Sophia Antipolis, France, 12 February 2026
With contributions ranging from live demonstrations to expert panels on data, policy, and next‑generation standardisation methodologies, the conference emphasised the importance of a holistic ecosystem approach to AI.
ETSI’s Broad AI Expertise
Throughout the event, ETSI highlighted the depth of its activities in AI and data, spanning transversal technical committees such as TC SAI (Securing Artificial Intelligence), the recent TC DATA, TC CYBER, TC HF (Human Factors), eHealth and additional vertical domains.
This rich cross‑committee expertise positions ETSI as a key actor in developing trustworthy, interoperable and human‑centric AI standards.
Cutting‑Edge Research Through Posters and Demos
The conference attracted passionate academic and industrial researchers who presented innovative posters and demonstrations, including breakthroughs in semantic communications and advanced data architectures for 5G and the upcoming 6G. The strong research participation reinforced ETSI’s role as a bridge between scientific innovation and standardisation.
A Call for a Broader AI Ecosystem: Ethics, Rights, Society
AI is no longer solely a technological challenge. Speakers throughout the first day emphasised the need to integrate expertise beyond classical technical domains. Discussions involved major standards organisations such as ITU‑T, CEN‑CENELEC, and ISO/IEC, underscoring the shared responsibility to incorporate ethics, human rights, social impacts and governance frameworks.
Participants agreed that while ETSI is already well engaged, continued expansion of collaboration across the full AI ecosystem is essential.
Education: Training the Next Generation of AI Standardisation Experts
A dedicated set of sessions focused on education initiatives within the AI and standardisation disciplines. Speakers stressed that equipping students, young engineers and researchers with knowledge about standardisation processes is crucial for Europe’s future technological sovereignty and innovation capacity.
Making Standards “AI‑Native”
One of the most dynamic discussions addressed how the standards‑making process itself can evolve to support an AI‑native environment. Participants explored proposals such as new API‑based approaches, improved internal methodologies, AI‑enabled or AI‑supported drafting processes and more agile and developer‑friendly tools.
These future‑looking ideas reflect a shared ambition to modernise standardisation in line with rapid technological advances.
But key takeaways also included that AI is a mean not an objective and that AI agents for instance should be developed to help users and take into account user-centric AI tools.
If you missed the conference, check out our presentations here.
