Publish Date: Jun 01, 2026
The Unstereotype Alliance will be at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. We are marking our 9th anniversary with an exciting lineup of events and discussions across the week, covering a wide range of topics. We hope you will join us on the Croisette for a week of conversation, connection, and action on inclusion.
Monday, June 22 | 5:45pm – 6:15pm
Inclusive GenAI: Shaping skills for a new era
Hotel Splendid, hosted by World Women Foundation
GenAI is unlocking new possibilities across the ad industry, but without due caution, these opportunities can quickly become risks to inclusion. The Unstereotype Alliance is convening advertising leaders for a discussion about how the industry can lead with intention. Members will share how they're already using GenAI, why embedding inclusion matters at this pivotal moment, and what responsible adoption looks like in practice. The session will preview the thinking behind the Alliance's forthcoming practical AI playbook, setting the stage for its launch.
Tuesday, June 23 | 12:15pm – 1:00pm
Trust Pays: The Business Case for Self-Regulation
Croisette Beach Hotel - MGallery, hosted by The ICAS Global Think Tank
The Alliance will be part of the ICAS Global Think Tank session Trust Pays: The Business Case for Self-Regulation, exploring how effective self-regulatory systems can create measurable value for business by building trust in advertising, reducing risk, supporting responsible innovation and contributing to healthier markets. The discussion will also bring an inclusion lens to the conversation, looking at how accountability frameworks can help raise standards on representation, reduce harmful stereotypes and support more responsible approaches as advertising technologies continue to evolve.
Tuesday, June 23 | 4:00pm – 6:00pm
Unstereotype Alliance Members Event
Invite only, please reach out to the team if you are a Member or Ally and haven't received a save the date.
This year’s gathering will feature reflections from the Vice Chairs on what lies ahead as the Unstereotype Alliance approaches its 10-year milestone, the unveiling of the new GenAI Playbook - practical guidance developed by the UA working group, a guest keynote speaker, and plenty of time for discussion and networking with fellow members.
Wednesday, June 24 | 4:45pm – 5:30pm
Beyond Campaigns: Rethinking How We Keep Girls in Sports
Lions Sports Stage, The Carlton Hotel
UN Women will join the Lions Sport session Beyond Campaigns: Rethinking How We Keep Girls in Sport, a discussion focused on what it will take to keep girls engaged in sport and drive more systemic change across the sector. The session will feed into the Play On Charter, a framework led by Standard Chartered in partnership with UN Women and the International Working Group on Women and Sport, and brings together a multi-sector conversation on girls’ participation, inclusion and the future of women’s sport. This is also an area the Alliance will continue to build on, drawing from its work on women in sport and the 3Ps guidance.
Thursday, June 25 | 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Workshop | Inclusive AI in Action: Activating the UA Playbook
Kantar Content Studio, hosted by Kantar
Hosted by Kantar at their Content Studio, this hands-on workshop will unpack the Unstereotype Alliance’s Inclusive AI Playbook, showing how the principles work in practice. Through real-world case studies, participants will explore how leading brands are already using GenAI more inclusively, from curating representative data, to crafting intentional prompts, to maintaining human oversight over AI-generated creative. This interactive session is an opportunity to move from inspiration to application and is designed for marketers, creatives, and brand leaders. Attendees will leave with tools and techniques they can take back to their teams immediately.
Register interest here (limited spaces) >
What are Unstereotype Members and Allies doing at Cannes?
Tuesday, June 23 | 10:00am – 10:15am
Neurodiversity as a Creative Advantage: Fireside Chat with Cannes Lions
Cannes Lions Impact Hub, Debussy Foyer, The Palais
Is the creative industry falling into a sea of sameness? This could be because it is underutilizing a cohort of talent best suited for creativity and cutting through cultural noise: neurodivergent minds.
LIONS Chief Content Officer Paul Kemp Robertson sits down with Understood.org Co-President & CMO Nathan Friedman to discuss why cognitive diversity is a creative and competitive advantage, sharing new research and case studies of brands investing in neuroinclusion.
Tuesday, June 23 | 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Momentum by Design: The Power of Experience
FQ Beach
The most impactful brand moments don't happen by accident. They are designed with intention, built for connection, and carried forward through the stories people tell afterward. But in a world of shrinking attention and rising expectations, the gap between an experience people remember and one they forget is razor thin. The brands winning here aren't just showing up bigger; they're showing up smarter, with clearer purpose and a deeper understanding of what actually moves people.
Understood Co-President & CMO Nathan Friedman will approach this through the neurodiversity angle and will join Pamela Brown from Target, Justine Frostad from Cognitiv, Kerry-Anne Hamilton from #Paid and Alice McKown from The Atlantic to discuss creating experiences that build momentum in the moment and meaning far beyond it.
Thursday, June 25 | 4:15pm – 4:30pm
Representation in Cannes Lions Film and Film Craft Work
Basement Stage, The Palais
75% of global consumers say that diversity within brands influences their purchasing decisions. But does on-screen representation in global advertising reflect this reality? Launched in 2016, this study from the Geena Davis Institute is celebrating its 10th anniversary and investigates the onscreen representation in Cannes Lions Film and Film Craft shortlisted and winning work from 2006 to 2025. It provides a deep dive into how various groups are portrayed, highlighting significant differences across the board.
Alliance members and allies are invited to add relevant events to add to this calendar , please email us with your Cannes plans and we will continue to populate our Cannes Calendar.