Code of Conduct
Technical AI Safety Conference 2026 (TAIS 2026)
Code of Conduct
We, the participants, organisers, speakers, panellists, sponsors, suppliers, volunteers and media of the Technical AI Safety Conference 2026 (TAIS 2026), come together for the open exchange of ideas, freedom of thought and expression, and respectful scientific debate which are central to the goals of the conference. This requires a community and an environment that recognise and respect the inherent worth of every person.
TAIS 2026 is hosted by Noeon Research UK Ltd (NUK) and the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative (AIGI) at Examination Schools, University of Oxford, on 14 May 2026. This Code of Conduct is adapted, with thanks and attribution, from the Neural Information Processing Systems Foundation Code of Conduct.
Responsibility
All participants, organisers, reviewers, speakers, panellists, media, sponsors, suppliers, and volunteers (collectively, "Participants") at TAIS 2026 are required to comply with this Code of Conduct, both during the event and on official communication channels including social media. Registration to attend TAIS 2026 constitutes acceptance of this Code.
Sponsors are equally subject to this Code. Sponsors must not use images, activities, or other materials that are sexual, racial, or otherwise offensive in nature. The Code applies both to official sponsors and to any organisation that uses the TAIS 2026 name as branding for its activities at or around the conference.
The TAIS 2026 organisers will enforce this Code, and all Participants are expected to cooperate to help ensure a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. Nothing in this Code displaces the University of Oxford’s own policies and procedures, which apply in parallel to incidents occurring on University premises.
Policy
TAIS 2026 commits to providing an experience for all Participants that is free from:
harassment, bullying and discrimination, including but not limited to offensive comments related to any of the protected characteristics under the UK Equality Act 2010 (age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race, including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation), as well as nationality, socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities, and other characteristics that may be the basis of prejudice. See footnote for further detail.
intimidation, personal attacks, harassment, or unnecessary disruption of talks, panels, poster sessions or other conference activities.
inappropriate or unprofessional behaviour that interferes with another’s full participation, including sexual harassment, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome attention, public vulgar exchanges, derogatory name-calling, and diminutive characterisations.
use of images, activities or other materials that are sexual, racial or otherwise offensive, or that may create an inappropriate or hostile environment.
disorderly, boisterous or disruptive conduct, including fighting, coercion, theft, damage to property, or any mistreatment or non-businesslike behaviour towards Participants.
inappropriate remarks in chat areas, social media or other digital channels associated with TAIS 2026, where they detract from the topic or purpose of the programme.
false claims or statements made in the name of TAIS 2026, or online comments presented as if speaking on behalf of the organisers, without prior authorisation.
scientific misconduct, including fabrication, falsification or plagiarism in paper submissions, posters, demos, exhibits or research presentations. Allegations of scientific misconduct will be assessed and, where appropriate, referred to the alleged offender’s home institution for investigation under that institution’s procedures.
This Code applies at the TAIS 2026 venue (Examination Schools, University of Oxford), at any official social or networking event organised in connection with the conference, and on official online channels including the conference website, social media, mailing lists, and any participant communication platforms operated for the conference. The organisers are not responsible for non-sanctioned activity at non-sanctioned locations such as hotels, restaurants and third-party venues, but issues raised through the contact details below will be considered. The organisers cannot actively monitor every social media platform and cannot follow up on every interaction between individuals voluntarily engaged outside official TAIS 2026 channels.
Photography, recording and livestreaming will take place at TAIS 2026, carried out by NUK and the conference’s AV supplier. The lawful basis for this processing under UK GDPR is Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests), namely the legitimate interests of TAIS 2026 in documenting and disseminating AI safety research, supporting remote audiences, and archiving the conference proceedings. Participants who do not wish to be photographed, recorded or livestreamed may opt out at any time before or during registration. Opt-out Participants will be issued a clearly identifiable sticker at check-in; AV crew and official photographers will be briefed to avoid capturing them; and a non-recorded seating area will be available within the lecture room. During Q&A, microphones will be handed only to identified questioners who have been informed of recording and have not declined.
Participants must not photograph or record other Participants without their consent; breach of this rule may be addressed under the Action section of this Code.
