8th Annual Conference 2026 - The COMPTEXT Association

8th ANNUAL COMPTEXT Conference 2026

Welcome to COMPTEXT 2026 — the Eighth International and Interdisciplinary Conference on the Quantitative and Computational Analysis of Text, Image, Audio, and Video as Data.

The conference took place on 23–25 April 2026 at The University of Birmingham, UK.

The conference programme is available here.

The workshop programme is available here.

As always, COMPTEXT brings together a vibrant international community of scholars applying computational methods to research questions in the social sciences and humanities. The conference provides great opportunities to present ongoing research, receive constructive feedback, participate in workshops, and engage with an interdisciplinary network of colleagues. We particularly strive to support early-career researchers by offering them meaningful opportunities for professional growth.

Special Themes for COMPTEXT 2026

The 2020s are defined by the rapid expansion and societal impact of generative models.

This year’s conference highlights two cross-cutting themes:

1. “Fehlerkultur” in Science: Embracing a culture of learning from errors strengthens transparency, improves research practice, and reflects the often non-linear reality of scientific discovery.

2. Sustainability and AI: Exploring how large language models and other generative systems shape environmental and social futures – for better and for worse. Understanding the environmental costs and societal externalities of AI is essential for responsible research.

While these plenary roundtables set up a thematic backdrop for the conference, paper submissions need not address these themes.

Conference Location

University of Birmingham

Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT

United Kingdom

A city guide with recommendations for travel, accommodation, and local activities will be provided soon.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

COMPTEXT is committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and diverse conference environment. We strongly encourage participation from scholars of all backgrounds, especially those from underrepresented groups, female scholars, and early-career researchers. We have a dedicated email address for any concerns: EDI [at] comptextconference [dot] org. We will take any message reaching us very seriously.