Digital
Humanism
Conference
Vienna
Austrian Academy of Sciences
24–26 June 2026
Orientation
in
turbulent
times
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
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
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
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.
We are delighted to announce that Austrian Federal President Dr. Alexander Van der Bellen has assumed the patronage of honour for this international conference.