Monday 16 November 2026
13:00–16:00 | Klub deskových her FF UPCE [ENGLISH-friendly; tento program si pro vás připravili studující] | Chill zóna nad bistrem Zastávka
Přijďte si zahrát deskovy | Come and play board games
(He)artless intelligence | EB E2
10:00–10:20 | Richard Müller: Why AI Can't Interpret Literature (CZ with ENG subtitles)
A talk about the relationship between large language models (LLMs) and understanding, interpretation, and imagination—both in terms of their internal functioning and their interaction with humans.
10:25–10:45 | Ondřej Beran: Make Philosophy Fun Again (ENG with CZ subtitles)
Must philosophy be only “love for wisdom”? Can’t it also be love for silliness? Noticing various expressions of one’s own silliness, reflecting the silliness, and thereby further developing it is fun, but also work that nobody else can do for us. The principal point of this work is not an outcome (output, product), but that it’s essentially self-reflection. And the idea of outsourcing self-reflection to AI - in contracts to activities aiming at delivering results - is somehow inherently confused.
10:50–11:10 | Kamila Pacovská: AI and research in humanities (ENG with CZ subtitles)
Even before the AI revolution, many academics believed that the current “publish or perish” research policy was leading to a significant decline in the quality of academic work: we are inundated with a flood of mediocre, hastily produced papers narrowly focused on a specialised niche. How will the advent of generative AI change this practice? In this paper, I shall focus on the specific characteristics of the humanities and on the question of what their research entails. I shall emphasise their close connection to language, meaning and text, and I shall attempt to defend the importance of written outputs not only for disseminating the results of individual researchers’ work, but also for research practice as such.
11:30–11:50 | Niklas Forsberg: Learning, thinking, writing – no artificial flavors added (ENG with CZ subtitles)
A university is a place for learning, thinking, and writing. Learning, thinking, and writing are all verbs; they describe things we do; they are activities. But what do these activities consist of? One thing that stands out as central to these activities is the notion of creativity. Learning, thinking, and writing are creative enterprises. One thing proponents of “responsible use of AI” are implying is that it is possible for someone, or some thing else, to be creative for you. This, I will argue (with some parallels drawn to the writing of music), displays a fundamental misunderstanding of what actual learning, thinking, and writing consist of.
11:55–12:15 | Kateřina Korábková: Roch’s Lightning Gun and Other Mishaps (CZ with ENG subtitles)
A brief tour through selected fictional depictions of inventions and technologies, concluding with a seemingly unrelated question: what does a fairy-tale devil have in common with literary reflections on technology?
12:20–12:40 | Ryan Manhire: Advice from No One: AI Chatbots as Moral Advisers (ENG with CZ subtitles)
We sometimes seek moral advice because we do not know what to do. At other times, we seek it because we want reassurance for doing what we suspect is wrong. This talk asks what is lost, in both cases, when such advice comes from an AI chatbot that bears no responsibility to the words it produces. In doing so, I argue that the significance of moral advice is not simply a matter of what is said, but is inseparable from the character and life experience of the person who gives the advice, and their relationship to the person who seeks it.
13:30–13:50 | Antonín Kudláč: Aren't you afraid? (CZ with ENG subtitles)
The presentation will focus on two aspects of working with artificial intelligence that are either completely unknown or still relatively rarely discussed. Based on this, the presentation aims to warn against the reckless use of autonomous technologies.
13:55–14:15 | Lesley Jamieson: Love in the Time of Artificial Intelligence (ENG with CZ subtitles)
What was once the plot of science fiction stories like Spike Jonze’s Her (2013) has recently become fodder for attention-grabbing headlines in the New York Times and content for podcasts: “Human falls in love with AI chatbot assistant.” In this session, I will use this case as a jumping-off point to reflect on what kind of concept ‘love’ is, what dominant philosophies of love have to say about human-AI relationships, and whether this case is as unprecedented as it seems at first glance… (or whether it's a Digital Age retelling of a more timeless tale: human "loves" fawning subordinate). ¨
Student section
14:30–15:30 | Dominika Olivová: AI: Anatomy of an Illusion (CZ with ENG subtitles)
Short film and a workshop. The film seeks answers to existential questions relating to AI through interviews on the streets of Pardubice with people of all generations, expert insights from academics at the University of Pardubice, and direct conversations with artificial intelligence itself. The film will serve as a starting point for a lively discussion. During the follow-up creative workshop, we will then focus together on the ethical and practical issues raised by artificial intelligence.
