IGF Poland

IGF Poland 2026 Digital Summit will take place on 19 and 20 October 2026 in Bydgoszcz, at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music. Participation in the event is free of charge. IGF Poland is part of the UN IGF National and Regional Initiatives network and serves as Poland’s national Internet Governance Forum, bringing together representatives of government, business, academia, the technical community, civil society, and all those interested in the future of the digital world.

The Summit will focus on some of the most important questions shaping Poland’s digital future. Can Poland become one of Europe’s technological leaders? How can we build a secure digital environment in a time of growing cyber threats? Is a healthy and socially supportive Internet possible? And above all, where is artificial intelligence heading, and how will it affect our lives, economy, and institutions?

The conference will last two days. The first day will feature discussions and debates organised by the Summit hosts and partners. The second day (20 October) will be dedicated entirely to debates, workshops, and interactive sessions selected through an open call for proposals. These sessions will explore key digital trends, present innovative solutions, bring together diverse perspectives, and contribute to recommendations for Poland and Europe’s digital future.

Sessions selected by the Program Board through an open call will be held within four thematic tracks:

• Digital Economy: What Does Poland Need to Surpass Silicon Valley?
  The track on the digital economy focuses on economic competitiveness and Poland’s ability to build global technological advantages. The starting point will be the current economic situation and the growing pressure to innovate amid geopolitical changes and the restructuring of supply chains. The discussion will focus on specific mechanisms for growth: human capital development, scaling up technology companies, financing innovation, and effective collaboration between academia and business. Another key theme will be the regulatory framework as a factor that either supports or limits competitiveness, as well as the issue of building technological sovereignty in the economic sphere. Technologies, including artificial intelligence, will be analyzed primarily as tools for increasing productivity, creating value, and building market advantage, rather than as topics in and of themselves.
   
• A Harmonious Online Society: Is a Healthy Internet Possible?
  This track will focus on people in the digital environment - their well-being, social relationships, and quality of online engagement. The starting point will be the impact of new technologies on mental health, interpersonal relationships, and the quality of public debate amid growing polarization and information overload. The discussion will primarily cover the social consequences of digitization: addictions, the erosion of trust, disinformation as a phenomenon influencing human behavior, and the challenges associated with how children and adults function in the digital space. Particular attention will be devoted to digital education, the design of user-centered services, and the responsibility of platforms for the quality of social experiences, including the promotion of well-being and mental health. Regulations and technologies will be analyzed here solely as tools for improving the quality of life and social relationships, rather than as the main subject of the debate.
   
• Cybersecurity in Everyday Life and Beyond: Old and New Challenges in Protecting Citizens and the State
  This track will focus on threats and on building systemic resilience for the state, organizations, and citizens in the digital environment. The discussion will begin with both traditional challenges (cybercrime, data protection) and emerging risks stemming from geopolitical tensions and the digitization of infrastructure. The discussion will focus on threat mechanisms and countermeasures - ranging from cyberattacks and hybrid operations to the use of new technologies, including AI, in offensive and defensive operations. Disinformation will be addressed in this track as a tool of influence and an element of security operations, as distinct from the societal perspective present in other tracks. Key topics will include the roles of the state, institutions, and the private sector in building infrastructural, legal, and organizational resilience, as well as the development of capabilities to respond to digital incidents and crises.
   
• AGI and Beyond: Where Is Artificial Intelligence Heading?
  The track on artificial intelligence focuses on the development of the technology, its directions, and its long-term implications for social and economic systems. The starting point will be the rapid progress in the field of AI and the growing role of advanced systems in decision-making. The discussion will cover the trajectories of AI development, ranging from specialized systems to the concept of Artificial General Intelligence, as well as related scenarios for the transformation of the labor market, management models, and decision-making processes. A central focus will be the question of control over technological development, the limits of system autonomy, and the ability of institutions to keep pace with technological change. Social, economic, and security issues will arise as consequences of AI development, but the main focus will remain on the technology itself and its future.

IGF Poland has long served as a platform for dialogue between the communities that shape Poland’s digital ecosystem. The Forum particularly values sessions that bring together representatives of different stakeholder groups and encourage discussion from multiple perspectives.

All sessions will be held in Polish unless otherwise indicated by the organisers.

Additional information, including the detailed programme and registration details, will be published in Polish language only closer to the event date.

Following the conference, a final report in English will be made available and linked here.