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

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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:

• 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.

In her keynote “Digital Humanism in Action”, Katja Mayer frames Digital Humanism not as a fixed doctrine but as a situated, critical, and interdisciplinary practice. The Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism translates this perspective into concrete research through its PhD projects, which collectively demonstrate how digital humanism becomes real through design choices, research methods, and societal engagement.

“Taken together, the PhD projects of the Vienna Doctoral College demonstrate that Digital Humanism is not merely a normative label. It is a research practice that asks difficult questions about power, materiality, and responsibility; that values diversity as constitutive of knowledge; and that understands interdisciplinarity as a collaborative journey. In this sense, the doctoral college does not just teach Digital Humanism – it enacts it.”

Dr Katja Mayer, University of Vienna, Member of the DigHum College Advisory Board

A central argument of her keynote is that technology is “society made durable” (Bruno Latour) and that digital systems must be made knowable through unpacking, translation, and sharing. This is directly reflected in projects focusing on explainability, transparency, and trust. For example, research on explainable recommender systems and the visualization of argumentation networks seeks to open algorithmic black boxes, enabling users and stakeholders to understand, question, and contest automated decisions. These projects embody Digital Humanism’s commitment to epistemic accessibility and democratic accountability.

The theme of democracy, fairness, and the politics of design appears in projects on AI as a democratic actor, participatory budgeting, and norm-sensitive AI systems. These projects bridge political theory, legal reasoning, and computer science, operationalising democratic values into technical specifications and decision-making processes. In doing so, they move beyond ethics as an afterthought and treat it as an integral design principle.

Another key dimension is socio-materiality and planetary limits. This perspective is mirrored in projects addressing the environmental impacts of AI infrastructure and climate-adaptive digital systems. Research on the materiality of AI data centres foregrounds energy, water use, and ecological trade-offs, while sensor-based wayfinding under extreme heat conditions connects digital systems to embodied human experience and climate resilience. These projects reflect a Digital Humanism that acknowledges the physical, environmental, and infrastructural conditions underlying digital technologies.

Mayer’s emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and situated knowledge is echoed in projects on linguistic diversity, trust in generative AI, and open science infrastructures. Investigations into how digitization affects endangered languages challenge assumptions of technological neutrality and highlight uneven cultural impacts. Similarly, work on open science infrastructures examines whose knowledge is documented, shared, and reused, and under what conditions—aligning closely with feminist epistemology and STS traditions discussed in the keynote.

Finally, the Vienna Doctoral College exemplifies inter-, pluri-, and transdisciplinarity beyond rhetoric. Every PhD project is co-supervised across institutions and disciplines, combining methods from computer science, social sciences, humanities, law, and design. Persistent frictions—between quantitative and qualitative methods, formal models and lived experience—are treated not as obstacles but as productive spaces for knowledge generation, precisely as envisioned in Mayer’s account of Digital Humanism in action.

The conclusion of the inspiring kick-off showed a Digital Humanism in practice that:

values diversity not as decoration but as constitutive of democratic life and scientific knowledge production.

treats interdisciplinarity as a collaborative journey rather than a checkbox.

asks difficult questions about norms, fairness, participation, and power

recognizes the materiality and ecological footprint of digital systems

About Dr Katja Mayer

Dr Katja Mayer is member of the advisory board of the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Social Innovation ZSI and a sociologist at the STS department of the University of Vienna. She works at the intersection of science, technology, and society. Since 2019, she has focused on the politics of open science and open data in the context of computational social sciences and AI. Dr Mayer has served as the PI for international research projects and as a rapporteur for the European Commission’s Open Science MLE in 2018. She has contributed extensively to policy advice and promoting open science, citizen science, and open digital research infrastructures. Her practical experience from prior work in the IT industry and her former role as a research advisor to the President of the European Research Council ERC have enriched her transdisciplinary approach. Additionally, she has mentored and trained individuals in open research practices and has taught STS, citizen science and critical data studies at TU Munich and the University of Lucerne, among others.

The post From Epistemic Frameworks to PhD Practice appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

Colourful kick-off event at the Vienna Urania: about the complex interplay between technology and society

The kick-off event offered exciting insights into the strategy and implementation of digital humanism in the City of Vienna. In her welcoming address, Veronica Kaup-Hasler, City Councillor for Culture and Science, emphasised the importance of combining theory and practice in a way that puts people at the centre. Michael Strassnig, Deputy Managing Director WWTF, gave an overview of the various activities of the City of Vienna in the field of digital humanism.

The three vice-rectors of the participating universities – Peter Ertl (TU Wien), Manuela Baccarini (University of Vienna/Uni Wien) and Bernadette Kamleitner (Vienna University of Economics and Business/WU Wien) – underlined the importance of a joint, interdisciplinary approach. Technology and its development are never neutral, but also influenced by social and economic perspectives.

