AI conference in Salzburg: Opportunities and risks of digital participation!

AI conference in Salzburg: Opportunities and risks of digital participation!

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is already having a profound impact on society, education and the economy. An upcoming conference on May 8, 2025 at the St. Virgil Education Center in Salzburg will address this topic. Under the title “Artificial Intelligence: between transformation and participation,” a critical dialogue about the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation will be promoted from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The organizers are St. Virgil Salzburg, WerdeDigital.at, ARGE Salzburger Adult Education and Educational Advice Salzburg.

The conference will focus on four central aspects: the connection between digital transformation and democratic participation, education, regional competence and economic innovation. A key point of discussion will be who has access to AI and who may be left behind. The risks of AI, including digital disinformation and algorithmic discrimination, are also discussed. The aim is to promote the exchange of knowledge and participatory debate in these important subject areas.

Keynotes and workshops

The event opens with two keynote speeches. Bernd Resch, a data scientist, will present technological developments and their connection to sustainable future design. Edith Simöl, psychologist, will address the socio-political dimensions of AI and digital participation. In addition, seven practice-oriented workshops and forums are planned, which will deal with topics such as senior education, innovative school concepts, ethical questions about deepfakes and data protection as well as digital educational justice. An interactive fishbowl discussion will be moderated by Raphael Riedler, which will address the question of an inclusive digital society in the age of AI.

An important aspect that Gunter Graf, director of studies at the conference, emphasizes is the need for active exchange and participation in relation to AI. This invitation to participate is aimed at anyone interested, regardless of their prior knowledge or professional background. Further information is available on the website www.virgil.at/ki.

AI in medicine

Parallel to the efforts in education, digitalization also plays a crucial role in the health sector. According to the PTB, technical progress in measurement technology requires an intensive examination of AI. In 2019, for example, 675 exabytes of image information were generated in radiology, but only 7% of it was used medically. This shows enormous potential that could be better exploited through AI.

The application of AI in medicine offers the possibility of efficiently processing large amounts of data in imaging procedures and completing complex tasks that normally require years of experience in seconds. However, despite advances, there is a lack of widely accepted trust anchors in the quality infrastructure for AI applications. The PTB plans to develop a strategy paper entitled “Metrology for AI in Medicine” to address this challenge.

The upcoming events and developments illustrate the need to actively shape the dialogue about the opportunities and risks of AI. At a time when AI is increasingly penetrating our daily lives, it is crucial to involve everyone involved and work together on solutions.

For further information about the conference, interested parties can contact Natalie Rainer on Tel: +43 662 65 901 533 or by email: natalie.rainer@virgil.at.