Frankfurt Calling: AI, freedom to publish and a new generation of cultural voices

From Jill Lepore and Philippe Sands to the inaugural IPA Freedom of Expression Defenders Award and the launch of the Young Voices Network: Frankfurter Buchmesse brings together international voices to examine who creates knowledge, whose voices are heard and how free expression can endure.

Frankfurt Calling brings authors, publishers, researchers, journalists, cultural practitioners and human rights advocates to Frankfurter Buchmesse (7–11 October 2026). Across 120 events at 14 venues, the programme addresses democracy, human rights, remembrance, artificial intelligence and disinformation.

Jill Lepore opens the conversation on democracy

US historian and author Jill Lepore joins the opening press conference of Frankfurter Buchmesse on Tuesday, 6 October. On Wednesday, 7 October, she participates in the panel, “Militant Democracy?”, organized in cooperation with PEN Berlin. It examines what happens when majorities put fundamental rights and independent institutions under pressure – a question facing Europe, the United States and ever more parts of the world right now.

In “From East West Street to the Anthropocene”, on Saturday, 10 October, Philippe Sands explores how the law may answer to grave crimes against humanity and nature. The British and French writer and human rights lawyer will be awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade on Sunday, 11 October.

Who gets to publish, and who gets heard?

The International Publishers Association presents the inaugural IPA Freedom of Expression Defenders Award on Wednesday, 7 October. The award honours people who defend freedom of expression, the freedom to publish and the freedom to read. The following day, the IPA presents its new global Freedom to Publish report. It identifies current restrictions on publishing and the tools that publishers can use to resist them.

AI changes how knowledge reaches the public

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how knowledge is created, checked and shared. At “AI in Culture: Truth or Fiction?”, the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO (IRCAI) brings together voices from education, research, culture and publishing. They explore how readers can distinguish reliable sources from AI-generated content.

French-Tunisian political scientist and author Asma Mhalla examines how digital technologies shift power and shape public debate. In her book Cyberpunk, she explores the links between technology and new forms of control. At the invitation of the Institut français, she discusses the right to think in the digital age with German author Dietmar Dath.

Young Voices Network launches in Frankfurt

On Thursday, 8 October, young writers, activists and cultural practitioners from Nigeria, Venezuela, Czechia and Turkey take to the Global Stage for “What’s their take? Young Voices from Around the World”. The event is followed by the FBM Young Voices Night at Community Space 2og:dondorf, ten minutes away from the fairground. The evening includes an open mic session, a zine workshop and DJ sets, and is open to all.

The FBM Young Voices Night marks the launch of the Young Voices Network. It connects emerging voices across borders and strengthens their place in public debate.

“The Hof: Who Gets In – and Who Gets On? Building Fair Career Pathways in Publishing” takes place on Wednesday, 7 October. The live and online session with Massimiliano Tarantino, Director of Fondazione Feltrinelli, asks how publishing can open fair career paths for younger generations.

Equality and free expression

UN Women brings publishing professionals together for “Publishing Equality: Shaping the Future of the Book Industry”. The discussion examines how publishers can build fairer workplaces and create equal opportunities across the industry. UN Publications’ “Still Burning: The Climate Crisis We Stopped Talking About”, including Under-Secretary-General of the UN Melissa Fleming, takes a look at why climate has fallen off the political agenda, and what role publishers play to bring one of the most pressing issues back to the centre of public discourse.

“Frankfurt Calling makes Frankfurter Buchmesse the international hotspot for public discourse,” says John Steinmark, Programme Manager at Frankfurter Buchmesse. “People of different generations, countries and disciplines come together to engage with each other in a constructive manner. That is exactly what we need in this day and age.”

Frankfurt Calling at a glance

• 120 events at 14 venues across Frankfurter Buchmesse and Frankfurt am Main
• Key themes: democracy and civil society, remembrance, human rights, artificial intelligence and disinformation, the climate crisis
• Participating partners include Amnesty International, ARTE, Institut français, IPA, IRCAI (UNESCO), PEN International, UN Publications, UN Women, Wikimedia.
• Further information: www.buchmesse.de/en/frankfurt-calling