Keynotes

Keynote Speakers

Keynote Monday, 01.09.2025

“Rethinking HCI for Diverse Cultural Heritage Experiences”

Abstract

Museums and cultural heritage sites have been a fertile ground for HCI research, often complementing curatorial and interpretation strategies within the heritage sector. Historically, cultural heritage has also been an important domain to study frames of interaction and to challenge assumptions around notions of “use” and “user” by adopting a situated design approach. Reflecting on issues at both domain-specific and disciplinary levels in HCI, this talk will make the case for a practice-centred approach to research on cultural heritage technologies, arguing for the need to keep developing in-depth understandings of how heritage and the (present and future) technologies that facilitate encountering it become part of people’s lives in manifold ways. Examples from past and current projects in the heritage domain will be used to illustrate and reflect on evolving processes or technology design in a socially-situated and materially entangled way. The talk will also argue for a HCI contribution to current critical heritage discourse, and as a way to examine influential technological trends such as Al and their application for cultural heritage interpretation.

Speaker

Luigina Ciolfi (she/her) is a Professor of Human-Computer Interaction at the School of Applied Psychology, University College Cork (Ireland). At UCC, she is a member of the People and Technology Research Group, co-convenor of the Digital Cultures, New Media & Cultural Analytics research cluster (Future Humanities Institute), and Chair of the Academic Council Research & Innovation Committee. Professor Ciolfi is an academic member of Lero – The Research Ireland Centre for Software. 

Professor Ciolfi researches human practices and experiences of digital technologies in everyday settings, by adopting qualitative and participatory methodologies. She has published extensively in the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and participated in many national and international funded research projects on topics such as cultural heritage technologies, flexible work, and responsible technology. Professor Ciolfi is an ACM Distinguished Speaker and she has been an invited speaker and keynote presenter in fifteen countries. She is an Associate Editor of the CSCW Journal, and a scientific referee and committee member for many conferences and journals in her field (Highlights: General Chair, ECSCW 2017, ACM CSCW 2021, ACM TEI 2024; Papers Chair: ACM CSCW 2015; CHI SC Chair, 2017-2019). Ciolfi is a senior member of ACM SIGCHI, and member of EUSSET – the European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies.

Keynote Tuesday, 02.09.2025

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Abstract

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Speaker

Sonja Wilczek has been working as a Principal User Researcher at DigitalService GmbH since 2023. Previously, she led the user research team at TIER Mobility, worked as a user research consultant for user-centred product development at USEEDS° GmbH and as an embedded user researcher in various corporate contexts. She studied Applied Media Studies, Media Research, and Political Communication at the TU Ilmenau, TU Dresden, and the University of Wroclaw in Poland. She is passionate about the user-centred development of (digital) services that create real added value for people.

Keynote Wednesday, 03.09.2025

“Digital Democracy and AI”

Abstract

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Speaker

Prof. Dr. Mark Coeckelbergh is a full Professor of Philosophy of Media and Technology at the Philosophy of Department of the University of Vienna, and until recently Vice Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Education. He is also ERA Chair at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague and Guest Professor at WASP-HS and University of Uppsala. Previously he was the President of the Society for Philosophy and Technology (SPT). His expertise focuses on ethics and technology, in particular robotics and artificial intelligence. He is a member of various entities that support policy building in the area of robotics and artificial intelligence, such as the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence, the Expert Council Ethics of AI of the Austrian UNESCO Commission, the Austrian Council on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and the Austrian Advisory Council on Automated Mobility. He is University of Vienna’s Circle U. Academic Chair for Artificial Intelligence. He is on the advisory board of the University of Milan’s Research Center on the Philosophy of Technology (PhilTech@UNIMI) and is also on the editorial board of the journal Cambridge Forum on AI: Law and Governance. He is the author of 18 philosophy books and numerous articles, and is involved in several national and European research projects on AI and robotics.