International Conference on Law, Technology and Inclusive Futures: Rethinking Vulnerability in the Age of AI and Digital Transformation, NLUO [Hybrid; Sept 26-27, 2026]

The Centre for Disability Law and Advocacy (CDLA) at National Law University Odisha is organising a two-day hybrid international conference on Law, Technology and Inclusive Futures: Rethinking Vulnerability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, on 26 and 27 September 2026 at the NLUO campus in Cuttack.

The concept note frames the problem plainly. The spread of artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven governance has opened up real gains in healthcare, education, governance and access to justice, but it has also deepened existing inequalities and created new ones. Persons with disabilities, children, women, older persons, indigenous peoples, migrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ persons and socio-economically disadvantaged groups face digital exclusion, algorithmic discrimination, privacy violations and unequal access to technology. The conference asks what a human rights-based and inclusive approach to these technologies would actually require of the law.

NLUO was established in 2009 under the National Law University Orissa Act, 2008, is recognised by the UGC under Section 12(B) of the UGC Act, 1956, and its degrees are recognised by the Bar Council of India. CDLA was set up within the university to advance research, teaching and advocacy in disability law and rights, and works with academics, advocates, NGOs, activists and researchers on interdisciplinary disability scholarship.

Papers must indicate the sub-theme chosen from one of the ten tracks:

• Track 1: Law, Technology and Disability Justice including AI and disability inclusion, accessible technologies and universal design, digital and web accessibility standards, assistive technologies and independent living, disability rights under the UNCRPD and digital governance, AI ethics and algorithmic discrimination, and employment, remote work and digital inclusion for persons with disabilities.
• Track 2: Technology, Children and Youth including children's rights in the digital environment, online safety, cyberbullying and child protection, AI in education, technology-facilitated exploitation and trafficking, mental health and social media, and child-friendly digital governance.
• Track 3: Women, Gender and Technology including gender justice in the digital era, digital financial inclusion and women's entrepreneurship, reproductive technologies and their regulation, women in STEM and digital leadership, and online harassment and legal responses.
• Track 4: Ageing, Elderly Rights and Technology including smart healthcare and ageing, technology against elder abuse, social security and digital governance, age-friendly smart cities, and digital literacy among senior citizens.
• Track 5: Indigenous People, Tribal Communities and Digital Justice including indigenous knowledge and intellectual property, technology for sustainable livelihoods, digital inclusion in remote and tribal regions, climate justice and forest rights, AI and language preservation, land rights and GIS-based governance, and community data governance.
• Track 6: Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights and Emerging Technologies including AI governance and human rights, algorithmic accountability, facial recognition and surveillance, digital constitutionalism, robotics, automation and labour rights, gig economy and platform workers' rights, and the ethics of generative AI.
• Track 7: Technology, Health and Vulnerability including digital health governance, telemedicine, mental health technologies, AI in healthcare decision-making, public health emergencies and digital surveillance, and health equity.
• Track 8: Cyber Law, Digital Rights and Inclusive Governance including data protection and privacy, cybercrime affecting vulnerable communities, digital identity and exclusion, e-governance, cross-border digital regulation, and legal reform for an inclusive digital society.
• Track 9: Climate Change, Disaster Technology and Vulnerability including climate technologies, disaster risk reduction and early warning systems, disability-inclusive disaster management, indigenous climate resilience, climate migration, environmental justice and AI, and the SDGs.
• Track 10: Access to Justice, Public Policy and Inclusive Innovation including legal technology and access to justice, technology for legal aid, public policy for inclusive innovation, human rights impact assessments of emerging technologies, community-led innovation, comparative technology regulation, and law reform for vulnerable populations.

The call is addressed to scholars, practitioners, policymakers and students. The registration categories in the brochure confirm the range: NLUO students, PhD scholars, faculty and staff; students, research scholars, academicians and professionals from other institutions; and international paper presenters, for whom a separate fee slab exists.

Single and co-authored submissions are both accepted, with a maximum of three authors per paper. Where there are co-authors, each author must register and pay the fee separately.

Presentation may be either online or offline, and the fee differs accordingly.

Abstract: 300 to 400 words with a minimum of five keywords. It must clearly indicate the sub-theme chosen from the tracks. The names of all authors with designation, email address and contact number are mandatory.

Full paper: between 4,000 and 6,000 words inclusive of references, submitted after the abstract is accepted and finalised. All manuscripts must follow the OSCOLA (5th edn) referencing style.

Formatting: body text in Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, justified, with 1 inch margins on all sides. Footnotes in Times New Roman 10 pt, single spaced and justified.

Originality: the paper submission form requires a plagiarism and AI report to be uploaded alongside the manuscript, and states that plagiarism and AI content must each be under 10 per cent. It also requires a declaration that the paper is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. The manuscript itself must be uploaded in .doc format.

• NLUO students, PhD scholars, faculty and staff: Rs 700 (online participation) or Rs 1,000 (offline participation)
• Students, research scholars, academicians and professionals from other institutions: Rs 1,000 (online) or Rs 2,000 (offline)
• International paper presenters: US$30 (online) or US$50 (offline)

The offline fee covers the conference kit, lunch and refreshments on both days for those attending in person. It does not cover travel or accommodation. Where a paper is co-authored, each author pays and registers separately. The registration form states that the fee is non-refundable.

Payment can be made through the payment gateway built into the registration form, or by NEFT or RTGS bank transfer to the university account. The account details, including the IFSC and SWIFT codes, are set out on the payment page of the brochure.

Submission runs through three separate Google Forms, used at different stages:

• Step 1, abstract: submit the abstract through the abstract submission form linked below. This is the entry point and the only step you need to take now.
• Step 2, registration and payment: once acceptance is communicated, complete the registration and payment form. It asks for a Paper ID, which is issued on acceptance, so it cannot be filled in before then.
• Step 3, full paper: upload the manuscript, the plagiarism and AI report, and the declaration through the paper presentation submission form. This form also requires the Paper ID.

All three forms require sign-in with a Google account, as they accept file uploads. Queries can be sent to cdla@nluo.ac.in or to the organising committee members listed below.

The organiser's brochure and the organiser's own live submission form give different deadlines. Both are CDLA documents, so we have listed the earlier of the two dates on this post to keep you safe, but you should treat the earlier date as the one that binds you and submit well before it.

• Abstract: the live abstract submission form says 31 August 2026. The brochure says 3 September 2026.
• Communication of acceptance: the form says 2 September 2026. The brochure says 5 September 2026.
• Registration and payment: both the abstract form and the registration form say 5 September 2026. The brochure says 6 September 2026.
• Working paper for the Best Paper Award: 24 September 2026 in every version.
• Full paper for publication: the brochure and the registration form say 30 October 2026. The abstract form says 31 October 2026.

If the difference matters to your planning, confirm with CDLA at cdla@nluo.ac.in before you rely on the later date.

The brochure states that selected papers may be published in an edited book with ISBN brought out by a reputed publisher. The registration form describes the publication outlet differently, as an indexed journal of repute. Neither document names the publisher or the journal, so treat the publication outcome as not yet fixed and confirm it with the organisers if it is material to your decision to submit.

A Best Paper Presentation Award is given track-wise. To be considered, the working paper must be submitted by 24 September 2026, ahead of the conference itself.

Speakers announced in the brochure include Prof. Amita Dhanda, Professor Emerita at NALSAR, Prof. V. K. Ahuja, Director of the Indian Law Institute, Prof. Jyoti J. Mozika, Vice Chancellor of NLU Meghalaya, and international speakers from Nottingham Trent University, California State University Sacramento, and Foreign Trade University, Vietnam.