A new international workshop is positioning AI as both a tool for solving sustainability challenges and a technology that must itself become greener. The AI4SDG (Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development Goals) Workshop, organized by the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence under UNESCO (IRCAI) and the Network for Artificial Intelligence, Knowledge and Sustainable development (NAIXUS), will convene researchers, policymakers, and innovators on October 11, 2026, at the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to explore how AI can accelerate progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals while addressing the technology's own environmental impact.

The workshop reflects a growing recognition that AI's explosive growth has created a paradox: the technology promises to help solve climate change, optimize energy systems, and monitor environmental health, yet AI systems themselves consume enormous amounts of electricity and water. The event will bring together an international scientific committee and accept submissions addressing the intersection of AI innovation and sustainability across multiple sectors.

What Research Topics Will the Workshop Cover?

The workshop is calling for original research contributions across a broad range of AI and sustainability themes. Organizers are particularly interested in work that bridges technological innovation with real-world societal impact, emphasizing practical applications and responsible deployment of AI systems.

• Sustainable AI Infrastructure: Research on AI orchestration, privacy-preserving AI systems, and energy-efficient computing architectures designed to reduce the carbon footprint of AI operations.
• AI for Environmental Monitoring: Studies exploring how AI can support climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, environmental sustainability, and the development of AI-enabled digital twins for smart cities.
• Efficient AI Models: Work on frugal AI, edge computing, and TinyML (tiny machine learning) approaches that deliver AI capabilities with minimal computational resources, making AI accessible in resource-constrained environments.
• Ethical and Governance Frameworks: Policy-oriented research on explainable AI, transparent decision-making systems, and accountable governance structures for responsible AI innovation.
• Inclusive AI Development: Contributions addressing digital inclusion, human-centric AI design, trustworthy systems for smart cities, and AI applications that support democracy and public participation.
• Distributed and Collaborative Approaches: Research on federated learning, citizen science, multi-agent systems, and collaborative AI for humanitarian action and crisis response.

How Can Researchers Participate in the Workshop?

The submission process is structured in phases to allow researchers at different stages to contribute. Authors can submit abstracts, full papers, case studies, policy analyses, or interdisciplinary perspectives that examine how AI systems can support sustainable futures aligned with the SDGs.

• Abstract Submission: Researchers can submit 300 to 500-word abstracts outlining their research focus, methodology, and interdisciplinary contribution from June 5 through July 15, 2026.
• Full Paper Deadline: Selected authors will be invited to submit complete manuscripts by August 15, 2026, with papers undergoing peer review before final acceptance.
• Publication Opportunity: Accepted papers will be published in a special collection at the Journal of Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Development (JAISD) later in 2026, providing researchers with a high-impact venue for their work.
• Submission Format: Manuscripts should follow JAISD author guidelines and be submitted to joao.pitacosta@ircai.org with the subject line "NAIXUS AI4SDG Workshop 2026."

Why Does This Workshop Matter for the Future of AI?

The workshop addresses a critical gap in how the AI research community approaches sustainability. Rather than treating energy efficiency and environmental responsibility as afterthoughts, organizers are positioning sustainable AI as a core research priority alongside AI's applications for solving global challenges. This dual focus reflects the reality that AI's potential to accelerate progress toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals depends on the technology itself becoming more environmentally responsible.

The organizing committee includes prominent AI researchers and UNESCO chairs from institutions across Europe, Brazil, and India, signaling a commitment to international collaboration and diverse perspectives on AI governance and sustainability. The workshop will also support capacity-building activities and foster collaborative research ecosystems that connect academia, industry, policymakers, and investors around shared sustainability goals.

For researchers working on green AI, energy-efficient machine learning models, or the intersection of AI and environmental monitoring, the workshop represents a significant opportunity to contribute to an emerging field that will likely shape how AI is developed and deployed over the next decade. The emphasis on practical, deployable systems with measurable societal impact suggests that the workshop is not purely academic but focused on real-world solutions that can be implemented at scale.