The EPEAI 2026 conference will take place at the University of Salford, Manchester
on 16 – 17 June 2026.
Introduction

AI is in the driver’s seat to change economic relations. The aim of the interdisciplinary conference is to analyse and evaluate the economic drivers and consequences of the diffusion of AI for companies, users, and society. The conference offers various tracks and opportunities for exchange and discussion. Accepted, presented, and revised contributions will be published in the conference proceedings.
About EPEAI

The previous EPEAI conferences took place at the University of Applied Sciences (HRW) in Mülheim an der Ruhr (HRW), Germany, in March 2023 and the Johannesburg Business School, Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2024. Researchers from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK, the USA and other countries participated in the conferences. They appreciated the broad range of panels covering various perspectives on business and economics. The 2023 conference proceedings were published by De Gruyter (https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110790320).
Conference tracks

Submissions can be made for theoretical or empirical contributions to the following tracks:

New and experimental Developments in AI
(AI-driven) Entrepreneurship and AI-driven Business Models and Strategies.
AI in Business Administration and Processes, e.g., Finance, Accounting, Controlling, Human Resources, Marketing, Production, Supply Chain Management, Quality and Sustainability Management.
GenAI, explainable AI and Decision-making; Risk and Opportunities of AI-Agents.
Ethics, Regulation and Policy of AI.
Digital Transformation of Skills and Jobs.
Infrastructure, Energy and Finance supply and AI Competitiveness.
Micro- and Macroeconomic framework: Competition, Productivity and Markets.

If you have questions about submitting contributions or are not sure whether your topic fits, please contact us at epeaiconference@salford.ac.uk or info@epe.ai. We are more than happy to help you.

Additionally, we will invite young researchers for a poster presentation. Details will be published on this website.
Submission instructions

Abstracts can be submitted via submission@epe.ai until 31 January 2026. Please provide the following information:

Contribution title
An abstract of 300 to 500 words, including a short description of methodology
Name and e-mail addresses (and affiliation) of all authors involved
Placement in one of the tracks mentioned

Please note that only abstracts of papers that have not yet been published and are not about to be published prior to the conference can be accepted.
Review process

After submission of the abstract, feedback from the scientific committee will be provided no later than 20 February 2026.

If the initial contribution is not accepted, the authors will be given a two-week deadline to improve the abstract. If accepted, the full paper can be presented at the conference.

Authors are expected to act as a discussant for another paper.
Presentation at the conference

Each author or each team of authors will be given up to 20 minutes for their presentation during the conference. After that, a discussant will provide feedback on the paper, followed by a discussion with the audience. Additionally, there will be a poster session.

Additionally, an important aim of this conference is to encourage emerging scholarship. As part of this commitment, there will be a poster session for young researchers and students to present their developing research ideas. While these posters will not appear in the official conference proceedings, they will provide a valuable opportunity for discussion and feedback.
Publication

Presented Papers should be updated after the conference. We will publish selected papers in the edited online proceedings. Each paper will be allocated an individual DOI and be findable through academic and public search engines. Please note that the revised paper must be submitted by 31 July 2026. A Template and a style guide will be provided in advance.

Conference Fees

The early bird fees are valid until 30 April 2026.


Scientific Committee

Dr. Marie Griffiths, University of Salford, United Kingdom
Dr. Isabel Lausberg, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Dr. Tobias Meisen, University of Wuppertal, Germany
Dr. Tankiso Moloi, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Dr. Christian Weiß, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Richard Whittle, University of Salford, United Kingdom

Venue & Location

The conference will take place at Peel Park Campus, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester.

The campus can easily be reached by train, car and plane.

Further information: https://www.salford.ac.uk/travel
Programme and Organisation Committee

Dr. Gordon Fletcher, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
Dr. Marie Griffiths, University of Salford, United Kingdom
Dr. Michael Vogelsang, Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Vicky Lee, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
Richard Whittle, University of Salford, United Kingdom



More information

We are looking forward to receiving your registrations and submissions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at epeaiconference@salford.ac.uk, info@epe.ai, or visit our homepage https://epe.ai.