ACII 2026 Workshop: Ethical and Narrative Alignment in Affective Conversational Agents
ENACA — Co-located with the International Conference on Affective Computing and Intelligent Interaction (ACII 2026)
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Overview
From Emotion Detection to Ethical Affective Synthesis
ENACA is a focused workshop exploring the intersection of Affective Computing, Natural Language Processing, Human-Robot Interaction, and AI Ethics. As large language models grow in expressive capability, the field faces a pivotal shift — moving beyond detecting emotional states toward synthesizing ethical, contextually aware affective responses.
This workshop foregrounds transcultural perspectives, recognizing that emotional norms, empathic expectations, and narrative conventions vary across communities. We invite researchers and practitioners to interrogate the values embedded in affective AI systems.
Core Research Dimensions
  • Ethical synthesis of affective responses via LLMs
  • Narrative coherence in long-form agent dialogue
  • Cross-cultural validity of affective models
  • Transparency in empathic AI decision-making
Topics of Interest
Research Themes We Welcome
Adaptive Dialogue Generation
Designing conversational agents that dynamically adjust language, tone, and register based on real-time affective state modeling.
Long-Term Narrative Consistency
Maintaining coherent emotional and narrative arcs across extended human-agent interactions, sessions, and evolving user contexts.
Ethics of Artificial Empathy in LLMs
Critically examining the moral implications of simulated empathy, consent, manipulation risk, and accountability in affective AI systems.
Explainable AI for Affective Decisions
Developing XAI frameworks that make affective reasoning transparent, auditable, and trustworthy for users and oversight bodies.
Cross-Cultural Affective Dialogue
Investigating how cultural background, linguistic diversity, and social norms shape the perception and design of affective conversational agents.
Important Dates
Key Deadlines for ENACA 2026
Mark your calendar — all deadlines are firm. Plan your submission timeline carefully to meet each milestone.
1
May 30, 2026
Paper Submission Deadline
2
July 3, 2026
Notification of Acceptance
3
July 24, 2026
Camera-Ready Deadline

All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review. Ensure all author information is removed from your manuscript before uploading.
Submission Guidelines
How to Submit Your Work
Accepted Paper Formats
Full Papers
Up to 7 pages — complete studies, novel frameworks, and validated systems
Work-in-Progress
Up to 4 pages — emerging findings, position papers, and early-stage research
All papers must follow the official ACII 2026 formatting guidelines.
Mandatory Requirements
Ethical Impact Statement — required in all submissions without exception. Describe the societal implications of your research.
Double-blind format — anonymize all author identifiers, affiliations, and self-referencing citations.
Submit via EasyChair — use the ACII 2026 EasyChair portal for all manuscript submissions.
Organizing Committee
Meet the ENACA Workshop Organizers
ENACA is organized by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from leading Mexican institutions, with expertise spanning affective computing, human-computer interaction, and AI ethics.
Arlem Aleida Castillo Avila
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)
Josefina Guerrero García
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)
Irvin Hussein López Nava
Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE)
Miguel Ángel Álvarez Carmona
Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT)
Juan Manuel González Calleros
Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP)