The Start of the Robophilosophy Conference 2026

The Robophilosophy Conference 2026 (RP2026) opened on August 11, 2026, at University College Dublin (UCD) in Dublin, Ireland. Held under the theme „Connected Futures – Nature, Robots, and Society“, the conference runs from August 11–14 and brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to explore how robotics and artificial intelligence are transforming human societies and the natural world. RP2026 is the seventh installment in the international Robophilosophy conference series. University College Dublin (UCD) is Ireland’s largest university and one of the country’s leading research institutions. Located in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, UCD is home to more than 34,000 students and has a strong international profile. As robotic systems become increasingly embedded in everyday life, RP2026 seeks to foster dialogue across fields including social robotics, computer science, human-robot interaction, the humanities, social sciences, law, economics, and environmental research. Key questions include how robotic technologies can uphold human dignity, autonomy, and social justice; how legal systems need to adapt to autonomous decision-making; and whether robots can contribute to sustainability rather than accelerate ecological decline. The conference also addresses the impact of automation on labor markets and economic inequality, the changing meaning of work and human care, and the responsibilities humans may have toward the artificial agents they create. The first day of the conference featured keynote presentations by Lynne Baillie and Arno Klein. The program also included two sessions: „Environmental Robotics and Society“ (chaired by Oliver Bendel) and „Responsible Technology Development“ (chaired by Sun Park). Several workshops complemented the program, offering additional perspectives on the social, ethical, and environmental dimensions of robotics and artificial intelligence. The Robophilosophy Conference 2026 provides a space for dialogue between technological, philosophical, social-scientific, and environmental perspectives. At its core is the question of how technological innovation can be shaped not only to create new possibilities, but also to contribute to a humane, just, and sustainable future. Further details are available at www.ucd.ie/robophilosophy2026/.

Fig.: A sustainable future

Nature, Robots, and Society

From August 11 to 14, 2026, the Robophilosophy Conference 2026 will take place at University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, under the theme „Connected Futures – Nature, Robots, and Society“. The conference will bring together researchers from philosophy, robotics, artificial intelligence, ethics, law, and the environmental and social sciences to discuss the evolving relationship between intelligent technologies, the natural world, and society. One of the conference highlights is Session 2, „Environmental Robotics and Society“, scheduled on the first day from 2:10 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. The session will open with Janko Munjić’s presentation, „Posthuman Victims in the Anthropocene: Environmental Social Robots, Layered Harm, and the Edges of Criminal Law“, which examines legal and ethical questions surrounding environmental social robots. Oliver Bendel will then present „Towards a Discipline of Animal-Machine Interaction: Ethical and Design Challenges of Machines in Animal Habitats“, exploring the emerging field of interactions between machines and animals. Catherine F. Botha’s talk, „Ecobots and Ecological Capabilities: Ethical Reflections on Robots as Functional Ecological Agents“, will consider the ethical implications of robots acting as ecological agents. The session will conclude with „Aerial Robotics in Society: Energy, Ethics, and Accountability for Sustainable Monitoring“, presented by Ghulam E. Mustafa Abro and Johanna Seibt, addressing the societal, ethical, and sustainability aspects of aerial robotic systems. For more information about the conference and the full program, please visit www.rp2026.org/.

Fig.: Nature, robots, and society

Robophilosophy Conference 2026

The Robophilosophy Conference 2026 will take place August 11–14 at University College Dublin in a hybrid format and centers on the theme „Connected Futures: Nature, Robots, and Society“. As robotics and AI become deeply embedded in human life, the conference invites researchers across disciplines to explore how autonomous systems shape society, ecology, law, labor, and human self-understanding. It raises questions about responsible design, accountability, environmental impact, social justice, cultural perspectives, and the ethics of coexistence with artificial agents. Workshop proposals are due January 16, session papers and posters February 6, with notifications in February and April and proceedings pre-submission on June 15. RP2026 aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue that advances both technological insight and collective wisdom for a future in which humans and autonomous systems share social and ecological worlds. Further information is available at cas.au.dk/en/rpc2026.

Fig.: Dublin Postal Districts (Bild: Stabilo boss, CC BY-SA 3.0)