About the Event

When

Wednesday June 24, 2026
7:00 – 10:00 PM
(19:00 – 22:00 CEST)

Where

Gartenbaukino
Parkring 12
1010 Wien
gartenbaukino.at

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About

The organizers of the Digital Humanism Conference are kindly inviting TU Wien guests to the conference’s opening night screening of Valerie Veatch’s documentary Ghost in the Machine. The evening opens with brief welcome remarks, followed by a joint screening of the film. Afterwards, director Valerie Veatch will join a conversation moderated by Katja Mayer. The night concludes with a reception in the cinema foyer.

A limited number of 20 free tickets are available!

Once all free tickets are claimed, full-price tickets can still be purchased online at KUPFticket.com or Gartenbaukino—Ghost in the Machine.

Please note: a free ticket is already included in the 1- and 2-Day DigHum Conference passes.

Get Tickets

Visit KUPFticket.com and follow the instructions below. Enter the discount code TUWIEN.

About the Film

Ghost in the Machine (2026)

A film by Valerie Veatch—director, writer, editor, producer.

Who built these AI systems? On whose shoulders do they stand? And what will humans become in a world they increasingly shape?

Valerie Veatch’s investigative documentary, opening this year’s Digital Humanism Conference, uncovers the buried origin story of Artificial Intelligence that Silicon Valley would prefer us not to examine. Across nearly 40 interviews with historians, computer scientists, and human rights activists, including Emily M. Bender, Alix Dunn, and Tiera Tanksley, Ghost in the Machine traces the roots of today’s AI industry: its ties to scientific racism, its debt to unregulated capital, its dependence on mass data theft and human exploitation.

After two acclaimed films exploring how emerging technologies reshape identity and culture, her 2026 Sundance contribution is Veatch’s most ambitious work yet, and, as far as anyone can tell, the only AI documentary currently on the market not funded by tech billionaires. The result is an uncompromised account of power and technology and tells the real story beneath the hype.

For further information about the movie, including the official trailer, visit Gartenbaukino—Ghost in the Machine.

About the Conference

This year’s Digital Humanism Conference takes place in Vienna at the Austrian Academy of Sciences on 24–26 June 2026.

#DigHum2026 connects everyone interested in options for a good digital future and life. In conversation across research and policy, with experts and enthusiasts, it will be discussing technology through the lens of human values and democratic principles. Challenging the digital, empowering the human.

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.

To read more about this year’s conference focus, visit dighum.wien/about-dighum2026.