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ICPC at GIG-ARTS 2026: Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms and the Governance of the Internet

GIG-ARTS 2026 Conference in Dublin
Conference News

ICPC at GIG-ARTS 2026

Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and Governance

14–15 May 2026 Dublin City University All Hallows Campus, Dublin

The 10th European Multidisciplinary Conference on Global Internet Governance Actors, Regulations, Transactions and StrategiesGIG-ARTS 2026 — took place at Dublin City University on 14–15 May 2026, under the theme “Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and Governance.”

The conference brought together scholars and practitioners to discuss how digital futures can be governed in ways that protect rights, support democratic development, and address the environmental challenges connected to digital infrastructures, artificial intelligence, cloud services, platforms, data centres and global supply chains.

The Internet & Communication Policy Center contributed to the conference as one of the supporting institutions, with ICPC members actively involved in the organisation, chairing sessions, and presenting research on digital sovereignty, AI governance, sustainability and constitutional constraints in the digital transition.

ICPC Contributions

Research, chairing and institutional engagement

ICPC’s participation reflected the centre’s ongoing engagement with global internet governance debates, with particular attention to digital sovereignty, AI regulation, sustainability and the legal-political implications of digital infrastructures.

Mauro Santaniello

University of Salerno & UNU-CRIS

  • Delivered institutional greetings during the opening session.
  • Co-author, with Natascia Tatiana Fera, of the paper “When Energy and Ecology Enter the Debate: European Media Narratives of Digital Sovereignty.”
  • The paper was presented in Panel 3, Digital sovereignty in a multilevel order.
  • Chair of Panel 4, AI governance and EU digital regulation.
  • Member of the GIG-ARTS 2026 Organising Committee as one of the conference chairs.

Nicola Palladino

University of Salerno

  • Presented the paper “Does the EU really trust in trustworthy AI? Ambiguity and contradictions in the EU AI regulatory approach.”
  • The paper was presented in Panel 4, AI governance and EU digital regulation.

Chiara Spiniello

University of Salerno and University of Bremen

  • Chair of Panel 3, Digital sovereignty in a multilevel order.
  • Presented the paper “Constitutional Protection of the Environment and the Digital Transition: Can Environmental Clauses Operate as Justiciable Constraints?”
  • The paper was presented in Panel 5, Mapping the future of digital governance: constitutions, contracts, and claims.
Conference Venue

GIG-ARTS 2026 at Dublin City University

Hosted at DCU’s All Hallows Campus, the conference offered a focused and collaborative setting for two days of discussion on digital governance, sustainability, rights and responsibilities in contemporary digital societies.

Conference Programme

Two days of multidisciplinary discussion

Across two days, GIG-ARTS 2026 explored the governance of digital futures through panels and discussions addressing ecological limits, digital rights, authoritarianism, sovereignty, AI regulation, data infrastructures and constitutional approaches to digital governance.

Day 1 · Thursday, 14 May 2026

Digital freedoms, ecological boundaries and sovereignty

Panel 1

Digital freedoms and ecological boundaries

Poster Session

Students of the Digital Constitutionalism Network Teaching Partnership 2026

Panel 2

Dark digital futures: authoritarian power and repression in global governance

Panel 3

Digital sovereignty in a multilevel order

Day 2 · Friday, 15 May 2026

AI governance, sustainability and digital constitutionalism

Panel 4

AI governance and EU digital regulation

Roundtable

Data centres and sustainability: building the infrastructure for the twin transitions

Panel 5

Mapping the future of digital governance: constitutions, contracts, and claims

GIG-ARTS 2026 conference atmosphere
GIG-ARTS 2026

Digital futures require sustainable freedoms

ICPC’s participation in GIG-ARTS 2026 confirms the centre’s commitment to multidisciplinary research on internet governance, digital sovereignty, AI regulation and the social, legal and environmental responsibilities of digital transformation.

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