Investigative reporter and freelance journalist
- Albert Sabater – Director of the Observatory of Ethics in Artificial Intelligence of Catalonia (OEIAC)
- David Cabo – Co-Director / CTO, Civio
Chair: Maria Eugenia Cardello – Research Engineer, Barcelona Supercomputing Center
Panel Abstract:
AI is increasingly being used across the public sector, from policy analysis and evidence generation to public services and administrative decision-making. As these systems move from experimentation into real-world deployment, public institutions face a practical challenge: how can Responsible AI principles be translated into the way AI systems are selected, designed, implemented, evaluated, and monitored? This panel brings together experts from research, civil society, and public-sector innovation to discuss concrete experiences of implementing Responsible AI. Speakers will share cases, challenges, and lessons learned around issues such as transparency, bias, accountability, human oversight, risk assessment, and evaluation. The discussion will focus on what works in practice, where current governance approaches fall short, and what organisations need to build in order to use AI responsibly while protecting the public interest and citizens’ rights.
Questions:
- What does Responsible AI look like in practice? What organisational, technical, and governance mechanisms are necessary to translate principles such as fairness, accountability, transparency, and human oversight into measurable and enforceable practices?
- When an AI system produces a biased, inaccurate, or harmful outcome, how is responsibility allocated between the technology provider, the public institution, and the human professional using the system? What mechanisms are needed to make accountability work in practice?
- How should Responsible AI approaches evolve when AI systems become part of the infrastructures on which organisations and public institutions depend? What does responsible governance require beyond the model itself, including data, workflows, institutional capacity, procurement, and technology dependencies?
09:45
Keynote 4
Keynote (Auditorium): Martin Hullin – Director, Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty, Bertelsmann Stiftung
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Martin Hullin – Director, Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Martin Hullin is the Director, Network for Technological Resilience & Sovereignty at the Europe’s Future Program at the Bertelsmann Stiftung, having previously directed the foundation’s “Digitalization and the Common Good” program from 2023 to 2025. His areas of expertise include international digital and data policy, AI and sustainability policy.
Prior to joining Bertelsmann Stiftung, Hullin was co-founder and Deputy Executive Director of the Datasphere Initiative and the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network in Paris. He has held professional positions in Washington DC, Geneva, and Berlin, including roles at the United Nations, GIZ and in global multistakeholder policy networks. Before building thematic expert networks in the field of international digital and data policy, he was responsible for formalizing a leading global renewable energy network and worked as a consultant for the United Nations Environment Programme.
10:15
Debate 2
Debate 2 (Auditorium): Digital Statecraft Principle 4: Contestation: “Governance is an inherently human activity, therefore it cannot – and should not – operate at algorithmic speed”
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Debate 2 – Digital Statecraft: “Governance is an inherently human activity, therefore it cannot – and should not – operate at algorithmic speed” (Submission #224)
- Prof Jennifer Schooling – Anglia Ruskin University
- Dr Cristina Luca – Anglia Ruskin University
Chair: Dr Stefaan Verhulst – The GovLab, New York University and The DataTank.
11:00
Coffee Break
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11:30
Parallel Session 9
- Panel: “The ‘Cookbook’ for Responsible AI in Policing and Criminal Justice” – PS A.9
- High-Risk systems – PS B.9
- DS Special Track Session: Legitimacy in Algorithmic Mediation – PS C.9
- Urban Governance – PS D.9
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Session A9 (Auditorium):
Panel: “The ‘Cookbook’ for Responsible AI in Policing and Criminal Justice.” (Submission #44)
- Dr Temitope Lawal, Research Fellow in Law, PROBabLE Futures, Northumbria University
- Lewis Lincoln-Gordon, Interim Deputy Director, Police AI and T/Chief Superintendent
- Dr Michele Sevegnani – PROBabLE Futures Co-Lead, Reader in Computing Science Glasgow University
- Dr Mackenzie Jorgensen, Research Fellow in Computer Science, PROBabLE Futures, Northumbria University
- Professor Claire Paterson-Young, Professor of Social Justice, Northampton University, PROBabLE Futures Co-I
- Dr Michael Maher, Researcher in Social Innovation and Impact, Northampton University, PROBabLE Futures Specialist
Chair: Dr Michele Sevegnani – PROBabLE Futures Co-Lead, Reader in Computing Science Glasgow University
Panel Purpose
Based around the research of the PROBabLE Futures project and the work of Police AI, this panel will present five perspectives on ‘ingredients’ required for achieving responsible AI in policing and law enforcement: first, comprehensive knowledge of how AI is understood and operationalised, and the emerging governance architecture including evaluation, funding and accountability; secondly, policing bodies with commitment to the principles of effectiveness, transparency and responsibility; thirdly, deep understanding of contextual risks of technical deployments on criminal justice case progression, including potential ‘chaining’/knock-on effects on later stages of the system; fourthly, bespoke and comprehensive evaluation including consideration of human-AI interaction and workflow-level impacts, and finally, the contribution of participatory methods to achieving transparency, diverse governance and trustworthiness.
