Michael Leitner-Hickisch

Dr. Michael Leitner-Hickisch leads the Digitalisation and AI team at UIV Urban Innovation Vienna, the climate and innovation agency of the City of Vienna (a Wien Holding company). A digital designer by training, he brings a background in human-centered design and design research to the challenge of making cities smarter, more participatory, and more responsive to their citizens' needs.

Before joining UIV, Leitner-Hickisch worked at CURE — Center for Usability Research and Engineering in Vienna and at CREATE.21st century, where he designed digital learning technologies, Smart City participation tools, and mobility information services. He holds a Ph.D. from Northumbria University (Department of Arts, Design and Social Science, Newcastle upon Tyne) and an M.A. in Interaction Design from the University of Vienna.

At UIV, Leitner-Hickisch heads two key initiatives. The Vienna Geospace Hub — an innovation laboratory founded in 2023 and funded by FFG and the City of Vienna — promotes the interconnection of geo and satellite data for sustainable urban planning. The lab networks users of satellite data from public administration and business with solution providers, creating a test environment for data-driven approaches to climate-neutral urban development.

He also leads UIV's KICK Lab, an application-focused innovation space for artificial intelligence that guides partners from early-stage ideation to feasibility studies, delivering AI solutions built around real user needs. Together, these labs represent the City of Vienna's practical approach to AI: not abstract strategy, but concrete pilot projects testing what actually works in urban governance.

The Role of Cities in the Age of AI: Europe's Human-Centered Path Towards Greater Digital Sovereignty

Europe's role in the global AI landscape is often framed as lagging behind the United States and China. At times, it can even appear as though Europe risks becoming a digital colony. Yet this trajectory is not inevitable. Europe's path into the AI era can unfold across three complementary levels: at the supranational level, where the EU must invest strategically in shared AI infrastructure; at the level of companies and innovators, where Europe can compete through specialized solutions and deep domain expertise; and at the level of cities, regions, and public authorities — often overlooked actors that can redefine their role as trusted providers of digital services, reliable stewards of data, and creators of public digital value.

Drawing on the work of Urban Innovation Vienna, this talk will showcase pilot projects that test AI in citizen participation, involve citizens in the design of AI systems, and apply emerging data sources such as satellite data to support climate-neutral urban development. It invites the audience to rethink the role of cities as active architects of a human-centered AI future.