2025 Edition on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies
In collaboration with Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe, CONNECT organizes the Winter School Transnational Challenges and Policy Solutions, which is designed annually since 2024. Each edition addresses a different transnational challenge: in 2024, the theme was the environment and climate change, while the 2025 edition will focus on Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies.
The Winter School is open to students enrolled in the Department’s Laurea Magistrale (Master’s) programmes in International Relations (LM IR), International and Diplomatic Affairs (LM SID), International Politics and Economics (LM IPE), and East European and Eurasian Studies (LM MIREES). It also actively involves PhD candidates from the Political and Social Sciences doctoral programme, who participate as tutors. In addition, the Winter School hosts a range of experts from academia, policy-making, and international organizations, who contribute to the programme through panels and keynote speeches.
The 2025 edition of the Winter School will take place from 3 December (2 pm) to 5 December (1 pm).
A first public keynote lecture is to be held on 3 December at Aula Poeti in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna, speaker Prof. Fabrizio Gilardi, University of Zurich A second public keynote lecture will follow on 4 December at Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe, speaker Prof. Daniela Stockmann, Hertie School.
From 3 to 5 December, the programme will also include sessions reserved for up to 20 selected students: 10 from the Department of Political and Social Sciences and 10 from Johns Hopkins University SAIS Europe. Students will be selected through a public call. These students will also be invited to a networking aperitivo on 3 December (following the keynote lecture) and provided with lunch on 4 December.
(all meetings and activities take place in SPS Department, Aula Romei, Via dei Bersaglieri 6 unless otherwise specified)
13:45
MA students selected to pariticipate in the Winter School meet at the University of Bologna
14.00 – 14.30
Student Briefing about the Winter School
14.30 – 16.00
Panel 1: Governance Frameworks Needed for Responsible AI Development with Audrey Borowski (University of Cambridge/University of Bonn), Mikkel Flyverbom (Copenhagen Business School), and Jennifer Hendrixson White (John Hopkins University and University of Pennsilvanya).
16.00 – 16.30
Break
16.30 – 18:00
SPS Department, Aula Poeti, Strada Maggiore 45
Keynote Lecture: Problem Definition in the Digital Democracy, Fabrizio Gilardi (University of Zurich)
18:30 – 21:00
Location TbA
Networking Aperitivo
(all meetings and activities take place in Via Beniamino Andreatta 3, Penthouse unless otherwise specified)
8.45
MA students selected to pariticipate in the Winter School meet at SAIS Europe
9.00 - 10.30
Panel 2: The Role of International Organizations and Cooperation in Dealing with AI and Technological Change, with Doris Althusser (Institute of Technology Assessment, Austrian Academy of Sciences) and Nikolas Schmidt (OECD AI Policy Observatory)
10.30 - 11.00
Break
11.00 - 12.30
MA students Working Session 1
12.30 - 13.30
Lunch
14.00 - 16.00
MA students Working Session 1
16.00 - 16.30
Break
16.30 – 18.00
Keynote Lecture, Daniela Stockmann (Hertie School of Governance)
(all meetings and activities take place in Via Beniamino Andreatta 3, Penthouse unless otherwise specified)
8.45
MA students selected to pariticipate in the Winter School meet at SAIS Europe
9.00 – 10.00
MA students Working Session 3
10.00 - 10.30
Break
10.30 - 13.00
MA students Ppresentations and simulations, followed by a debrief