Interdisciplinary research in practice: Will technology serve humanity – or will humanity adapt to serve technology? A central focus of the doctoral programme is the introduction to interdisciplinary methodology. The three scientific programme coordinators Peter Knees (TU Wien, UNESCO Chair on Digital Humanism), Sophie Lecheler (Uni Wien) Marta Sabou and Jan Maly (WU Wien) explained how different scientific perspectives and methods are combined in the doctoral programme.

The PhD projects were presented in peer-to-peer interviews with questions around methods, frameworks and potential impact on a societal, technological and economical level.

The project posters facilitate discussions and explain questions:

Critical and creative minds to lead the conversation: the concluding keynote by Katja Mayer

The keynote speech by Katja Mayer (University of Vienna) directly reflected on the students’ projects. It concluded this inspiring day and show a Digital Humanism in practice that:

treats interdisciplinarity as a collaborative journey rather than a checkbox.

asks difficult questions about norms, fairness, participation, and power

recognizes the materiality and ecological footprint of digital systems

values diversity not as decoration but as constitutive of democratic life and scientific knowledge production.

---

View from the Dachsaal of Urania Sternwarte, Pic Courtesy Petra Steinkogler

The post Review of a colourful Kick-off: Seeding a Responsible Digital Future appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

Registration for this event is now closed.

You are kindly invited to join the official Kick-off of the 

Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

We look forward to sharing with you the development of our college with its interdisciplinary research focus. The event is open to all with an interest in Digital Humanism, including researchers, students, policy-makers, and members of the public. Special guests will include representatives from the Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF), the City of Vienna, and leadership from TU Wien, University of Vienna, and WU Vienna.

‘The “Digital Humanism” doctoral programme is more than just a research programme – it is an investment in the future of our society.’ *
Veronica Kaup-Hasler, Executive City Councillor Cultural Affairs and Science, City of Vienna

Wednesday, 19^th of November 2025

09:30h – 16:00h

Urania Sternwarte / Dachgeschoss, Uraniastraße 1, 1010 Vienna

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00      Arrival & Welcome Coffee        

10:00 – 10:50    Welcome & Opening Remarks            

• Veronica Kaup-Hasler, City of Vienna (Stadt Wien) to be confirmed
• Michael Strassnig (Deputy Managing Director WWTF)
• Peter Ertl (Vice-Rector of Research, Innovation and International Affairs, TU Wien)
• Manuela Baccarini (Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs, University of Vienna)
• Bernadette Kamleitner (Vice Rector for Research and Third Mission, WU Vienna)

10:50 – 11:15    Introduction to the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism

Interdisciplinarity and transfer of methods: How we are shaping a responsible, digital future  

• Peter Knees (TU Wien) 
• Sophie Lecheler (University of Vienna)
• Marta Sabou (WU Vienna) 
• Jan Maly (WU Vienna)

11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:30    Interview-Spotlight on PhD Projects: What, why, how. 

Interdisciplinarity in research practice 

• PhD Students presenting their projects

12:30 – 14:00    Lunch & Networking

14:00 – 15:00    Keynote + Discussion: Digital Humanism in Action** 

Digital Humanism calls for a rethinking of our relationship with technology, knowledge, and society. But what does this mean in concrete research practice: in the everyday work of a new generation of scholars?

• Katja Mayer (University of Vienna)

15:00 – 16:00h               Closing Remarks, Networking, Coffee + Gugelhupf

** Key Note Digital Humanism in Action
Digital Humanism calls for a rethinking of our relationship with technology, knowledge, and society. But what does this mean in concrete research practice: in the everyday work of a new generation of scholars?

This keynote will respond to the themes and questions emerging from the morning session, exploring where we currently see the most promising opportunities, exemplary initiatives, and open spaces for action within Digital Humanism. It will also reflect on the critical challenges we face: how to sustain interdisciplinarity beyond rhetoric, how to balance openness with responsibility, and how to translate values such as democracy, justice, and participation into the design and governance of digital systems especially in times of extreme politics, polarization, and the pervasive experiences of doom and gloom that shape our collective imagination.

Rather than offering fixed answers, this talk aims to invite collective reflection on how Digital Humanism can evolve as a living practice; one that not only studies but also shapes the conditions for a responsible digital future.

Dr Katja Mayer is Senior Scientist at the Centre for Social Innovation ZSI and a sociologist at the STS department of the University of Vienna. She works at the intersection of science, technology, and society. Since 2019, she has focused on the politics of open science and open data in the context of computational social sciences and AI.

*Verbatim: Media Release published by the City of Vienna and WWTF on October, 28th, 2024: „Digitaler Humanismus: Neues Doktoratskolleg an drei Wiener Unis startet“

Registration is now closed.
We look forward to officially kicking off the DigHum Doctoral College with you!

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