We are thrilled to announce Human×AI Europe, a conference dedicated to the most pressing question facing the continent: how Europe can harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence to reinvent its competitiveness, strengthen its sovereignty, and build ecosystems where innovation thrives.
This is the first event organised by Pontis, and it represents the core of what we set out to do — bring the right people into the same room, around the right questions, at the right moment.
On May 19, 2026, at Hofstallungen MUMOK in Vienna, as part of the official agenda of the ViennaUP Startup Festival, we will bring together founders, investors, business leaders, policymakers, academics, and ecosystem builders for a day of honest conversation about Europe's technological future.
Why This Conversation Matters Now
The world of tomorrow will not look like yesterday's. We can see the change happening in real time. Global power structures are shifting. AI is no longer a future technology — it is reshaping how industries operate, how influence is wielded, how value is created, and how societies are organised.
Will Europe seize this generational momentum to reinvent itself and secure its sovereignty?
Inherited growth engines and institutional memory cannot meet today's challenges. Europe must build a new foundation for its progress and autonomy — one based on technological capability, human creativity, entrepreneurial vitality, and democratic integrity.
That foundation cannot be built in isolation. It requires empowering key stakeholders to work together within ecosystems where innovation is born, tested, and scaled.
More Than a Conference
Human×AI Europe is not a standard industry event. It is a platform for ideas, vision, partnership, and collaboration. It will bring together some of the brightest minds working on how Europe repositions itself on the global stage — and give them the space to design that future together.
What to Expect
- Keynotes — big-picture vision from leaders shaping Europe's technological trajectory
- Panels — cross-sector debates that cut across disciplines and borders
- Fireside Chats — deep-dive interviews with operators, founders, and decision-makers
- Interactive Sessions — collaborative problem-solving around real challenges
- Pitch Session — startups presenting human×AI solutions to investors and city officials
- Networking Gatherings — structured partnership creation sessions
Content Streams
Who Should Be in the Room
Human×AI Europe is designed for the people who are actively building, funding, governing, and thinking about the systems that will define Europe's next chapter: technology companies building AI solutions, C-level executives across industries, startups, VCs and institutional investors, ecosystem builders, think tanks, university leaders and academics, and city and public sector decision-makers.
What Participants Will Take Away
This forum will give participants the footing to grow — through new partnerships, concrete pathways for pilots, and a sense of belonging to an ecosystem capable of amplifying their work, their ambitions, and their vision for a more capable and prosperous Europe.
Why Vienna, Why ViennaUP
UP
Human×AI Europe is a natural part of ViennaUP 2026 because it tackles Europe's most urgent challenge: reinventing competitiveness and sovereignty by building innovation ecosystems where human creativity thrives on an intelligent technology foundation. Vienna — at the crossroads of Western and Central Europe — is the right city for this conversation.
Organised and Partnered By
A Content Engine, Not Just an Event
Human×AI Europe will anchor a multi-touch storytelling initiative on the future of Human×AI ecosystems. Ahead of the event, we will share founder stories, city-powered change, university breakthroughs, and ecosystem-driven progress through a dedicated site, newsletters, and social channels — connecting audiences and setting the stage for Vienna.
After the event, on-stage insights will be converted into follow-up stories, visual content, and analysis that keeps the conversation alive. What begins on stage will become the stories, data, and ideas that help Europe reinvent its future.
Join Us in Vienna
Interested in attending, speaking, sponsoring, or partnering? We'd love to hear from you.