Murty Polavarapu Across today’s technological landscape, concerns around ethics (from AI governance and bioethics to research integrity and publication standards) are intensifying rapidly. While all IEEE Technical Societies are increasingly called to address these challenges within their respective domains, IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (IEEE SSIT) occupies a unique position: ethics is explicitly embedded at the heart of our field of interest.
There has never been a more crucial moment for IEEE SSIT to lead this conversation across IEEE.
To reflect this responsibility, we recently updated our society governance by elevating the former Technical Activities Committee on Ethics and Human Values into a Major Standing Committee: The Ethics and Social Responsibility Committee. Its expanded scope encompasses the following.
- Ethical workplace practices across engineering disciplines.
- Research and innovation ethics, ensuring scientific and publication integrity.
- Responsible design, development, deployment, and use of emerging technologies.
- Engineering and technology ethics education for current and future practitioners.
- The role of engineers, technologists, and organizations in shaping public policy and addressing societal challenges.
We are actively establishing the operational framework for this committee, including new ways to engage both IEEE members and the broader public across these five core dimensions.
Leading IEEE Ethics Week 2026
To catalyze ethics-focused collaboration across the entire institute, IEEE SSIT is proud to lead the inaugural IEEE Ethics Week, taking place 12–20 September 2026. Funded by the IEEE Innovation Committee, IEEE SSIT serves as the central coordinating hub for this IEEE-wide initiative.
IEEE Ethics Week directly operationalizes IEEE’s core value of Integrity in Action and advances its 2025–2030 strategic goal to drive technological innovation while promoting scientific integrity and the ethical development and use of technology.
Through this initiative, we will
- highlight ethics-related activities across all IEEE organizational units,
- foster deeper engagement with the complex dilemmas inherent in modern technological development, and
- showcase IEEE’s global leadership in responsible innovation.
IEEE SSIT is mobilizing the full breadth of the IEEE ecosystem, encouraging Societies, Councils, Technical Communities, Regions, and local Sections to host webinars, panels, and workshops. In partnership with the IEEE TechEthics Program, we are also curating accessible content, including high-impact video series designed for professional members and the public alike.
Flagship Leadership: IEEE Ethics Moves to an Annual Cadence
Reflecting the surging global interest in ethics of technology, our flagship IEEE ETHICS Conference will now be held annually, transitioning from its previous biennial schedule.
As sole financial sponsor, IEEE SSIT is thrilled to announce the next edition: IEEE ETHICS-2027, taking place 25–27 June 2027 at Duke University in Durham, NC, USA. The conference will center on the theme: “Cultivating Ethical Technology: Character, Leadership, and Education.”
IEEE ETHICS-2027 will convene interdisciplinary researchers, educators, industry leaders, and policy experts to explore how we cultivate moral character and leadership in the next generation of technological innovators.
Your expertise and leadership are essential to making these initiatives a success. We invite you to host a local Ethics Week event, contribute to IEEE ETHICS-2027, or volunteer with the IEEE SSIT Ethics and Social Responsibility Committee.
Together, let us keep ethics at the heart of technological progress.
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