---
type: conference
title: The Art Museum in the Digital Age – 2026
language: en
url: "https://www.belvedere.at/en/digitalmuseum2026"
---

**Period:** Monday, 19 January - Friday, 23 January 2026

# The Art Museum in the Digital Age – 2026

## International Online Conference

Now in its eighth edition, the international online conference explores the complex interrelations between truth, fake and falsified information, and knowledge authority in the context of digital transformation processes. In light of increasing disinformation, AI-generated content, and algorithmic bias, museums face the challenge of rethinking their role as trusted spaces for knowledge dissemination. At the same time, digital technologies open up new possibilities for participation, contextualization, and translation. A keynote lecture, four thematic online sessions, an on-site workshop, and a panel discussion will shed light on current developments, ethical tensions, and concrete examples from practice. At the heart of the conference is the question of how museums can assume digital responsibility and actively contribute to fostering an open and reflective information culture.

**Period:** 19 January 2026, 20 January 2026, 21 January 2026, 22 January 2026, 23 January 2026

**Registration:** (online)

**Materials (PDF) :** [Program](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/2025-12/Conference_2026_Program_2.pdf), [Tour, Workshop and Panel Discussion](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/2026-01/Konferenz_2026_Brosch%C3%BCre_Workshop_0.pdf), [Call for Papers](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/2025-09/CFP_2026_The%20Art%20Museum%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age.pdf), [Book of Abstracts](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/2026-01/Book%20of%20Abstracts%20The%20Art%20Museum%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%202026.pdf)

**From the Series:** [All Conferences](https://www.belvedere.at/en/art-museum-digital-age)

**Language:** German, English Simultaneous Interpretation

**Hashtag:** #digitalmuseum #belvederemuseum

**Conference Committee:** Johanna Aufreiter, (Belvedere, Wien / Vienna), Christian Huemer, (Belvedere, Wien / Vienna), Sylvia Stegbauer, (Belvedere, Wien / Vienna), Alexandra Sommer, (Belvedere, Wien / Vienna), Oonagh Murphy, (Goldsmiths / University of London), Chiara Zuanni, (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems / University for Continuing Education Krems), Ross Parry, (University of Leicester)

**Partner:** ![Logo Insitute for Digital Culture](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/styles/full_content_width_no_crop/public/2023-12/RI_DC_Logo.png.webp?itok=yUk21oRM), ![Logo ICOM Österreich](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/styles/full_content_width_no_crop/public/media-directories/ICOM_LetterModel-Oesterreich.jpg.webp?itok=gIx3TsEQ), ![Image](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/styles/full_content_width_no_crop/public/2019-10/Museumsbund%20O%CC%88sterreich.png.webp?itok=rtL0pauZ), ![DArtHist Austria Logo](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/styles/full_content_width_no_crop/public/2022-11/DartHist_schwarz.png.webp?itok=4CC4hAm7), ![civa 2024 Logo](https://www.belvedere.at/sites/default/files/styles/full_content_width_no_crop/public/2024-08/Civa%20Logo%202024_black.png.webp?itok=v-AK8ejz)

## Programm 

### MO | MON, 19 JAN

**16.00 | 4 pm**

**Begrüßung & Einführung | Welcome & Introduction**  
Stella Rollig, Christian Huemer, Johanna Aufreiter, Sylvia Stegbauer (Belvedere, Wien | Vienna)

**Panel 1: Rechtliche & Ethische Aspekte | Legal & Ethical Aspects**

Moderation: Sofie Kokas (BMWKMS, Wien | Vienna)

**16.30 | 4.30 pm**

**From Algorithms to Audiences: Navigating AI, Culture, and Policy through UNESCO’s Frameworks**   
Brendan Ciecko (Cuseum, Boston), Andrea Detmer (UNESCO)

**16.55 | 4.55 pm**

**When AI Doubts Our Existence: Museums, Algorithmic Bias, and the Crisis of Digital Truth**   
Theresa V. Kennedy (The Black History Foundation, Sheridan)

**17.20 | 5.20 pm**

**Translating Responsible AI into Museum Practice: A Three-Layer Framework**  
Yan Xiao (Stony Brook University, New York)

**17.45 | 5.45 pm**

**Critical Technological Practice und KI-Ethik: Versuch einer aktualisierten Museumsethik**  
Sonja Thiel (University of California, Berkeley)

**19.00 | 7 pm**

**Keynote Lecture**

Moderation: Christian Huemer (Belvedere, Wien | Vienna)

**Responsible AI as a Cultural Imperative**  
Oonagh Murphy (Goldsmiths, University of London)

### DI | TUE, 20 JAN

**Panel 2: Wissensvermittlung & Quellenkritik | Knowledge Transfer & Source Criticism**

Moderation: Markus Wiesenhofer (Belvedere, Wien | Vienna)

**17.00 | 5 pm**

**Quellenkunde im Digitalen „reloaded“: Computation, KI und neue Validierungsketten**  
Gunther Reisinger (NOUS Digital, Wien | Vienna & TU Graz | Graz University of Technology)

**17.25 | 5.25 pm**

**Communities of Practice: praxisorientierte Perspektiven auf Wissensvermittlung im Zeitalter von KI**   
Marc Schuran (checkpointmedia GmbH, Wien | Vienna)

