About the Event

October 16, 2026
3:00 – 4:00 PM
(15:00) CEST

A map to the lecture room can be found at TU Maps.

Barrier free access is available through the entrance at Favoritenstraße 9.

Abstract

Digital technologies revolutionized the world in which humans live: a world where no more boundaries exist between the physical and the digital spheres, which are seamlessly integrated. Software is the defining technology of the new world: it manages and controls this integration. Through software, humans have been able to automate tasks that enact fixed and well-defined functionalities.  The advent of AI is producing a further, dramatic paradigm shift. Through software, we can now create and populate the world with digital entities that have agency: they can learn, adapt, evolve, and act autonomously, even without human intervention.

But is software engineering as a discipline up to the responsibilities that the crucial role of software in the world demands? Despite their profound impact on humans and society, software systems are conceived and engineered as neutral technical artifacts, disregarding human, social, and political concerns. This, however, is threatening their human and social sustainability.

The talk argues that “good” digital innovation should be grounded on the principles of digital humanism, to ensure that innovation serves humans and society, and not the other way around. This requires radical changes that challenge research, practice, and education in software engineering (and beyond). Even more broadly, universities must urgently and critically re-think their role and assume intellectual leadership. 

About the Speaker

Carlo Ghezzi is Professor em. at Politecnico di Milano and an ACM Fellow, IEEE Fellow, member of Academia Europaea as well as member of the Italian Academy of Sciences (Istituto Lombardo). He received the ACM SIGSOFT Outstanding Research Award, has published over 200 papers in international journals and co-authored 6 books. His recent research tackles the ethical implications of computer science. Ghezzi is Visiting Fellow of the Digital Humanism program at IWM/TU Wien in October 2026.