15:30–16:05 | Emma Köhlerová, Barbora Skoumalová, Jana Švecová: Does it really matter? (CZ with ENG subtitles)
Through this interactive workshop, put yourself in the shoes of a budding author who’s pressed for time and money. You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but your debut work does need a cover—and how you go about creating it is entirely up to you.
16:15–17:15 | Johana Marténková: Creative workshop (English friendly)
In shops, restaurants, on the street, at school… Are you also fed up with constantly seeing AI-generated images? Come along to the Creative Workshop, which forms part of the talk Does it really matter?, and create your own original linocut print. Linocuts will be available for making ex libris (bookplates), bookmarks, historical prints and other themed designs. For those interested in printing on their own items – this type of linocut print works well on matt paper; so do bring along a notebook, a book, a diary, a blank postcard… The creative process, which reflects the human spirit and creativity, is an integral part of artistic creation, and this should not be used as free fodder for refining algorithms – so let’s not allow it to be taken away from us, and let’s not reduce it to a few clicks on a device.
Wednesday 18 November 2026
9:00–13:00 | Technology for the Humanities - play with AI, virtual and augmented reality | EB 01024
František Válek (KFR)
Come and see how we can integrate technology into the humanities. There’ll be virtual reality, augmented reality and the chance to see how AI can influence the process of creating digital content. And for those who prefer a hands-on approach to history, there’ll be the chance to play with clay and write a text in cuneiform 🙂
10:30–12:30 | Who's Really to Blame?—Radicalization, Social Media, and Netflix's Adolescence this programme has been prepared for you by students| EB 01010
Masoumeh Sadat Abbasian (KFR)
A facilitated discussion built around Netflix's Adolescence, the drama about a 13-year-old boy radicalized online into committing a violent crime. Using a short clip and real statements from the show's creators, we'll explore a question that affects every parent, teacher, and young person today: how can ordinary teenagers be drawn into harmful online subcultures without anyone around them noticing, and who should be held responsible when it happens?
16:00–17:30 | The Birth of Film Language 1895–1928: The Silent Era | Legie CB 01049
Antony Fredriksson (KFR)
How did cinema become a language? What is unique for the art of cinema? Until 1929 film had no sound. The emotions and experiences of the subject in front of the camera had to be expressed by purely visual means. How can a camera be made to do this? In this lecture we will follow the early developments of film as technology and form of expression. We will watch several clips as examples of how film invented a language that can express human emotions, before the advent of sound in cinema.
Thursday 19 November 2026
9:00–13:00 | Technology for the Humanities - play with AI, virtual and augmented reality | EB 01024
František Válek (KFR)
Come and see how we can integrate technology into the humanities. There’ll be virtual reality, augmented reality and the chance to see how AI can influence the process of creating digital content. And for those who prefer a hands-on approach to history, there’ll be the chance to play with clay and write a text in cuneiform 🙂
13:30–15:00 | Deep Time Walk this programme has been prepared for you by students| Meeting at Václav Havel's Bench
Lisa Joanne Hall (KFR)
16:00–19:00 | Movie projection: Pig (2021), discussion and catering this programme has been prepared for you by students | EB 01019
Cécile Rosat, Nina Collin, Lisa Hall, Masoumeh Abbasian (KFR)
The event will start with the projection of the movie Pig (2021), followed by a discussion with Dr. Julita Skotarska, Klára Soukupová (MA student), and Nina Collin (PhD student). Vegan food and drinks will be provided.
