As part of its strategic foresight and planning activities for nuclear safeguards, the IAEA looks to identify new opportunities, explore challenges, and deepen its understanding of emerging technologies.

The Emerging Technologies Workshop brings IAEA staff together with subject matter experts, observers from Member State Support Programmes, and non-traditional partners to explore new technologies relevant to the IAEA’s nuclear verification mission. The Workshop is intended to inform departmental strategy, including the Department of Safeguards’ Enhancing Capabilities for Nuclear Verification: Resource Mobilization Priorities.?The top priority capabilities were updated in January 2024. It is also an opportunity for IAEA staff to engage with and learn from external experts.

The most recent Emerging Technologies Workshop took place in January 2020. The Workshop generated ideas in areas related to:

• Use of artificial intelligence in reviewing video from Agency surveillance cameras.
• Novel approaches for verifying spent nuclear fuel.
• Visualization techniques for analysis, interpretation, and communication of nuclear safeguards data.
• Imagery and multimedia data for the detection of undeclared nuclear material and activities.

Read the report from the 2020 Emerging Technologies Workshop.