The future of trustworthy AI: SOLARIS meeting in Ljubljana explored ethics, media, and digital resilience
On 13–14 October 2025, the SOLARIS consortium gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a two-day project meeting hosted by the University of Maribor. The event, funded under the Horizon Europe programme, focused on the intersection of artificial intelligence, ethics, and democratic trust — bringing together researchers, policymakers, and civil society representatives from across Europe.
The first day featured internal sessions dedicated to project progress, policy recommendations, and communication strategies, with contributions from Utrecht University, University of Maribor and others.
Federica Russo, professor at the University of Utrecht and project coordinator, explained during her opening remarks that Solaris is an interdisciplinary project, focused on the future of trustworthy AI.
She pointed out that the SOLARIS team is currently working on a book and various deliverables of importance for understanding the intersection between ethics, media, and digital resilience. The project book on Deepfakes, Democracy, and the Ethics of Synthetic Media is expected to be ready by January 2026 and presented at the final meeting of the SOLARIS stakeholders.
Brand Media Bulgaria, a communications partner on the project, presented an update on media activities and outreach, highlighting the growing visibility of SOLARIS across European networks.
The second day opened to a broader audience for a joint event on AI, democracy, and public trust. Keynotes and interventions included representatives from the Slovenian Ministry for Digital Transformation, the European Commission, and several Horizon Europe projects — SOLARIS, AI4Gov, and TWON.
One of the panels addressed how AI technologies shape democratic processes, the societal impact of misinformation and deepfakes, and strategies to foster digital resilience.
The Ljubljana meeting continued SOLARIS’s mission to advance responsible and transparent AI governance, emphasizing ethical collaboration and media integrity across Europe.
A panel discussion followed with Dr. Izidor Mlakar, Prof. dr. Achim Rettinger and Simon Delakorda, moderated by journalist Domen Savič. The speakers addressed the risks of misinformation, deepfakes and declining public trust, as well as the responsibilities of policymakers and AI developers.
This project is funded by the European Union under Grant agreement No. 101094665. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. The European Union cannot be held responsible for them.