The papers presented in the panel exemplify the integrated interdisciplinary research, policy development and practitioner engagement required to develop lasting stakeholder impact and influence in this high-stakes context. Furthermore, we champion research and engagement that is defined by practical knowledge and understanding of an operational context, application, translation and critique of theoretical and technical concepts, with the independence of thought necessary for pragmatic conclusions and recommendations.
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the approaches presented by the papers, and to introduce technological and governance challenges in criminal justice from their jurisdictions. Participants will be particularly encouraged to consider technical and other evaluation methods that will address the specific risks raised by the policing and criminal justice context, and to consider practical and effective methods of participatory consultation and governance.
Discussion questions
• How do we balance allowing criminal justice bodies to benefit from AI innovation with structures to ensure responsible use of AI?
• How can community representation make a genuine and lasting contribution to achieving responsible AI in policing and criminal justice?
• How do we create consistent and bespoke evaluation methods that can address the real contextual risks raised by AI in criminal justice?
Session B9: (Room B)
Chair: Dr Carlos (Chato) Castillo – Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- “Who Is the User? A Population-Grounded Framework for Assessing Behavioural Risk in AI Deployment.” ; Paula Szewach – Barcelona Supercomputing Center. (Submission #104)
- “What counts as harm? Power, knowledge, and human rights in AI governance.” ; Nina Zdanovic – Keio Univeristy and Shutaro Takeda – Keio university. (Submission #131)
- “When the Act Meets the Pact: Governing Europe’s Algorithmic Borders.” ; Tuba Bircan – Vrij Universiteit Brussel. (Submission #135)
- “From Trolley Problems to Contextual Cascades: Rethinking Ethical Context in AI Governance.” ; Rui Min – Hong Kong Baptist University. (Submission #150)
DS Special Track Session C9: Legitimacy in Algorithmic Mediation (Room C)
Chair: Prof Irene Ng – Group CEO, Dataswyft.
- “Who defines fraud in the age of generative AI? Producing suspicion and evaluating investigative AI agents beyond accuracy.” ; Anna Nesvijevskaia – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) and Pierre Guillod – University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO)(Submission #119)
- “Governing Inference: Translating Privacy Conditions into Institutional Design for AI-Mediated Behavioral Archives.” ; Liat Hasenfratz – Princeton University, Hadas Raviv – Princeton University, Uri Hasson – Princeton University and Casey Lew-Williams – Princeton University. (Submission #62)
- “Architectures That Cannot Answer: Schema Design and Decision-Event Reconstructability in 46 UK Algorithmic Transparency Records.” ; Hon Bor So – Independent researcher. (Submission #33)
Session D9: (Room D)
Chair:
- “Beyond the Black Box: Expert Perspectives on Fair AI in Urban Governance.” ; Charmaine Distor – University of Lausanne & United Nations University – EGOV, Soumaya Ben Dhaou – United Nations University – EGOV, Catarina Fontes – Technical University of Munich & United Nations University – EGOV, Tupokigwe Isagah – United Nations University – EGOV and Alia Yofira Karunian – United Nations University – EGOV. (Submission #153)
- “State-Led Data-Driven Governance Framework: Reconfiguring Space and Power in the Greater Bay Area, China.” ; Siyi Liu – University of Cambridge. (Submission #97)
- “Epistemic Structuring in Urban Heat Governance: How Data-Driven Tools Shape Municipal Energy Transition Policy.” ; Devin Diran – Leiden University and TNO. (Submission #185)
- “Does Online Attention Lead to Tourism Mobility and Expenditure? The Rise of “Busan Fever”.” ; Hyejin Jung – Pusan National University. (Submission #71)
12:30
Lunch
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13:15
Parallel Session 10
- Journalism in the AI Era – PS A.10
- Evidence from Latin America – PS B.10
