From 19 to 22 October 2026, Maribor will host AI Week Maribor 2026, a four-day event by Alma Mater Europaea University that will bring together universities, businesses, municipalities, researchers, doctoral students, public institutions, and decision-makers to discuss responsible and practical artificial intelligence.
The University’s Contribution to the Development of Artificial Intelligence
The event is being created within the organizational and content framework of the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies at Alma Mater Europaea University. With four days of programming, more than 20 speakers, more than 100 expected participants, representatives of more than 20 companies, international doctoral students, and events at multiple locations across the city, AI Week Maribor 2026 will demonstrate how artificial intelligence is already moving today from research environments into the economy, education, municipalities, infrastructure, digital twins, and broader social processes.
Connection with Slovenia’s Artificial Intelligence Development Ecosystem
Of particular importance is the event’s connection with Slovenia’s emerging artificial intelligence and supercomputing development ecosystem. AI Week represents the university’s contribution to the broader development environment, which will be further strengthened in the coming years by the Slovenian Artificial Intelligence Factory (SLAIF). It will connect supercomputing infrastructure, knowledge, data, and support services for companies, researchers, and the public sector.
“If supercomputing infrastructure is the foundation of the future artificial intelligence development ecosystem, then knowledge, people, research projects, and concrete use cases are its substance. AI Week Maribor 2026 opens precisely this space: how to understand, develop, and responsibly use artificial intelligence for the development of the environment, the economy, institutions, and society,” emphasizes Associate Professor Dr. Matej Mertik, Head of the Department of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies at Alma Mater Europaea University.
From Potential to Practical Application
The event will focus on concrete questions of artificial intelligence application: how to integrate it into companies, how it can support municipalities and public institutions, how it affects education, how to develop new generations of experts, and how to ensure that artificial intelligence is used responsibly, transparently, and in a development-oriented way.
Digital Twins and European Research Projects
The program includes presentations of artificial intelligence in research, the economy, education, municipalities, and infrastructure. Special attention will also be given to digital twins and the European research projects BioGemTwin, DIRDET, BLUETWIN-CE and GW-CARE, which open up new possibilities for the use of digital technologies in the fields of space, the environment, water, infrastructure, and local development.
“For the economy and infrastructure, the key question is how to transfer artificial intelligence into concrete processes: optimization, forecasting, decision-making, maintenance, and systems management. AI Week opens precisely this transition from potential to application,” emphasizes Assistant Professor Dr. Tomaž Goričan, a researcher in artificial intelligence and digital technologies and a lecturer at Alma Mater Europaea University.
Connecting Municipalities, Companies, and Researchers
The event is also supported by the municipalities of Maribor, Moravske Toplice, Beltinci, and Voitsberg, as well as numerous research, institutional, and business partners. Connecting municipalities, companies, researchers, and students is one of the key goals of AI Week Maribor 2026, as artificial intelligence is no longer just a technological issue, but a development issue for the entire environment.
Responsible Use and New Generations of Experts
The event will also open broader questions of the responsible use of artificial intelligence, its integration into education, and the role of the university in developing new knowledge and competencies.
“The role of the university is not only to follow technological changes, but to educate people who will know how to use them responsibly. That is why we understand AI Week as part of a broader university mission: to connect knowledge, research, institutions, and society,” emphasizes Associate Professor Dr. Barbara Toplak Perovič, Secretary General of Alma Mater Europaea University and Dean of the ECM Faculty.
Four Days of Programming
Over four days, entrepreneurial, research, educational, and cultural events will take place. Among other things, the event Startup Thinking – Entrepreneurs Have the Advantage, the panel AI Is Already in the Classroom – What Now?, a business breakfast for networking among students, researchers, and companies, presentations of digital twins, presentations of doctoral students’ research work, and discussions on ethics and the responsible use of artificial intelligence will be held.
Artificial Intelligence as a Social and Cultural Issue
Part of the program will also be the Ex Machina film evening, which will open broader questions about the relationship between humans, technology, and society through film and discussion.
A More Lasting Platform for Cooperation
AI Week Maribor 2026 aims to become a more lasting platform for cooperation between the university, the economy, the city, researchers, students, municipalities, and decision-makers. Its importance lies not only in presenting technological progress, but above all in connecting people, knowledge, and concrete development opportunities.
“We want to establish AI Week Maribor 2026 as a natural annual meeting point for the question of how Slovenia uses artificial intelligence responsibly, in a development-oriented way, and for the benefit of people, institutions, and the economy,” concludes Associate Professor Dr. Matej Mertik.
Date: 19–22 October 2026
Organizing core: Department of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies, Alma Mater Europaea University
Main highlights: artificial intelligence in research, business, municipalities, education, digital twins, and culture
Scale: more than 20 speakers, more than 100 expected participants, more than 20 companies, international doctoral students
Locations: multiple locations in Maribor
Partners and supporters: Municipality of Maribor, the municipalities of Moravske Toplice, Beltinci, and Voitsberg, ZRS Koper, Tovarna podjemov, IZUM, SI Film Institute, GIC Gradnje, and other partners.
