Speaker

Born and raised in Altenmarkt, Salzburg, Martin Kocher initially worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Public Finance after studying economics at the University of Innsbruck. This was followed by an international academic career with positions at universities in Munich, Amsterdam, Norwich and Gothenburg.
From 2016 to 2021, he was Scientific Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna and Head of the IHS Competence Center for Behavioral Economics “Insight Austria”. Most recently, he was also
President of the Austrian Fiscal Advisory Council (FISK).

On January 11, 2021, Martin Kocher was sworn in as Federal Minister of Labor, Family and Youth by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. With the amendment of the Federal Ministries Act, the areas of Labor, Family and Youth were separated. Martin Kocher has been Federal Minister of Labor since 1 February 2021. On 11 May 2022, he was sworn in as Federal Minister for Digitalization and Business Location by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen. On 18 July 2022, Martin Kocher was sworn in as Federal Minister of Labor and Economic Affairs by Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen.

Federal Minister of Labor and Economic Affairs

born in Villach in 1953, is a retired professor at the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Vienna. From
1997 – 2003 he was scientific director of the “Philosophicum Lech”, since 2024 he has been co-director of this renowned event. He publishes regularly as an essayist and columnist in national and international media. Konrad Paul Liessmann has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Austrian State Prize for Cultural Journalism and recently the Cross of Honor for Science and Art I Class of the Republic of Austria.

His most recent publications are: Bildung als Provokation (2017); Let him cast the first stone. Mythologisch-philosophische Verdammungen (2019, together with Michael Köhlmeier); Alles Lust will Ewigkeit. Midnight temptations (2021); Loud lies and other truths (2023); Thoughts on responsibility (2023)

Sonja Schmer-Galunder is the Glenn and Deborah Leadership Professor of AI and Ethics in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. She directs the AI and Ethics Program with a focus on multidisciplinary perspectives on the ethical use of AI. Based in San Francisco, she travels to UF monthly. Previously, she researched the social dimensions of AI as a senior scientist at Smart Information Flow Technologies, where she raised more than $10 million in research funding from agencies such as DARPA and NASA.

Professor of AI and Ethics
University of Florida

Birgit Phillips heads the ZML-Innovative Learning Scenarios department at FH JOANNEUM, where she specializes in the integration of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in teaching and learning processes. Her work in curriculum development and the promotion of innovative teaching methods contribute significantly to modernizing learning environments and increasing learning effectiveness. In addition to her academic work, she is also active as an examiner for AI manager certifications at Austrian Standards and plays a leading role in various national and international networks.

Head of University Didactics
FH JOANNEUM

Mic is one of the leading experts for digitalization and AI in Austria. He is a keynote speaker and gifted Harald Leitenmüller, born in Linz in 1965, supports forward-looking IT initiatives so that the latest technologies can be used successfully and appropriately. Topics such as Austria as an ICT location, a fair and open marketplace, technology policies, AI and the competitiveness of the local IT ecosystem have always been of central concern to him. Before being appointed to the Executive Board, he held various roles from Software Architect, Project/Business Development Manager to Evangelism Group Lead. In the years before he joined Microsoft, he gained a wealth of experience in international innovation projects in various industries. It was always important to him to work across industries. Fortunately, this continues at Microsoft thanks to the enormous diversity of customers and the broad technology portfolio. Harald is certified by Satya Nadella as a Professional Artificial Intelligence Expert and was awarded the Microsoft Platinum Award in 2018. As Microsoft Responsible AI Champ, he is responsible for the responsible use of artificial intelligence at Microsoft Austria. He also teaches Responsible AI concepts as a lecturer at several universities in Vienna. Harald is Vice President of the Internet Offensive Austria. He studied communications engineering at the Vienna University of Technology, is married and lives with his wife and two children in Brunn/Geb.

Chief Technology Officer
Microsoft Österreich Gmbh

Mic is one of the leading experts for digitalization and AI in Austria. He is a keynote speaker and gifted networker. He began his professional career in IT and software consulting and later took on senior management roles in Silicon Valley. In 2008, he and his team were among the Austrian pioneers in Silicon Valley, where they were involved in the technical development of key platforms. In addition to his work, he advises medium-sized and large companies as well as top politicians. He is also the author of the book “Brave New World 4.0 and the Risks of the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. He talks about the culture of innovation in the USA and Europe, the growing importance of artificial intelligence and robotics and the future of the human-robot relationship.

CEO
Apollo.ai

Jeannette Gorzala is a leading figure in the European AI ecosystem. Among other things, she founded the AI governance consultancy ACT.AI.NOW and the law firm go_legal attorneys at law. As Vice President of the European AI Forum, she formed one of the largest networks for AI companies in Europe and represented over 2,000 companies in the AI Act legislative process. She is also Deputy Chair of the AI Advisory Board of the Austrian Federal Government. With over 15 years of experience, she is a recognized expert in business law and AI.

CEO & Founder
ACT.AI.NOW

Thomas Burri is a professor of public international law and European law at the University of St. Gallen. He has more than a decade of experience in dealing with technology and law and ethics. His most recent endeavor was an international competition, a “Grand Challenge”, in which the application of the EU’s new regulation on artificial intelligence was tested using concrete AI applications from technology companies. A report was published in Nature Machine Intelligence, see also www.thegrandchallenge.eu.

Professor of Public International Law and European Law
University of St. Gallen, Law School

Stefan Thalmann is Professor of Business Analytics and Data Science and Head of the Business Analytics and Data Science Center at the University of Graz. He received his Ph.D. in Information Systems and a habilitation from the University of Innsbruck. He works on topics such as business analytics, data-driven decision support and no and low code for AI as well as AI auditing. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed publications and is a regular program committee member and track chair at international conferences and journals.

Professor of Business Analytics and Data Science
University of Graz

Dr. Julia Shaw, born in Cologne in 1987 and raised in Canada, is a bestselling author, memory expert and researcher in the Department of Psychology at UCL (University College London). There she conducts research in the fields of legal psychology, memory and artificial intelligence. She advises the police, armed forces, lawyers, the judiciary and business in German and English-speaking countries. In 2017, she founded the startup SPOT in Silicon Valley, which uses artificial intelligence to combat discrimination in business. Her non-fiction debut “The Deceptive Memory” became an international bestseller in 2016 and was published in 20 languages. In fall 2018, she published her second international bestseller “Böse. The psychology of our abysses”. This was followed in 2022 by her personal, award-winning book “Bi. Discovering diverse love”. Her work has been featured in Der Spiegel, Focus, The Times and New York Magazine, among others.

Bestselling author, legal psychologist (UCL) and start-up founder
University College London (UCL)