IFDaD 2026 // fifth edition
INTERNATIONAL FORUM on DIGITAL and DEMOCRACY

INTERNATIONAL FORUM on DIGITAL and DEMOCRACY 2026

AI and Democracy Session at the World AI Cannes Festival 2026

Follow us on social media:

Democracy at a Turn
Reimagining the Transatlantic Technology Diplomacy

Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France

12 February 2026

Background

Convened by Copernicani, the International Forum on Digital and Democracy (IFDaD) is organised in cooperation with Inspiring Futures Europe and Re-Imagine Europa, and hosted by EuropIA as a special session of the World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF), which attracts yearly over 14.000 participants, bringing together the people and companies currently building the most game-changing and purposeful AI strategies on the planet.

This year’s Forum is framed under the theme: “Democracy at a Turn – Reimagining the Transatlantic Technology Diplomacy”, and it has been designed as an informal space for relevant stakeholders to debate about the most pressing issues of our time, building on the reflections initiated in previous editions of IFDaD and on the principles expressed in the Rome Declaration on Media Ecology and Technology Diplomacy.

In addition to keynote presentations during selected Sessions at the World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF) for which invitations are managed directly by the WAICF Secretariat, the Special Session on AI & Democracy is structured around two main interrelated activities:

A public high-level panel on AI for Democracy;
A “closed-door” Roundtable on AI for Democracy.

Cannes Declaration on the Sovereignty of Mind

A call from participants in the International Forum on Digital and Democracy at the World AI Cannes Festival 2026 – Cannes, 12th February 2026

We gather in Cannes at a moment when Artificial Intelligence (AI), and in particular Generative AI systems, are permeating into daily life, markets, and public administration with extraordinary speed. What only recently appeared as a set of experimental tools is increasingly presented as the new interface to knowledge, services, and civic participation. In many places, it is also becoming a permanent companion: a conversational layer through which people organise their work, seek advice, express fears, and disclose fragments of their inner lives, in the hope of assistance, companionship, or reassurance. <…

You can find all the information, the text, and the option to subscribe at the following address:

CANNES DECARATION on SOVEREIGNTY of MIND

Structure of the Forum

As anticipated the AI & Democracy Session (IFDAD) at WAICF 2026 is proposed to be structure as follows:

High-Level Panel: “Democracy at a Turn” – “Reimagining the Transatlantic Technology Diplomacy”Date and Time: 12th February – 16:00 – 17:30 – Venue: Alan Turing Room Palais des Festivals, Cannes
Closed Door Roundtable: “EU-US Technology Diplomacy & Artificial Intelligence for Democracy”Date and Time: 12th February – 13:00 – 15:00 – Venue: Ever Fair, 3 Rue La Fayette, Cannes

PANEL SESSION

Programme

High-Level Panel: “Democracy at a Turn” – “Reimagining the Transatlantic Technology Diplomacy”

Date and Time: 12th February – 16:00 – 17:30 – Venue: Alan Turing Room Palais des Festivals, Cannes

Agenda

16:00-16:10 – Welcome by Masters of Ceremony

Gianluca Carlo Misuraca, Founder & CEO, Inspiring Futures Europe

Erika Stael von Holstein, Chief Executive, Re-Imagine Europa

16:10-16:20 – Opening Remarks

Francesca Rossi, President of the Honorary Committee, WAICF

16:20-16:40 – Setting the Stage: Research & Policy Perspectives

Mark Hunyadi, Professor of social, moral and political philosophy at the Catholic University of Louvain

Brando Benifei, Member of the European Parliament, Chair of the Delegation for relations with the United States and Co-Chair of the Working Group on the Implementation and Enforcement of the AI Act

16:40-17:30 – Panel Discussion

Moderated by Gianluca Carlo Misuraca and Erika Stael von Holstein

Panellists:

Bernard Benhamou, Secretary General of the Institute of Digital Sovereignty (ISN)

Christian Kastrop, President & CEO, Global Solutions Initiative (GSI)

Emanuela Girardi, President of the European AI, Data and Robotics Association (ADRA)

Gry Hasselbalch, Director of Research, Data Ethics

Paul Nemitz, Visiting Professor of Law, College of Europe, former Principal Advisor on Strategies of Justice Policy and Digitalization at the European Commission

Simona Tiribelli, Assistant Professor of Ethics, University of Macerata and Director for AI Ethics at the Public Innovation Institute, Boston, USA

17:30-17:45 – Closing Remarks

Stefano Quintarelli, President, Copernicani

PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE

Bernard Benhamou

Brando Benifei

S&D

Christian Kastrop

Global Solutions Initiative (GSI)

Emanuela Girardi

ADRA - European Association for AI, Data and Robotics

Erika Staël von Holstein

Re-Imagine Europa

Francesca Rossi

IBM; WAICF

Gianluca Misuraca

Inspiring Futures Europe

Gry Hasselbalch

Data Ethics

Mark Hunyadi

Catholic Univerisity of Louvain-la-Neuve

Paul Nemitz

College of Europe

Simona Tiribelli

University of Macerata; Public Innovation Institute, Boston

Stefano Quintarelli

Copernicani

CLOSE DOOR MEETING

Closed Door Roundtable: “EU-US Technology Diplomacy & Artificial Intelligence for Democracy”

Date and Time: 12th February – 13:00 – 15:00 – Venue: Da Boutteau Auberge Provencale, 10 Rue Saint-Antoine, Cannes

Chair & Moderators

Stefano Quintarelli, President, Copernicani

Gianluca Carlo Misuraca, Founder & CEO, Inspiring Futures Europe

Erika Stael von Holstein, Chief Executive, Re-Imagine Europa

Objectives & Agenda

Objectives

Challenge the reliability assumption driving current AI integration efforts
Examine institutional capacity gaps that will determine success or failure of AI implementation
Identify critical disconnects between AI potential and implementation realities
Explore impossible trade-offs between efficiency, safety, sovereignty, and human agency
Develop specific, actionable measures to address fundamental risks before further integration

Expected Outcome

The outcome of the discussion is expected to be a Declaration and Roadmap for Action on AI & Democracy to be made publicly available through a Press Release and a dedicated social media and communication campaign, in addition to 1-2 tangible commitments from each participant and related organisations as appropriate.