As part of the IJCAI-ECAI 2026, public lectures, interactive formats, and dialogue-oriented events will make artificial intelligence tangible and accessible in Bremen.
When several thousand AI experts from around the world gather in Bremen for IJCAI-ECAI 2026 in August, the discussion on artificial intelligence will extend beyond the conference venue. Through the Summer of AI, Bremen is opening up the topic to the wider urban community.
The programme addresses citizens, school students, trainees, and companies. It focuses on questions that are increasingly relevant to everyday life: How is AI transforming media, education, public administration, and work? How can AI systems remain safe, transparent, and comprehensible? And how can people use, shape, and govern AI responsibly?
Public Highlights: AI Expert Professor Toby Walsh at the Bremen Parliament and AI Panel at the University of Bremen
Key public formats include the IJCAI-ECAI 2026 AI Lecture at the Bremen Parliament on Monday, 17 August 2026, from 16:30 to 18:00, featuring Professor Toby Walsh, one of the internationally most distinguished AI researchers and science communicators. The topic of his lecture is:
The AI Race
Billions of dollars are being spent on AI every day. This is without precedent. And it is transforming every aspect of our society. From work to war, and everything in between, AI is taking on tasks once reserved for humans. As a result, many people are becoming worried. Will this race end in the bubble bursting? What happens when machines outsmart us humans? In this talk, I’ll discuss the likely outcome of the AI race. I’ll suggest that there is a better way to go about building artificial intelligence that matches and perhaps exceeds human intelligence, and this other path is an opportunity for middle powers to stay in the game.
At the public AI Panel “New Directions for Safe AI Agents”, held on Sunday, 16 August 2026, from 18:00 to 19:00 at the University of Bremen, international experts will discuss how AI systems can remain safe, transparent, and controllable as they increasingly plan, act, and support decision-making autonomously.
Information: Both events are free of charge and open to the public. Due to limited seating capacity, prior registration is required. Please register through the IJCAI website: 2026.ijcai.org/outreach/
AI in Dialogue on Domshof
With the IJCAI-ECAI 2026 AI Lounges, the AI debate is coming to the open-space stage on Domshof, right in the heart of the city, from Tuesday, 18 August to Friday, 21 August 2026. Experts from academia, practice, public institutions and civil society will discuss, in German, topics that directly affect many people.
Senator for Economic Affairs Kristina Vogt emphasizes:
“At the Summer of AI, people in Bremen can engage with artificial intelligence in a very practical way and join the discussion. AI has long been part of our everyday lives, even if we do not always notice it. For companies and skilled professionals in particular, however, it is becoming increasingly important to keep pace with developments. That is why I warmly invite everyone to make use of the offers this summer, be inspired and try out for yourselves what AI is already capable of today. What each person makes of it is up to them.”
Offers for Entrepreneurs
For interested entrepreneurs, the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation and the IJCAI-ECAI team, in cooperation with the industry association bremen digitalmedia, are offering exclusive access to a networking reception and guided tours of the IJCAI-ECAI 2026 Exhibition. The tours will be offered in the following thematic areas: AI x Robotics, AI x Language, AI x Health and AI x Digital Business Processes. Places are limited, so binding registration is required.
Registration network reception: https://www.bremen-innovativ.de/veranstaltungen/netzwerkempfang-am-bremen-stand-auf-der-ijcai-ecia-2026/
Registration Guided Tours: https://www.bremen-innovativ.de/veranstaltungen/guided-tours-durch-die-ijcai-ecai-2026-exhibition/
Hands-On AI at the Forum am Domshof
From Monday, 17 August to Friday, 21 August 2026, the Kassenhalle in the Forum am Domshof will be transformed into an open learning and experience space for school students, trainees, and anyone interested in AI. At the AI x Open Lab, visitors can look forward to interactive hands-on stations, experiments, practical activities, and opportunities to meet researchers and students.
The AI x Open Lab will show how AI works, where it is already being used today, and the opportunities and challenges it presents. The programme is organised by the Digital Impact Lab Bremen in cooperation with the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, the U Bremen Research Alliance, the University of Bremen, the M2C Institute, and other universities and research institutions in Bremen.
AI in Sight: Urban Art in Bremen
Art offers another way into science and brings the Summer of AI into the city: Mural City makes research visible on Bremen’s walls. Under the motto “Beauty of Science,” national and international urban artists are creating new places to spark wonder, learning and reflection.
Bremen as a Hub for AI
The scientific breadth of Bremen as an AI location will also become visible. Several specialist accompanying events will take place in the context of IJCAI-ECAI 2026, including the ACM Conversational User Interfaces Conference, CUI 2026; the 49th German Conference on Artificial Intelligence, KI2026, at DFKI Bremen; the International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning, ICCBR-26; the AI Emmy Networking Day @ IJCAI 2026; and the Cavecore PhD School.
The Summer of AI will thus become more than an accompanying programme: Bremen is bringing artificial intelligence out of specialist spaces and into the city — in ways that are understandable, accessible, and connected to questions that affect citizens in their everyday lives.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Tanja Schultz, Professor forCognitive Systems at the University of Brement and Chair of the IJCAI-ECAI 2026 Local Arrangements Committee:
Artificial Intelligence with a Bremen Touch – At the Summer of AI, Bremen showcases what defines its AI research: a transdisciplinary, human-centred approach that combines scientific excellence with social responsibility. From biosignals and data science to digital media and robotics, we develop AI for people—and together with them.
Dr.-Ing. Monika Michaelis, Coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence Lead Project of the U Bremen Research Alliance and Chair of the IJCAI-ECAI 2026 Local Arrangements Committee, says:
“The Summer of AI is a special opportunity to make Bremen’s AI expertise visible and accessible to many people. This fits very well with the ambition of the U Bremen Research Alliance: we want to shape AI research responsibly and in a human-centred way; the research projects within our alliance always take this dimension into account.”
Bremen Makes Science Visible
The Summer of AI is part of the Year of Science in Bremen. Within the framework of Phänomenal 2026, research will become visible, comprehensible, and tangible throughout the city.
The combination of an international AI conference, public formats, and city-wide activities demonstrates that Bremen is a science location with international reach and strong local roots. The full programme will be regularly updated on the Summer of AI website of the Bremeninvest.
Artificial Intelligence in the U Bremen Research Alliance
The U Bremen Research Alliance brings together the expertise of its member institutions within the Artificial Intelligence Lead Project. The focus is on AI research that combines technological development with societal responsibility.
A particular emphasis is placed on AI in health. Further connections exist with robotics, data science, human-machine interaction, and digital infrastructures.
The Lead Project illustrates how the Alliance works: not in parallel, but collaboratively. Research institutions contribute their distinct strengths and develop shared perspectives from them.
Cooperating in U Bremen Research Alliance:
