19 October 2026 | 2.00–6.00 pm CEST | Online
How can digital technologies help to promote peace, facilitate dialogue and support people in conflict-affected regions? This is the question that the international online summit “The PeaceTech We Want” will address on 19 October 2026. The event is organised by the Open Knowledge Foundation (OKFN) in collaboration with the PeaceTech Alliance, of which the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is a co-founder.
Digital technologies, and artificial intelligence in particular, are playing an increasingly significant role in conflicts and peace processes. At the same time, even technologies developed with good intentions can create new risks or exacerbate existing inequalities. The summit therefore focuses on a people-centred and responsible approach to technology. Under the guiding principle “Peacebuilders First” and the principle “Do No Harm”, peacebuilders, technology experts, researchers and policy-makers will discuss how digital solutions can be developed in collaboration with the communities affected and used effectively in peacebuilding work.
From ‘Do No Harm’ to digital peace
The programme explores PeaceTech from various perspectives. An opening keynote address will examine what lessons can be learnt for the development of technologies from the ‘Do No Harm’ approach to peace work. A subsequent panel discussion will focus on who actually decides which technologies are needed in conflict-affected regions.
Under the title “PeaceTech in Practice: What Are We Learning?”, short demonstrations will provide insights into specific approaches, methods and tools. A roundtable discussion ‘AI at the Negotiating Table’ will examine the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence for peace negotiations, mediation and digital diplomacy. The event will conclude with the keynote address ‘Digital Ceasefire: Can Technology Help Us Build Peace?’, which explores how a vision of digital peace can be used to counter the increasing digitalisation of conflicts.
About the PeaceTech Alliance
The PeaceTech Alliance was launched in 2025 during the International Digital Security Forum (IDSF) in Vienna. The AIT is one of the co-founders of the initiative, alongside partners from the fields of research, peacebuilding and civil society. The aim is to involve peacebuilders more closely in the development and design of digital technologies and to promote dialogue between technology experts and the peacebuilding sector.
Monday, 19 October 2026
2.00–6.00 pm CEST
Online
Registration free
Further Information:
The PeaceTech We Want – Programm und Veranstaltungsdetails
Registration:
Jetzt kostenlos registrieren