Human autonomy and AI: A shift in thinking | IT:U In today’s world, many people fall into two categories when it comes to interconnectivity: Those that always like to be available, and those that don’t. Problems arise when these two groups of people rely on and interact with the same technology, particularly when they use AI, such as daily task...

People prefer AI that aligns with their values, even over performance or full freedom. Dinara Talypova, PhD student at IT:U, calls for a shift: value alignment may matter most for trust and adoption.
Read more: it-u.at/en/news/human-autonomy-a...

First Wet Lab for AI‑enabled environmental and circular economy research | IT:U With the commissioning of its first wet lab for environmental research, IT:U is extending its research and teaching model into the physical realm. For the first time, digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and ecological systems are brought together in a shared experimental setting. Digi...

IT:U launches ERIN, its first environmental wet lab, bridging AI, digital tech, and ecology for real-world impact: From circular economy to industrial innovation.
More: it-u.at/en/news/first-wet-lab-fo...

On World Health Day:
At IT:U Computational Medicine Research Lab + Digital Molecular Medicine
→ use big data + AI to understand diseases
→ work on on personalized treatments using genomics + machine learning

More: it-u.at/en/news/inaugural-lectur...

IT:U’s first PhD defense examining what it takes to make our streets safer for cycling | IT:U It is springtime, and people will often choose their bike over their car or public transport during the longer daylight hours when they feel safe on the streets.   But what makes cyclists feel unsafe, and how can we measure it and ultimately improve their experience? Martin Moser, PhD, from IT:U...

Can AI make cycling safer?
IT:U’s first PhD defense by Martin Moser uses sensors, GPS data, and AI to detect stress in cyclists and identify danger zones in cities.
Read more: it-u.at/en/news/itus-first-phd-d...

What if AI wasn’t controlled, but cultivated?

At IT:U, Iohanna Nicenboim explores AI through fermentation, care and living systems.
From lithium extraction to microbes, her work rethinks how we design AI.
Next: CHI 2026 conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
📸: Iohanna Nicenboim

Sorgeverpflichtungen bremsen junge Wissenschaftlerinnen Frauen sind in Wissenschaft und Forschung präsenter denn je, doch nach wie vor schaffen sie es seltener in Top-Positionen als ihre männlichen Kollegen.

At the premiere of Science Lounge hosted by Die Presse, Stefanie Lietze, Teamlead for Equal Opportunities and Quality Assurance at IT:U, joined fellow experts to explore why women continue to leave academia.

www.diepresse.com/20660189/sorgeverpflicht...

IT:U embeds gender equality structurally | IT:U International Women’s Day is a reminder of progress made, and of persistent structural deficits. In technical universities, the picture has been unchanged for years: despite a growing number of women graduates, the share of women among professors in many Austrian institutions remains well below...

International Women’s Day reminds us that equality in academia needs more than good intentions. It needs structures.
more here: it-u.at/en/news/itu-embeds-gende...

At the end of January, we welcomed students from BRG Fadingerstraße to IT:U 🚀Building bridges between schools and the future of learning. #FutureSkills #Robotics #STEM #DigitalEducation

Programm 2026 - Symposium Medienethik

How are humanoid robots transforming society?
Join the Media Ethics Symposium on March 11, 2026, at the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten. Christopher Frauenberger, IT:U Professor of HCI, will speak about robots in care. Register today: https://medienethik.ustp.at/

Inaugural Lecture – Advancing Health Through Data | IT:U Across healthcare and the life sciences, data is transforming how we understand disease and deliver care. As healthcare systems grapple with aging populations, multiple diseases, and the rise of next-generation therapies, progress increasingly depends on bringing disciplines together. In their First...

Healthcare innovation relies on turning complex data into actionable insights. IT:U Professors Spiros Denaxas & Kristin Reiche showed how clinical research, molecular biology & bioinformatics make this possible.

Read more: it-u.at/en/news/inaugural-lectur...

IT:U researches AI for disaster response | IT:U As climate change drives more frequent and severe natural disasters, technology must keep pace. IT:U is advancing an AI-powered platform within the EU-funded TEMA project that fuses publicly available social media data with satellite imagery. The goal: deliver rapid, reliable digital situational awa...

IT:U’s GeoSocial AI research group is part of the EU-funded TEMA project: Researching AI to speed up disaster response by combining satellite imagery with privacy-preserving social media data for faster situational awareness.

More: it-u.at/en/news/itu-researches-a...

Infineon Austria and IT:U agree on strategic cooperation | IT:U Linz, February 16, 2026– The aim of the partnership is to familiarize students with various digital technologies through specific learning projects and to connect and train them across disciplinary boundaries with experts from business and industry. To this end, Infineon and IT:U will jointly set ...

Infineon Austria × IT:U 🤝
Strategic cooperation for interdisciplinary research + project-based learning. Three new LearnLabs opening late summer 2026 (Smart Electronics, Digital Prototyping, Space Tech) — room for 60 students on-site in Linz. click here:

Photos: (c) IT:U

DigiEduHack 2025: 74 hackathons, 2,499 participants, 792 solutions — and IT:U-hosted Baam-Dash (BAM AI) is in the Top 12 finalists.
In this video, Amir Ansari (IT:U PhD) introduces the project. Please vote 👉 https://digieduhack.com/solutions/baam-dash
#DigiEduHack #EdTech #DigitalEducation

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 🔬✨
In our video, Nata Sturua (Student Ombudsperson) shares a powerful reminder: your background isn’t a limitation — it’s an opportunity.
More on IT:U’s Women in Science here:https://sheconomy.pulse.ly/qapyuwhpcz

Three people in front of a screen

Laptop with the Women in AI Austria Logo

Nina Hubig presenting her Keynote

Last week at IT:U with Women in AI Austria: “AI Cannibalism? The Future of Quality & Trust on the Web.”
If machines increasingly train on machine-made data, what happens to quality, trust—and the open web? Let’s discuss.

