Digital Humanism

Technology profoundly shapes the world we live in, and the stakes are high. Digital Humanism deals with digital technology development and policies based on human rights, democracy, inclusion, and diversity.

Latest News

Digital Humanism Doctoral College Kick-Off Nov 19, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us on November 19 at Urania Sternwarte for the Kick-Off of the Doctoral College on Digital Humanism!
Jaron Lanier: “Who Owns the Future?” Oct 21, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us on October 21 for the Digital Humanism Lecture with Jaron Lanier, “Who Owns the Future?”, moderated by Sarah Kriesche!
Die Macht der geschriebenen Worte Oct 13, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us on October 13 for a discussion on the digital transformation of language!
Public Lecture by Jonathan Haidt Sep 30, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us on September 30 for Jonathan Haidt’s lecture, The Mass Destruction of Human Potential and the Human Spirit Since 2010, moderated by Allison Stanger.
Digitalisierung und der Digitale Humanismus Sep 22, 2025 Digital Humanism
Am 16. Oktober startet die neue Veranstaltungsreihe “Digitalisierung und der Digitale Humanismus Grundlagen, Potenziale, Risiken”!
Where are the People? Sep 18, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us on September 18 for a public lecture by Michael Ekstrand on the Political, Ethical, and Humanist Foundations for Information Access.
Public Screening: How to Build a Truth Engine Sep 10, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us for a public screening of “How to Build a Truth Engine”, followed by a Q&A with the director and filmmaker, Friedrich Moser.
Alexander Pretschner: Why GenAI Won’t Replace Engineers Sep 9, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us for a DIGHUM Lecture with Alexander Pretschner (TUM & bidt, Germany), hosted by Carlo Ghezzi (Politecnico di Milano, Italy).
Beyond Hype and Fear: Responsible AI Sep 8, 2025 Digital Humanism
Join us for a talk about AI as a technology shaped by human choices, where responsibility is the key to meaningful innovation and societal benefit.

Missed something? Scroll down to see all our recent highlights, events, and news.

UNESCO Chair

The UNESCO Chair on Digital Humanism (2023–2027) aims to shape the development of digital technologies and policies toward human rights, democracy, participation, inclusion, and diversity.

Peter Knees and Julia Neidhardt are Chairholder and Co-Chairholder.

The chair was established in 2023 and fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and establishes strong links with partner universities, especially in the global south, through research and education. Moreover, it aims to develop teaching curricula reflecting the topics of Digital Humanism; to include interdisciplinary methods into technical courses at TU Wien; to develop and adopt ethical research policies following UNESCO’s Recommendation on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence; and to organize recurring events to exchange and develop research agendas with related research initiatives.

The chair further acts as a networking hub, connecting partners and activities of the international DIGHUM initiative of TU Wien and the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (CAIML).

Contact

Peter Knees P. Knees

Chairholder

peter.knees@tuwien.ac.at

Contact

Julia Neidhardt J. Neidhardt

Co-Chairholder

julia.neidhardt@tuwien.ac.at

Doctoral College

With the launch of the “Digital Humanism” doctoral program in the winter semester of 2024, Vienna is setting a bold standard for interdisciplinary research in digitalization and digital practices. This unique program, a collaboration between Stadt Wien and the Wiener Wissenschafts-, Forschungs- und Technologiefonds (WWTF), goes beyond traditional approaches, bringing together TU Wien, the University of Vienna, and WU Wien, with experts from nine different faculties and departments.

With a total of €3.2 million in funding - including €1.8 million from the City of Vienna and the WWTF - the initiative will support 10 doctoral students directly and several more through third-party funding over the next five years. The program provides a unique opportunity for young researchers to explore the critical intersection of technology and society, and to address pressing digital challenges from a holistic, human-centered perspective.

“Digital Humanism combines the efforts of disciplines that traditionally don’t work together,” says Peter Knees, professor at TU Wien Informatics, UNESCO Chairholder on Digital Humanism, and coordinator of the new doctoral program. This approach promotes a deeper, multifaceted understanding of technology’s role in our world, aiming to create a holistic view that includes ethics, societal impact, and innovation. With the involvement of Vienna’s leading universities, the program brings together a powerful range of perspectives united by a shared goal: to develop a future in which technology serves humanity responsibly and sustainably.

Integrating technological innovation with societal concerns is a core mission at TU Wien. “Long before the Vienna Manifesto for Digital Humanism, we have been dedicated to sensitizing computer science researchers to human-centered approaches in digital technology,” explains TU Wien Vice Rector Peter Ertl.

Activities

We foster a stream of Digital Humanism activities. Find our main players, cooperations and initiatives within and beyond TU Wien Informatics here.

Our Partners. Alone we can do little – but together we can do much.

Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen

Our Supporters. Their commitment and support make our efforts possible.

Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft

Bundesministerium für Europäische und internationale Angelegenheiten

Bundesministerium für Klimaschutz, Umwelt, Energie, Mobilität, Innovation und Technologie

Follow the links to individual initiatives and projects to learn more about our additional partners, cooperations, and sponsors.

Contact

Want to talk to real people about the challenges we face? Here are the leading experts and primary contacts for all our Digital Humanism initiatives.

Contact