The 5th Annual Greek-Speaking Conference of Communication Laboratories (CCLabs 2026) (http://www.cclabs.gr/) was successfully held on 26–27 June 2026. The conference was primarily organized by the Laboratory of New Technologies in Communication, Education and the Mass Media, Department of Communication and Media Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

This year’s conference, titled “Human-Centred and Trustworthy AI in Human–Computer Interaction: Explainability, Transparency, Ethics, Bias, and Trust,” was also live-streamed to the public via YouTube.

The Annual Greek-Speaking Conference of Communication Laboratories brings together academics and communication professionals and aims to establish itself as a leading annual event for the communication research community in Greece and Cyprus. During the conference, research papers were presented across the following thematic tracks:

1. Artificial Intelligence, Journalism and Professional Practices
2. Algorithmic Mediation, Transparency and Disinformation
3. Trust, Explainability and User Experience in AI Systems
4. Artificial Intelligence, Education, Inclusion and Intangible Cultural Heritage
5. Digital Storytelling, Cultural Organizations and Creative AI

The conference was officially opened with welcome addresses by Professor Sophia Papaioannou, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, International Relations and Extroversion of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens; Professor Elisavet Tsaliki, Chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies; Professor Konstantinos Mourlas, Director of the Laboratory of New Technologies in Communication, Education and the Mass Media; as well as the directors of the founding CCLabs laboratories.

The conference featured two keynote lectures addressing issues of significant public interest, focusing on the socio-cultural impact of developments in artificial intelligence.

On the first day, Professor Emeritus Michalis Meimaris, founder of the Laboratory of New Technologies at the Department of Communication and Media Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, delivered the keynote entitled:

“Digital Storytelling, Complexity, and Artificial Intelligence: From Personal Experience and Edgar Morin’s Theory to Artificial Intelligence.”

On the second day, Professor Emeritus Nikolaos Avouris of the University of Patras, founder of the Interactive Technologies Laboratory, presented the keynote lecture:

“Issues in Human Interaction with Artificial Intelligence.”

All conference presentations are available on YouTube:

Day 1: https://youtu.be/rWf5yirj4J0

Day 2: https://youtu.be/cmyxwcJo68A

The conference programme is also available in the document:

CCLabs 2026 Programme (PDF)

About the Conference

The conference is the result of the collaboration of 13 Communication Laboratories representing eight university departments of Communication across Greece and Cyprus.

The lead organizer for the 2026 edition was the Laboratory of New Technologies in Communication, Education and the Mass Media of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The conference aims to map the evolving field of Communication Studies and to foster discussion on its impact across multiple dimensions of society during a period characterised by rapid changes in both the nature and methods of communication.

Its mission is to promote constructive and creative dialogue among Communication and Media Laboratories of Greek-speaking universities while strengthening collaboration with the broader research community and society.

For more information, visit http://www.cclabs.gr/.