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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Technology Regulations: about the  balancing act between enabling innovation and protecting fundamental rights

In our June session Nikolaus Forgó from the University of Vienna explored one of the most pressing questions of our digital age: Law, Regulation and Governance of Technology. The discussion highlighted that technology regulation has always been a balancing act between enabling innovation and protecting fundamental rights. Today, with AI systems increasingly shaping decision-making, this balance has become more complex.

A central focus of the lecture was the European Union’s AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. The AI Act follows a risk-based approach: the level of regulatory obligations depends on the probability and severity of potential harm. Certain AI applications are prohibited because they are considered to pose an unacceptable risk, while high-risk systems must comply with strict requirements regarding risk management, data governance, transparency, human oversight, accuracy, robustness, and cybersecurity.

The concept of Risk from different perspectives: Nikolaus made us look beyond the simple idea that “more regulation means more safety.”

The concept of risk itself is complex and depends not only on technological capabilities but also on societal values, political priorities, and our perception of uncertainty. The history of technology regulation demonstrates that fears about emerging technologies can influence legislation just as much as measurable risks.

Can trustworthy AI, based on transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights, become a strategic advantage for Europe?

The lecture also addressed the ongoing debate around whether European regulation could slow down technological competitiveness.

• Critics argue that extensive rules may discourage innovation and drive AI development elsewhere, particularly to the United States and Asia. Others emphasize that trustworthy AI, based on transparency, accountability, and respect for human rights, can become a strategic advantage for Europe.
• Another important point was the relationship between the AI Act and the broader European digital regulatory landscape.
  AI governance does not exist in isolation but interacts with other legal frameworks, including data protection, cybersecurity, digital services, and digital markets regulation. This creates a complex ecosystem of overlapping responsibilities for technology providers, organizations, and regulators.

The discussion concluded with a broader reflection that lies at the heart of Digital Humanism: technology is never merely a technical question. It is a societal choice that requires legal, ethical, political, and interdisciplinary perspectives.

Nikolaus Forgo is a valued member of our faculty and Supervisor of the PhD project “Legal Frameworks vs. Technological Realities”  (Candidate Julia Kalus).

LinkedIN Profile Nikolaus Forgo

LinkedIN Profile Julai Kalus

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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

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How can Europe develop competitive AI systems while remaining aligned with democratic values, transparency, and human rights? These questions were at the core of the uDay XXIV conference.  The discussions highlighted the importance of a dialogue between academia, industry, policymakers, and civil society. Responsible AI cannot emerge from isolated technical development alone. It requires collaboration across disciplines and institutions, as well as continuous public engagement.

Participating at the uDay XXIV conference, Shahrzad Shashaani and Salomé Wagner presented their projects on responsible AI, transparency, fairness, and interdisciplinary education. Their participation highlighted how Digital Humanism is becoming an essential framework for shaping trustworthy and human-centred artificial intelligence in Europe and around the globe.

Salome Wagner presented the poster “Advancing Responsible AI through Education, Research and Societal Engagement,” focused on the broader Digital Humanism ecosystem at TU Wien and the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism as project thereof.

The poster outlined how TU Wien integrates responsible AI principles into education, interdisciplinary research, and societal engagement. Rooted in the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism, the initiative promotes a value-driven approach to technological development centred on democracy, inclusion, diversity, and human rights.

The Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism plays a central role in this mission. Established as a collaboration between TU Wien, the University of Vienna, and WU Vienna, funded by the WWTF (Vienna Science and Technology Fund), the college brings together researchers from computer science, law, social sciences, humanities, architecture, and economics.

Its objective is to educate a new generation of researchers capable of understanding both the technological and societal dimensions of digital transformation.

Shahrzad Shashaani, a PhD candidate of the Doctoral College, presented her project  “Recommendations Explained: Towards Transparency and Fairness for Various Stakeholders”.

It explores how music recommender systems influence listening behaviour, artist visibility, and user trust. The research investigates explainability and fairness in AI-driven recommendation systems, focusing on how users understand and adopt algorithmic recommendations. Modern recommender systems often operate as “black boxes,” making decisions that shape cultural consumption without sufficient transparency.

The project addresses a central concern of Digital Humanism: technology should empower individuals rather than manipulate or obscure decision-making processes.

By studying explanation strategies based on musical content, metadata, listening context, and model behaviour, the researchers aim to improve transparency, trust, and user control.

At the same time, the project investigates fairness issues such as popularity bias, where already successful artists receive disproportionate visibility while lesser-known creators remain underrepresented.

LinkedIN Profile Sharzad Shashaani

LinkedIN Profile Salome Wagner

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Read the article on kurier.at (in German)

Download the article as PDF (in German)

The post Insights through Collaboration: DigHum Doctoral College featured in Kurier appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

Doctoral candidates will become part of a vibrant research community at TU Wien, University of Vienna, and WU Wien, benefit from joint supervision, structured training, and a collaborative environment that bridges academic disciplines.

Topics include interdisciplinary approaches to user modeling in data-driven systems, sensor-driven adaptive navigation systems, AI knowledge communication and co-production, regulatory enforcement in digital governance, and infrastructure design for open science data ecosystems.

Download the full call [PDF] for detailed information on research areas, application requirements, and instructions on how to apply.

The application period is now closed.

For any questions, please feel free to contact us at dighum-dc@ec.tuwien.ac.at.

The post Second Call for Applications: 5 PhD Positions at the Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism appeared first on dighumcollege Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism.

Further Information

Digital technology profoundly shapes the world we live in by revolutionizing virtually all areas of human life. Therefore, it is paramount to identify and mitigate any undesirable effects of the currently ongoing digital transformation while also amplifying its positive impact on society. This is the mission of Digital Humanism, which deals with digital technology development and policies based on human rights, democracy, inclusion, and diversity.

The newly established Vienna Doctoral College on Digital Humanism invites applications from outstanding candidates eager to shape the future of this emerging interdisciplinary field. The Doctoral College is located across the TU Wien, University of Vienna, and WU Wien and its doctoral candidates tackle critical societal challenges arising from digital transformation. The Doctoral College offers a unique opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of Informatics and Social Sciences/Humanities.

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