**17.50 | 5.50 pm**

**From Display to Play: Cultural Leadership and the Digital Reframing of Heritage in Fortnite**  
Marja Konttinen (Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki)

**18.15 | 6.15 pm**

**Cultural Experience Design as Knowledge Mediation in Art Museums**  
Sibylle Moser, Simon Ganahl, Daniela De Angeli (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften St. Pölten | University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten), Eva Mayr, Florian Windhager (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems | University for Continuing Education Krems)

### MI | WED, 21 JAN

**Panel 3: Digitale Verantwortung & Kulturelle Daten | Digital Responsibility & Cultural Data**

Moderation: Chiara Zuanni (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems | University for Continuing Education Krems)

**17.00 | 5 pm**

**The Open Museum as Knowledge Infrastructure: Ethical and Practical Dimensions of Digital Transformation**   
Marta M. Świetlik, Gabriela Manista (Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw)

**17.25 | 5.25 pm**

**Rubens Online: An Open-Access Artwork Database for the Digital Age**   
Saar Vandeweghe, Elise Gacoms (Rubenshuis, Antwerp)

**17.50 | 5.50 pm**

**Museums as Data Custodians in the Age of AI**   
Birgitte Aga, Julie L. Parisi (MUNCH, Oslo)

**18.15 | 6.15 pm**

**Exploring Cultural Knowledge Graph Data using Large Language Models and Retrieval-Augmented Generation**  
Nicola Carboni (University of Illinois)

### DO | THU, 22 JAN

**Panel 4: Digitale & Menschliche Autorschaft | Digital & Human Authorship**

Moderation: Hannes Raffaseder (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften St. Pölten | University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten)

**17.00 | 5 pm**

**AI in the Curator’s Loop: Designing Transparent and Trustworthy Metadata Displays under the EU AI Act**  
Richard Palmer, Shehar Bano (Victoria & Albert Museum, London)

**17.25 | 5.25 pm**

**Eine künstlerische Neuinterpretation der Naturalien- und Kunstkammer von Stift Göttweig mit KI als Mitgestalterin**  
Viola Rühse (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems | University for Continuing Education Krems), Markus Wintersberger (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften St. Pölten | University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten)

**17.50 | 5.50 pm**

**Beyond Authenticity: Museums as Anchors of Verification in the Age of AI-Generated Video**  
Leslie P. Zimmermann (Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim)

**18.15 | 6.15 pm**

**AI in Museum Social Media Practice: Uses, Perceptions, and Future Directions**   
Sophia Bakogianni (Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, Athens), Cassandra Kist (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow)

### FR | FRI, 23 JAN

**13.00 bis 13.50 | 1 pm to 1.50 pm**

**Kuratorinnenführung mit | Curator’s Tour with Eva Fischer**

[*Civa – Contemporary Immersive Virtual Art |indeterminate⟩⟨apparatus|*](https://civa-2025)  
Belvedere 21, Wien | Vienna

Die Führung findet in englischer Sprache statt und richtet sich an die Konferenzteilnehmer\*innen. Um Anmeldung wird gebeten.

The tour is held in English and is for conference participants. Registration is required.

**14.00 bis 17.00 | 2 pm to 5 pm**

**Workshop**

Moderation: Ross Parry (University of Leicester)

Der Workshop findet vor Ort im Belvedere 21, Wien, statt. Eine Anmeldung zur Veranstaltung ist erforderlich. Der Workshop wird in Kooperation mit dem Institute for Digital Culture der University of Leicester durchgeführt. Der Workshop bietet den Teilnehmer\*innen die Möglichkeit, folgende Themen mit Expert\*innen zu diskutieren:

The workshop takes place on site at Belvedere 21, Vienna, with registration required for the event. Organized in cooperation with the Institute for Digital Culture at the University of Leicester, the workshop offers participants the opportunity to discuss the following topics with experts:

**Tisch 1 | Table 1: AI for Curation**   
Chiara Zuanni (Universität für Weiterbildung Krems | University for Continuing Education Krems)  
**Tisch 2 | Table 2: From AI Policy to AI Strategy**  
Ross Parry (University of Leicester), Jane Finnis (The Audience Agency)  
**Tisch 3 | Table 3: AI for Art Analysis**  
Florian Kibler, Markus Seidl (Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften St. Pölten | University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten)

**17.30 | 5.30 pm**

**Podiumsdiskussion | Panel Discussion**

Die Podiumsdiskussion findet vor Ort im Blickle Kino, Belvedere 21, Wien, statt. Aus Platzgründen wird um Anmeldung gebeten. Die Veranstaltung wird in englischer Sprache inklusive Simultanübersetzung abgehalten und auch über Zoom gestreamt.

The panel discussion takes place on site in the Blickle Kino, Belvedere 21, Vienna. Space is limited, so registration is required. The event will be held in English and will be streamed on Zoom.

Moderation: Christian Huemer (Belvedere, Wien | Vienna)

**Sofie Taes (KU Leuven & Europeana Network Association & DigitGLAM)**  
**Lukas Fuchsgruber (Wikimedia Deutschland)**  
**Jane Finnis (The Audience Agency)**