- DS Special Track Session: Authority & Accountability – PS C.10
- Urban AI – PS D.10
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Session A10 (Auditorium):
Chair: Dr Migle Laukyte – Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- “#btw25: Fine-Grained Multi-Target Stance Detection Toward” ; Arthur Müller -Bundeswehr University Munich, Department of Social Sciences and Public Affairs Johannes Steup – Bundeswehr University Munich, Department of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Pauline Kielbassa – Bundeswehr University Munich, Department of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Andreas Neumeier – Bundeswehr University Munich, Department of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, and Jasmin Riedl – Bundeswehr University Munich, Department of Social Sciences and Public Affairs. (Submission #DAP-2026-0207)
- “Moderation of Misinformation Content by VLOP Social Media Platforms During the 2025 German Federal Election.” ; Gautam Kishore Shahi – University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany and Tim A. Majchrzak – Center for Advanced Internet Studies,Germany. (Submission #216)
- “Mapping AI Across the Data Journalism Workflow: Evidence from Spain and the United Kingdom.” ; Ana Ćurić – Blanquerna Fundation (Ramon Llull University), Alba Sabaté Gauxachs – Blanquerna Fundation (Ramon Llull University) and Jaume Suau Martínez – Blanquerna Fundation (Ramon Llull University). (Submission #129)
Session B10: (Room B)
Chair:
- “Perceived Disinformation, Security and Trust in Digital Environments: Evidence from Highly Connected Young Adults in Brazil.” ; Leonardo Guimarães – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. (Submission #32)
- “Autonomy as a Horizon, Dependency at the Base? Regional LLM Initiatives and the Pursuit of AI Sovereignty” ; Lucia Bosoer – Universitat Pompeu Fabra. (Submission #78)
- “Between Dependency and Weakness: New Directions in Theorizing Digital Governance in Latin America.” ; Ronald Sáenz-Leandro – Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. (Submission #58)
- “Bridging the Accountability Vacuum: Proprietary AI, Trade Secrets, and the Future of Algorithmic Sovereignty in the Global South.” ; Vivek Shukla – GAUHATI UNIVERSITY. (Submission #35)
DS Special Track Session C10: (Room C)
Chair: Tim Gordon – Co-Founder, The Digital Statecraft Academy (DSA)
- “Indigenous Sovereignty as Governance Public Infrastructure Lawful Sequencing Before Computation in the AI Era” ; Rick Dane Moore, J.D. – White Buffalo Alliance (WBA) / Indigenous Nations Tribal Reserve (INTR), Norman, Oklahoma, USA. and Yancey Red Corn -White Buffalo Alliance (WBA) / Indigenous Nations Tribal Reserve (INTR), Norman, Oklahoma, USA. (Submission #DAP-2026-0195)
- “Who Produces Official Data in Latin America and the Caribbean? Statistical Governance and Democracy” ; Luca Di Gennaro – University of Malta, Faculty of Economics, Management & Accountancy and Danilo Petti – SAS Institute Inc. (Submission #DAP-2026-0192)
- “From Principle to Practice: Operationalising AI Accountability in EU Public Administration.’’ ; Maria Lorena Florez Rojas – Assistant Professor, University of Groningen. (Submission #138)
Session D10: (Room D)
Chair:
- “A Fast, Multi‑Source Urban Diagnostic for AI‑Enabled Governance: Evidence from Nouakchott, Mauritania.” ; Seyid Abdellahi Ebnou Abdem – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Raja Ziki – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Jérôme Chenal -Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), EPFL), Rida Azmi – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), El Bachir Diop – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Mariem Bounabi – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Ayoub Lahlouh – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Oussama Kharbach – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) and Baraka Jean Claude Munyaka – Center of Urban Systems (CUS), UM6P, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)(Submission #43)
- “From Compliance to Governance Architecture: Interoperability, Open Source and the Legal Governance of Agentic AI in Smart Cities.” ; Jose Manuel Pérez Marzabal – MTNProjects.com. (Submission #3)
