President’s Message: Announcing the Inaugural IEEE Ethics Week: September 2026 and Call for Volunteers

By on March 27th, 2026 in Articles, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ethics, Human Impacts, Magazine Articles, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact, SSIT Announcements

Murty Polavarapu

This article first appeared in the March 2026 issue of the SSIT Newsletter, SSIT Insights.

 

Dear SSIT Members,

From the rapid deployment of transformative technologies like generative AI to the critical need for integrity in scientific publication, there has never been a more opportune time for SSIT to raise the importance of ethical issues and ways to address them.

As generative AI reshapes technology, research, and publication practices, the call for ethical leadership is stronger than ever.

To meet this moment with a unified voice across IEEE, SSIT is proud to announce the launch of the first annual IEEE Ethics Week this September 2026.

This initiative reflects IEEE’s core value of “Integrity in Action: fostering a professional climate in which engineers and scientists continue to be respected for their exemplary ethical behavior and volunteerism” and supports one of its 2025-2030 strategic goals, “Drive technological innovation while promoting scientific integrity and the ethical development and use of technology.”

This initiative will

  • Highlight the wide range of ethics-related activities across all IEEE organizational units.
  • Promote deeper engagement with the ethical challenges inherent in modern technological development.
  • Showcase IEEE’s leadership in responsible innovation to the global community.

This September, join the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) for the inaugural IEEE Ethics Week, a global celebration of ethical innovation, integrity, and responsibility in the digital era.

To realize the vision of IEEE Ethics Week, SSIT will serve as the central hub for coordination and promotion. Our strategy involves mobilizing the full breadth of the IEEE ecosystem by encouraging all Societies, Councils, and Technical Communities to host specialized webinars, panel discussions, and conferences. We will curate accessible content leveraging the resources of the TechEthics Program including a series of high-impact videos designed to engage both our professional members and the public. We will also be issuing a call to action for Regions, Sections, and local Chapters to lead grassroots events that resonate with their specific geographic communities. A dedicated website will serve as the campaign’s home, supported by a robust social media presence, unique hashtags, and comprehensive toolkits to help local organizers succeed.

The Five Dimensions of Ethics

Throughout the Ethics Week, our programming will explore five distinct dimensions that illustrate the multifaceted nature of the ethical landscape in our profession:

  • Professional Ethics: In collaboration with the Ethics and Member Conduct Committee, we will reinforce standards of integrity, accountability, and the IEEE Code of Conduct.
  • Research Ethics: Partnering with Technical Societies and Councils and the Publications Services and Products Board (PSPB), we will explore transparency in authorship, peer review integrity, and the responsible conduct of research.
  • Ethics of Technology: We will examine the ethical implications of emerging technologies such as AI, quantum computing, and brain-machine interfaces in partnership with TechEthics Program.
  • Ethics in Education: Working with the Educational Activities Board, we aim to equip the next generation of engineers with the tools to recognize and address ethical dilemmas in their careers.
  • Ethics in Public Policy: We will illustrate how ethical reasoning informs IEEE’s global advocacy and policy positions through the IEEE Global Policy Caucus, IEEE-USA, European Public Policy Committee and others.

 

How You Can Participate

As SSIT members, your engagement is vital to the success of this initiative. If you are interested in volunteering for this initiative, please indicate your interest at https://forms.gle/wznR28MiDed5WtqdA. If you have any questions, feel free to send an email to ethicsweek@ieee.org.

 

Author Information

Murty Polavarapu is the 2025–2026 president of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology. He is also the president of Space Electronics Solutions, Oakton, VA 22124 USA, and the managing director of Virginia Microelectronics Consortium, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA. Email: murtyp@ieee.org.