Digital
Humanism
Conference

Vienna
Austrian Academy of Sciences
24–26 June 2026

Orientation
in
turbulent
times

#DigHum2026 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. Challenging the digital, empowering the human.

Save the date for 2026!

#DigHum2026 will take place on 24–26 June 2026. We await 2 1/2 days of thought-provoking discussions and curious questions. Save the date in your calendar now.

This year's focus

At a time of profound global challenges, values once considered stable – such as security, democracy, and solidarity – are increasingly shaken and under strain.

Yet, we do not respond with despair. Instead, we take on the task of bringing these values back to the table and debating their contemporary meanings: What does security mean for individuals and for society in times of rapid technological change? How must democracy evolve to adapt to social transformation? And how can we strengthen our sense of solidarity in increasingly commercialised societies, where values such as individual success and even inequality seem to be something to strive for?

Rethinking democracy through Digital Humanism

The conference positions Digital Humanism within current global power shifts and debates on technological governance by asking how digital technologies reshape political agency, democratic institutions, and international relations. How can they be steered in line with human-centred values?

Bringing together leading thinkers from academia, policy, industry, and civil society, the conference explores how democracy can be reconfigured through technology: not as a purely technical challenge, but as a societal project grounded in human rights, inclusion, equality, diversity, and environmental responsibility.

Orientation in turbulent times

While fully aware of the risks and tensions of the digital age and of global politics, and engaging in a critical examination of current regulations and practices, the conference takes an explicitly forward-looking and optimistic stance. It highlights constructive pathways, practical approaches, and inspiring examples of how digital technologies can be governed and designed to strengthen democratic resilience and serve the common good.

Join us for 2 ½ days at the 2026 Digital Humanism Conference in Vienna.

Geopolitics of AI

Digital Labour

Digital Life & The Arts

Digital Sovereignty

Democracy

Digital Humanism Industry

Youth & Social Media

Digital Humanism in Education

Public Service

Innovation and Regulation

Digital Commons

Economies of AI

Knowledge in Crisis

Measuring Digital Humanism

Voices

“Put the human beings at the centre of everything we do. The value we should seek is that of human integrity and respect for human life.”

Annabelle Gawer

Annabelle Gawer

University of Surrey

Speaker at last year's #DigHum2025

“Digital Humanism means to me that the digital potentials, including AI, are made available to all of humanity.”

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein

Christoph Thun-Hohenstein

Artistic Director, Cultural Manager and pioneer of regenerative arts in the digital age

Speaker at last year's #DigHum2025

“Bringing the thread of humanity forward, where AI can be inhumane.”

Gabriella Waters

Gabriella Waters

CIVITAAS and Morgan State University

Speaker at last year's #DigHum2025

Thank you for #DigHum2025!

#DigHum2025 was a great success! We thank all guests, speakers, and partners. Your presence, insights, curiosity, and engagement made the Digital Humanism Conference a warm and engaging gathering of minds.

Browse through photos, rewatch the sessions and read the key statements from the conference.

Speaker highlights

A selection of keynote and panel speakers joining DigHum2026.

Utrecht University and Inclusive AI Lab

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

Hertie School

EuroStack Initiative Foundation

Carnegie Mellon Libraries and Open Forum for AI

Humane Intelligence

Central European University (CEU)

Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) and Data Workers’ Inquiry (DWI)

Wikimedia Europe and Wikimedia Austria

Institute for Human Sciences (IWM)

msg Plaut

epicenter.works

Digital Enlightenment Forum

University for Development Studies

Distributed AI Research Institute and Data Workers’ Inquiry

Zurich University of the Arts

Rice University

Austrian Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen, Photo (c) Jork Weismann

We are delighted to announce that Austrian Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen has assumed the patronage of honour for this international conference.

In cooperation with

Environmentally friendly

This event is environmentally friendly as defined by ÖkoEvent standards.