To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, TransMedia Catalonia, in partnership with the ALFIE project and FORSEE (Forging Successful AI Applications for European Economy and Society), hosted its 4th Access Talk. The webinar moved past superficial tech optimism to address a critical, urgent frontier: the intersection of artificial intelligence, accessibility, and inclusion. What followed was an honest, deeply necessary reality check on how current European legislation is failing the very people it aims to protect. If you missed the live event, you can watch the full webinar recording here. Otherwise, here are the three major takeaways that every tech developer, policymaker, and disability advocate needs to

On May 14, representatives from the ALFIE project led a critical panel discussion, as part of The Apocalyspe is Not Coming (TANC) conference titled: “Can we transcend collapse by making accessibility foundational to regenerative world-building?” Developed jointly by Pilar Orero (UAB) and Haris Shekeris (Catalink), the panel invited participants to frame accessibility not as an afterthought, but as a mandatory precondition for democracy, mutual respect, and regenerative global frameworks. The session interrogated the political, technological, ecological, and affective dimensions of accessibility, exploring how a systemic shift toward inclusive design can counter prevailing technocapitalist logics. Challenging Cognitive Hierarchies: AI as a Mirror for Neurodiversity Dr. Aikaterini

The ALFIE project was presented by Leonardo Martin Abad (BOSCH) at the Jornada de IA Aplicada en la Empresa, a specialized seminar on Artificial Intelligence organized by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and aimed at postgraduate students and researchers. The event, held at the Faculty of Computer Science (UCM), brought together professionals from leading companies in the AI ecosystem, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, and BOSCH. Through invited talks and panel discussions, the seminar explored innovation, real-world applications, and regulatory perspectives of Artificial Intelligence in the enterprise. During his presentation, Leonardo Martin Abad introduced ALFIE as an example of how to design and deploy

ALFIE was presented at CLICS 2025 – XVII Congreso Internacional Latina de Comunicación Social, contributing to discussions on democratic and participatory research in ethics and communication. The paper, entitled “People at the Centre of Research: Tools for Democratic and Participatory Research in Ethics and Communication,” was authored by Iris Serrat Roozen, Pilar Orero and Estella Oncins, and was presented at the conference by Iris Serrat Roozen. The presentation emphasised the importance of placing people at the centre of research and design processes, with accessibility embedded as a core principle from the outset. Drawing on the ALFIE project, the contribution showcased a human-driven approach to artificial

On Monday, 8 December, Pilar Orero presented ALFIE in the panel “Implementation of Virtual World Standards: Who Benefits?” at the inaugural UnitedXR Europe event. UnitedXR Europe, the new major European XR gathering created by merging AWE EU and Stereopsia Europe, brought together leaders in extended reality from 8 to 10 December 2025 in Brussels. This first edition united AWE’s renowned exhibition of XR innovators with Stereopsia’s deep expertise in conference programming, European collaboration, and ethical discussions in immersive technologies. During the panel, Pilar Orero shared ALFIE’s latest findings on AI and datasets, advocating for “human-first” research approaches rather than traditional “human-centric” models. Her contribution highlighted

The ALFIE project was presented at the Science Summit 2025 (AIS25), held 3–4 November in Copenhagen, Denmark. AIS25 launched the Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE), bringing together scientists, industry leaders, investors and policymakers to discuss a responsible, Europe-centred approach to AI-driven research. Estel·la Oncins from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona presented the ALFIE poster titled “AI as an Interdisciplinary Enabler: Case Studies and Ethical Challenges” by Zenon Lamprou, Haris Shekeris, Pilar Orero and Konstantinos Avgerinakis. The poster highlights that AI is more than a technical instrument: effective, ethical AI requires interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in domains such as healthcare and climate science. The authors stress