Brain + AI = smarter tech!
IT:U Founding Professor Jie Mei explores how neurotransmitters can inspire more adaptable AI.

🔗 https://www.derpragmaticus.com/r/neurotransmitter-mei
#ITU #AI #Neuroscience #FutureSkills #Interdisciplinary

Medienkompetenz-Bericht 2025 Der Medienkompetenz-Bericht 2025 vereint Perspektiven aus Technik, Recht, Gesellschaft und digitaler Praxis und führt diese in einen sowohl theoretischen als auch anwendungsorientierten Rahmen zusammen. Ausgehend von der grundlegenden Frage, was Desinformation eigentlich ist, bis hin zu der Überle...

In their new article, Ben Wagner, IT:U Founding Professor and Director AI Futures Lab at TU Delft, and Marie-Therese Sekwenz, PhD Candidate at TU Delft and Deputy Director AI Futures Lab, dive into the topic of disinformation and regulation.

At IT:U, we connect technology with health, design, economy, and more — because solving today's challenges takes more than code. We're building a new kind of university, and a new kind of graduate: grounded in two fields, fluent in collaboration.
#ITU #AI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

Kick‑off: Personalized Technical Medicine in Upper Austria. IT:U, JKU, FH OÖ & KUK unite with WKOÖ to deliver next‑gen med‑tech for patients—strengthening the region as a high‑tech, digital health hub.

A 21st-century university must rethink education for a digitally transformed world. At IT:U, we’re not just teaching tech: we’re shaping Digital Transformers who bridge disciplines, connect tech with human needs, and drive innovation.
#ITU #AI #Innovation #DigitalTransformation

8 new professors will advance fields like Cyber Security, Quantum Information, Industrial Innovation, Data Science, Design, and Economics, addressing challenges from secure climate-neutral energy to medical diagnostics.
it-u.at/en/news/itu-...

New IT:U Research Campus on Freistädter Straße brings researchers and admin under one roof. The IT:U Education Campus stays home to students in Science Park 4.
🔗 More: it-u.at/en/news/itu-expands-its-...

IT:U is proud to share that our founding professor Philipp Wintersberger and an outstanding international team have been honored with the Best Paper Award at this year’s Automotive User Interfaces Conference

Read the paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3744333.3747812

Digital City Studio | IT:U Discover Our Digital City Studio

On 8 October, the Digital City Studio opens its doors — a space where anyone can explore AI, VR, data tools, robotics, and more. Discover the new initiative by IT:U and the City of Linz on its opening day:
📍 Pfarrgasse 9, Linz
🕙 10:00 – 18:00
https://it-u.at/en/digitalcitystudio/

IT:U @ IT-Futures 2025, Linz!
📅 Oct 2: Prof. Frauenberger (DE) – Do we need what we have? Exploring digital innovation that works for people.
📅 Oct 3: Daniel Cracau (EN) – Behavioral AI reshaping strategy.https://it-futures.at/en/home-english/

Network Spotlight on Interdisciplinary Pathways for Technology Regulation and Standardization | IT:U The latest IT:U Network Spotlight gathered researchers and industry experts to explore how technology regulation and standardization shape our lives. Fellow Professors Elisabeth Staudegger and Vladislav Fomin shared insights from law and IT design studies, showing how only interdisciplinary approach...

IT:U’s first Network Spotlight on tech regulation and standardization, led by Fellows Prof. Elisabeth Staudegger and Prof. Vladislav Fomin.

Read more: it-u.at/en/news/network-spotligh...

This week at the IT:U Pop-Up Store (Linz):
🤖 How can AI become a trustworthy teammate?
🔹 Driving simulator
🔹 Survey on automated vehicles
🔹 Share your multitasking habits

📍 Pfarrgasse 1 | Mon–Fri, 10–18h
👉 Research meets daily life.

#AI #HumanAI #Linz

IT:U at Ars Electronica Festival & Pop-Up Store (03.–07.09, POSTCITY).
Topics: social media in crises, climate perceptions vs. data, caring robots in elderly care.

👉 Our Pop-Up Store (Pfarrgasse 1, Linz) runs until 27.09 with new weekly themes.

#ArsElectronica #AI #ITU

(S+) Künstliche Intelligenz: Wird die KI bald zu mächtig für uns Menschen? - SPIEGEL-Titelstory Techkonzerne wollen eine höhere künstliche Intelligenz erschaffen. Sie soll große Menschheitsprobleme lösen und als allwissende Assistentin dienen. Kritiker fürchten, so eine KI wäre unkontrollierbar. Andere wiegeln ab.

In SPIEGEL’s latest cover story, experts discuss the development and risks of (super-)AI. IT:U professor Jie Mei explains what AI developers can learn from the human brain. Read more (German): Künstliche Intelligenz: https://rb.gy/dqbgf5

#ITU #SuperAI #Superintelligence #AI

Last Friday, IT:U was delighted to welcome Prof. Johannes Frasnelli for a visiting talk on 𝐎𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 & 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

#ITU #Neuroscience #Parkinsons #Alzheimers #EarlyDetection #Research