News
Why the Humanities must shape the future of AI
27 March 2025
Prof. Drew Hemment, founder of The New Real which is supported by EFI – To avoid repeating the mistakes of the social media age, artists and their creative ilk must design AI. And quickly – time is running out. Click for more info…
“Radical interdisciplinarity” and the necessity of marrying culture and science
1 October 2025
Professor Marion Thain on why understanding culture and the humanities is crucial for tackling today’s scientific, technological, and social challenges. Click for more info…
The humanities must continue to evolve to best protect their future
24 March 2025
If our subjects are to stay alive and relevant, we must engage more strongly with the factors that give them a place in society. Click for more info…
AI Governance and Regulation workshop explores risks and opportunities
26 February 2025
Policy makers and academics gathered at BDFI recently to take part in an interactive workshop, looking at the critical challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence. Click for more info…
BDFI welcomes two new engineering academics
5 February 2025
We’re pleased to announce a new academic co-director has joined BDFI this month, alongside a new engineering professor. Click for more info…
Kate Devlin, You Autocomplete Me: Our Intimate and Emotional Encounters with Technology
06 June 2025 18:00 to 20:00
Please join us for this Inaugural Lecture as we celebrate Professor Kate Devlin’s appointment as Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Society. Click for more info…
Annual conference titled How revolutionary is AI?
Our annual conference titled How revolutionary is AI? was hosted by the Edinburgh Futures Institute in June 2025. Click here to watch the keynotes and respondents from the event.
Urban Digital Twins Conference: Insights Now Online, City Science Lab @HafenCity University Hamburgy
On April 2-3, 2025, the City Science Lab in Hamburg hosted the hybrid “Urban Digital Twins for a Sustainable Transformation of Cities” conference. The event gathered leading scientists, researchers and practitioners to critically discuss on the question of how urban digital twins can foster a transformation of cities towards sustainability and resilience. With around 90 participants attending in person and 350 joining online, the conference reached full capacity.
The conference took place within the framework of the Connected Urban Twins (CUT) https://www.connectedurbantwins.de/en/ project, which is funded by the German Federal Government as a Model Project Smart City.
The event was part of the Digital Twin Days https://www.connectedurbantwins.de/news/urban-digital-twin-days-2025-
hamburg-als-gastgeber-fur-den-digitalen-wandel-in-der-stadtentwicklung/
which comprised of a practical "CUT Innovations” day, focusing on solutions and innovative approaches from the project, and the conference.
The conference programme included keynotes from Elsa Arcaute, Professor of Complexity Science and Luca Mora, Professor of Urban Innovation, alongside 28 presentations and lightning talks covering key themes such as smart city governance, urban planning, people-centred approaches, modelling and simulating complexity.
Please access the full conference agenda here https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65113d641a643d4f28945246/t/67e538
6c53d91164e20b32e2/1743075437480/hcu_ConferenceAgenda+2025.pdf
Visit this playlist for selected conference presentations https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNohCUPSTdf9_5PqJwMIu71Fsx5u90eRg