In the past semester, the CTSi//circle.responsibleComputing once again hosted an insightful and inspiring Brown Bag Seminar series that focused on current topics at the intersection of computer science, ethics, and society. Under the guiding theme of Responsible Computing, researchers, practitioners, and students came together to discuss key questions of responsibility in the digital age.
Over the course of three seminars – each held both on-site at TU Wien and online – the series explored topics related to digital education, perceived security, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence:
January 16, 2025: Educational Games for Digital Education – Uncovering Learners’ Misconceptions
Assistant Professor Dr. René Röpke (TU Wien)
The series opened with a talk by René Röpke, Assistant Professor and Head of the Learning Technologies and eDidactics (LTeD) Research Lab at TU Wien. In his presentation, he demonstrated how playful approaches in digital education can enhance learning processes and reveal misconceptions. Particularly in the areas of IT security and social engineering, educational games offer a risk-free environment for experimentation, fostering deeper understanding. Röpke’s talk built a bridge between responsible computing and didactics, showing how pedagogical design can promote responsibility in digital learning.
April 29, 2025: Perception vs. Reality – The Illusion of Security: Why We (Erroneously) Trust Technologies in the Age of AI Revolution
Project Assistant Dipl.-Ing. Rafael Vrecar, BSc (TU Wien)
In the second seminar, Rafael Vrecar, HCI researcher and DOC fellow of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, examined the complex relationship between perceived and actual security in the digital world. His talk highlighted that users’ sense of security often depends less on objective technical measures than on subjective experience, knowledge, and trust in technology. Vrecar discussed how a false sense of security can lead to risky behavior—such as uncritical data sharing or misplaced trust in seemingly legitimate systems. The ensuing discussion emphasized the importance of understanding security not only as a technical, but also as a cognitive and social concept.
June 26, 2025: Digital Laziness – Why the Real AI Risk Is Human Surrender
Dr. Patrizia Ecker (AI Literacy Alliance)
The semester concluded with an online talk by Dr. Patrizia Ecker, researcher, author, and founder of the AI Literacy Alliance. Her presentation explored whether the real risk of artificial intelligence lies in the technology itself—or rather in our growing willingness to delegate responsibility to machines. Ecker described “digital laziness” as a form of cognitive inertia, leading people to outsource decisions, judgment, and curiosity to algorithms. Through academic and practical examples, she underscored the importance of critical thinking and media literacy for a responsible society in the age of AI.
Conclusion and Outlook
The Brown Bag Seminar series of the first half of 2025 vividly demonstrated the diversity and relevance of questions surrounding responsibility in computing. It made clear that responsible computing requires not only technical expertise, but also critical reflection, ethical awareness, and interdisciplinary exchange. With contributions from educational research, security studies, and AI ethics, the series highlighted the need to design digital technologies consciously, reflectively, and with a human-centered approach.
In the coming year, the seminar series will continue as part of the Science Insight Seminars and will be expanded with additional thematic perspectives. It provides an open platform to discuss how digital technologies and social innovations shape societal values, institutions, and everyday practices, while creating sustainable societal impact. In doing so, the series particularly supports TU Wien’s Strategic Goal 7, strengthening the exchange of knowledge, methods, and technologies across disciplinary boundaries, as well as Strategic Goal 8, fostering networking and a stronger sense of community both within and beyond TU Wien. By combining academic depth with practical perspectives, the seminar series further reinforces the role of the CTSi as a hub for responsible dialogue, critical reflection, and forward-looking discussions at the intersection of technology and society.