Vienna becomes the center of digital humanism: big conference in May!

Vienna becomes the center of digital humanism: big conference in May!

The first international conference for digital humanism will take place in Vienna from May 26th to 2825. This trend -setting event is under the honor protection of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen and is organized by the association to promote digital humanism. The target group are scientists, technologists, politicians and representatives of civil society.

The conference aims to discuss the social effects of digital technologies, especially with regard to democracy, human rights and the common good. The cultural and science councilor Veronica Kaup-Hasler emphasizes how important democratic control and clear ethical guidelines are in digitization. Erich Prem, chairman of the association, emphasizes the responsibility not to leave digitization only economic interests.

diverse thematic offers

The conference program promises an exciting examination of current challenges. On the first day, opportunities and risks are discussed by artificial intelligence, the influence on democratic processes and ethical framework conditions. On the second day, the focus is on digital platforms and international regulatory strategies, while the third day deals with the contribution of technology to a resilient society.

ethical challenges of digitization

In a broader context, a current study by Deloitte illuminates the ethical challenges associated with the use of generative AI in companies. These technologies can have both positive and negative effects, with 39 % of the digital experts surveyed assessing them as potentially advantageous for the common good. Nevertheless, 57 % identify serious ethical risks.

The investigation shows that almost 75 % of the respondents have already tested generative AI in their companies and that more than 50 % have implemented these technologies internally. Important ethical concerns are the protection of privacy, transparency in information generation and the possibility of manipulation through inadmissible data. Unfortunately, only 11 % of the respondents have developed specific guidelines for digital ethics.

DELOITTE recommends a holistic approach to digital ethics that consists of three steps: develop understanding of digital ethics and risks, define a digital daily strategy and integrate it into decision-making processes. These suggestions illustrate the urgency with which institutional and individual actors have to react to the challenges of digital change.

The upcoming conference in Vienna is not only a platform for the exchange of ideas and strategies, but it could also make a decisive contribution to further promoting discourse on digital ethics and trust in technologies, such as Deloitte apt.