Action
If a Participant engages in any inappropriate behaviour as defined here, the organisers may take action as deemed appropriate, including:
a formal or informal warning to the offender;
expulsion from the conference with no refund;
barring the offender (or their organisation) from participation in future events organised by TAIS;
reporting the incident to the offender’s institution, employer or funder; and
reporting the incident to local authorities or law enforcement, including Thames Valley Police, where a criminal offence may have been committed.
A response of “just joking” by a Participant alleged to engage in inappropriate behaviour is not acceptable. There will be no retaliation against any Participant who brings a complaint, submits an incident report, or assists in investigating a complaint. All issues brought to the contact email below during the conference will be investigated immediately.
Decisions on enforcement action will be made by the TAIS 2026 Conduct Lead, in consultation with the Head of Legal of Noeon Group and (in serious cases) a designated AIGI representative. The Conduct Lead for TAIS 2026 is Conference Director Simeon Ganiushin (simeon@noeon.ai). Appeals against an enforcement decision may be submitted in writing to the Conference Co-Chairs within 14 days of the decision; appeals will be reviewed by a person not involved in the original decision and a written outcome will be provided within 30 days.
Complaint reporting
TAIS 2026 encourages all Participants to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, unprofessional conduct or retaliation as soon as possible, so that complaints can be quickly and fairly resolved. All complaints will be handled with the highest practicable degree of confidentiality; information will be disclosed only to the extent necessary to complete the investigation and reach resolution, or as required by law.
If you have concerns relating to your participation or interaction at TAIS 2026, observe someone else’s difficulties, or have any other concerns you wish to share, please contact the organisers at info@noeon.ai. Reports made during the conference (14 May 2026) will be acknowledged within 24 hours; reports made at other times will be acknowledged within seven calendar days.
For Participants who would prefer to raise a concern through a channel not operated by NUK, AIGI may also be contacted through Sami Wymes at sami.wymes@eng.ox.ac.uk. Concerns relating to incidents involving University of Oxford students, faculty or staff premises may also be raised through the University’s harassment advisor network, details of which are available at the registration desk.
On the day, individuals will be available at the registration desk and through the provided contact information for confidential conversations. We are prepared and willing to help Participants contact relevant support services, escort them to a safe location, or otherwise assist anyone experiencing harassment of any kind in feeling safe for the duration of the conference. Feedback from the AI safety research community on this policy is welcomed at the same address.
Data protection
In handling complaints under this Code, TAIS 2026 will process personal data, which may include special category data within the meaning of UK GDPR Article 9 (for example, information relating to racial or ethnic origin, religious belief, health, sexual orientation, or sexual life). The lawful bases for this processing are UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f) (legitimate interests of TAIS 2026 in maintaining a safe and respectful conference environment) and, for special category data, Article 9(2)(g) (substantial public interest, with reference to the equality of opportunity or treatment condition under Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018).
Personal data collected through complaint reporting will be retained only for so long as is necessary for the investigation, any resulting action, and any subsequent appeal or related legal process, and will then be securely deleted in accordance with NUK’s retention policy. Participants have rights of access, rectification, erasure (in limited circumstances), restriction, and objection in respect of their personal data; requests may be directed to info@noeon.ai.
Attribution
Adapted, with attribution, from the Neural Information Processing Systems Foundation Code of Conduct, available at neurips.cc/public/CodeOfConduct. Reused for the purposes of TAIS 2026.
Footnote
The protected characteristics enumerated in the UK Equality Act 2010 are age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race (which includes colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin); religion or belief (which includes lack of belief, and may include philosophical belief); sex; and sexual orientation. TAIS 2026 takes a broad view of the characteristics that should not give rise to harassment, discrimination or prejudice at the conference. In addition to the statutory protected characteristics, the conference’s commitment to a respectful environment extends to (without limitation) socioeconomic background, caring responsibilities, neurodivergence (whether or not amounting to a disability under the Equality Act), language and accent, family or relationship status, professional seniority or stage of career, and political or institutional affiliation. The list is non-exhaustive and reflects the conference’s general commitment rather than the limits of the law.