- “The Future of Land-Take Monitoring in the EU: Exploring Data-Based Opportunities and Limitations from Austria.” ; Lucas Reckhaus – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit- Urban and Regional Research, Alois Humer – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit- Regional Planning and Regional Development, Franziska Sielker – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit – Urban and Regional Research, Hans Kramer – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit- Urban and Regional Research, Elias Grinzinger – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit- Regional Planning and Regional Development and Barbara Steinbrunner – TU Wien Institute of Spatial Planning, Research Unit – Land Policy and Land Management. (Submission #174)
14:15
Parallel Session 11
- Data Statistics – PS A.11
- Trust in Data Sharing – PS B.11
- Misinformation and Democracy – PS C.11
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Session A11 (Auditorium):
Chair: Dr Migle Laukyte – Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- “Rethinking Official Statistics Beyond Averages: Toward Responsive and Participatory Statistical Systems.” ; Stefaan Verhulst – The GovLab, The DataTank, New York University, Roeland Beerten – National Bank of Belgium and Johannes Jutting – OECD – Paris21. (Submission #94)
- “Who Governs Data? Official Statistics, AI, and Democracy: From Data Gaps to Data Agencies.” ; Luca Di Gennaro Splendore – University of Malta and Sarah Giest -Leiden University. (Submission #74)
- “Who Compiles the Data Matters: Statistical Governance, AI-Driven Data Infrastructure, and the Quality of Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment Statistics.” ; Luca Di Gennaro Splendore – University of Malta and Kaan Celebi – Chemnitz University of Technology. (Submission #54)
- “Business-to-government data sharing in European cities: strategies to tap into privately-held population movement data.” ; Jaime Bernal Cereceda – Utrecht University, Iryna Susha – Utrecht University and Koen Frenken – Utrecht University. (Submission #86)
Session B11: (Room B)
Chair:
- “Human Governance Limitations in Clinical LLMs: A Paradox of Oversight?.” ; María Eugenia Cardello – BSC Barcelona Supercomputing Center, Albert Sabater Coll – Universidad de Girona and Atia Cortés – BSC Barcelona Supercomputing Center. (Submission #95)
- “Indigenous Data Governance and the Limits of Trust in AI.” ; Kristen Smith – University of Melbourne, Andrea Clarke – University of Melbourne and Marcia Langton – University of Melbourne. (Submission #183)
- “Data Ecosystems as Catalysts of Public Value Creation: A Realist Perspective on Actors’ Propensity to Share Data.” ; Federico Bartolomucci – Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management Engineering, Valeria Maria Urbano – Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management Engineering, Edoardo Ramalli – EU Joint Research Center, Ispra and Andres Alberto Perez Asiain – Politecnico di Milano, Department of Management Engineering. (Submission #122)
Session C11: (Room C)
Chair: Dr Antoni Rubi-Puig – Universitat Pompeu Fabra
- “Two Vocabularies, One Phenomenon: Metadata Bias in AI Evidence Synthesis on Fertility Decline.” ; Boyana Buyuklieva – University College London and Veronica-Nicolle Hera – University of Cambridge. (Submission #182)
- “Epistemic Governance in Journalism: Editorial, Algorithmic, and Regulatory Logics in a Contested Epistemic Space.” ; Aina Errando – imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel. (Submission #46)
- “Moderation of Illegal Content in Online Platforms: Trusted Flaggers vs. AI-Based Algorithms.” ; Simona Rudohradská – Faculty of Law, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and Peter Dubóczi – Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. (Submission #108)
- “Newsworthiness in the Age of AI: Evaluating AI Systems’ Ability to Assess News Values in AI-Generated Images.” ; Zenonas Theodosiou – Cyprus University of Technology) and Venetia Papa – Cyprus University of Technology. (Submission #210)
15:15
Closing Remarks
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16:00