Addressing the societal challenges of digital technologies requires collective action rather than isolated initiatives.

(Verbatim Conference Participant)

Researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and innovators who share a common interest: shaping technology for the benefit of society. To better understand our community and their perspectives on Digital Humanism, the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism invited conference participants to take part in a short survey during the event.

The survey represents a sample of conference attendees, what was the motivation to join the conference, how they understand Digital Humanism, and what they take away from the event.

Why do people come to the DigHum Conference? The power of an interactive ecosystem beats “pure” networking.

The survey shows that participants primarily attend the conference to engage with critical questions surrounding digital technologies rather than simply learning about the latest technical innovations.

The strongest motivation by far was the opportunity to explore diverse and critical perspectives on new technologies with the aim to:

• gaining inspiration for professional work,
• learning about innovation and emerging developments,
• discussing approaches for dealing with new technologies.

This suggests that the DigHum community values meaningful dialogue and interdisciplinary exchange over traditional networking alone: ECOSYSTEM over NETWORKING!

A broad understanding of Digital Humanism

The responses illustrate that participants view Digital Humanism as a multidimensional concept rather than a single discipline.

Open comments throughout the survey highlighted themes such as:

• people-centred technology,
• interdisciplinary collaboration,
• ethical responsibility,
• democratic governance,
• AI infrastructure,
• and the societal impact of emerging technologies.

Rather than focusing exclusively on technological innovation, respondents consistently connected Digital Humanism with questions of responsibility, collaboration, and public interest.

Key takeaways from the conference

The qualitative responses paint an encouraging picture of what participants experienced during the conference. Several attendees emphasised the value of encountering multiple perspectives: “Different perspectives and takes on current developments of AI and digital infrastructures.”

Others highlighted the collaborative spirit of the community:

“I’m not alone – there are many like-minded people.”

Participants also appreciated the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, recognising that Digital Humanism requires collaboration across research fields, policy, and practice.

Looking ahead

One particularly encouraging observation is that many participants indicated they would like to return for future editions of the conference. The feedback suggests that DigHum is increasingly recognised as a place where meaningful conversations about technology and society can happen across disciplinary boundaries.

For the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism, these results reinforce the importance of creating spaces where researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society can jointly reflect on the future of digital technologies.

We thank sincerely everyone who participated in the survey. Your feedback contributes to a better understanding of the growing Digital Humanism community.

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More Information and Conference Registration https://dighum.wien

The #DigHum2026 conference connects everyone interested in options for a good digital future and life. In conversation across research and policy, with experts and enthusiasts, it will be discussing technology through the lens of human values and democratic principles.

Programme:

The Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism invites during this conference to contribute in “Creating a Responsible, Digital Future” with:

☕ Coffee Talks: PhD candidates and their supervisors in exploratory interviews, taking place during the conference breaks:

• Thursday, 25th:
  12:50h: [Recommendations Explained], Shahrzad Shashaani, Peter Knees
  13:10h: [When are data for and when should we let them go?] Roman Hansen
  16:10h: [Communicating AI] Julia Schuller, Marta Sabou
  
• Friday, 26th:
  10:40: [AI Literacy] Alicia Schwabenbauer, Christina Patricia Schamp
  12:30h: [Interdisciplinary Approaches to User Modeling] Gwendolyn Rippberger, Julia Neidhardt

🖼️ Project Poster Gallery: Explore the 15 associated WWTF projects of the DigHum faculty regarding their research methodology, transdisciplinarity, and societal, environmental impact

🗣️ Survey: “What does digital humanism mean to you personally?” reflection and dialogue of PhD candidates and conference participants, quantitative and qualitative research within the social conference ecosystem

🎨 Artefact*: “Turbulent Topographies Art-Game: A co-creative Ludic and artistic contribution to the DigHum landscape”, artistic project by the Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien, Margarete Jahrmann, WWTF Project “Digital Humanities”. 

The “Forum Doctoral College” is organised and hosted by Pia-Zoe Hahne, Hannah-Seraphina Prendecky and Salome Wagner.

About the Artefact*

Turbulent Topographies Art-Game A co-creative Ludic and artistic contribution to the DigHum landscape 

By the ROBOPSY research Group, DieAngewandte 

Our creative game project aims at enabling the participants of the Forum Doctoral College as well as the visitors to the DigHum Conference 2026 to express their wishes about an ideal scientific community in a playful, artistic and creative way. It is intended to allow the cooperative creation and discussion of ideas that, under the day-to-day workings of academia, would be considered as unrealistic, utopian and far-fetched. This will not only help to reflect on the current state of academia but also bring participants together by making them engage with other’s desires and wishes in a Ludic way. 

The game will consist of two parts: 

1. Mapping the New New Atlantis: This will be a structured game of collective drawing, where the participants will create the map of a New New Atlantis (alluding to Francis Bacon’s utopian scientific community at the threshold of the scientific revolution). Participants can drop in and out of the game, which will be structured by prompt cards. 

2. Collective drone painting: Participants will be able to paint over the map by controlling drones with brushes. By transforming and overwriting the map with an artistic process that is only partially under control of the players (as the drones AI works with pattern recognition and their painting appendage are hard to control), we introduce an anarchic element of social playfulness into the more serious reflections on academia. By repurposing a cutting-edge technology that is mostly known for being used as a weapon, we enable a playful reflection about the uses of technology.

More Information and Conference Registration
https://dighum.wien

The post Meet us at the Digital Humanism Conference 2026 appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

How much linguistic streamlining can our societies actually afford? Join us as we discuss the ‘digital language divide’ and the profound impact of Large Language Models on global linguistic diversity with a panel of leading experts.

To tackle this interdisciplinary challenge, we have invited three leading experts who bridge the gap between mathematics, computer science, and linguistics:

• Stephanie Godec (Head of Department Education, Austrian Commission for UNESCO (ÖUK))
• András Kornai (Professor of Mathematics, Budapest Institute of Technology)
• Britta Schneider (Professor of English Applied Linguistics, University of Vienna)
• Hannes Werthner (Professor of Computer Science and co-founder of the Digital Humanism initiative, TU Wien)

Join the Discussion at the Hofburg

The event, organized by the DIGILINGDIV project and funded by the WWTF, offers a unique platform to discuss the future of our linguistic heritage in the age of AI.

Event Schedule:

• 17:00: Doors open
• 17:15: Welcome address & DIGILINGDIV research update
• 17:30: Panel Discussion
• 19:00: Networking with snacks, drinks, and poster presentations

Save the Date!
When: Monday, June 15th, 2026 | 17:00 – 20:00
Where: Hofburg, Schreyvogelsaal (Entrance via Michaelerkuppel)
Languages: English and German

Registration: Please register via this link by June 8th.

The DIGILINGDIV project is part of a larger research ecosystem supported by the WWTF.
The project is supported by the dedicated research of three of our PhD candidates, whose work bridges the gap between historical linguistics and modern digital challenges:

• Juliane Benson focuses on linguistic diversity within the context of colonialism and digitalization, with a particular geographic emphasis on Canada.
• Hannes Essfors examines the development of linguistic diversity in the digital space, utilizing frameworks from ecology to analyze the interplay between digital and non-digital diversity and how technology shapes our multilingual society.
• Katharina Zeh investigates how migration and digitalization jointly shape global language diversity, specifically examining lexical borrowing as a key mechanism of language contact and resilience.

Their contributions highlight the interdisciplinary strength of the Digital Humanities Doctoral College and its commitment to understanding the transformation of language in a globalized world.

The post Digitalization & language: How much streamlining can we afford? appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.