Octavian M. Machidon

Assistant Professor, University of Ljubljana
Human-Centered AI • Edge & Adaptive AI Systems • Ethics and Anthropology of Artificial Intelligence

This page lists selected talks, invited lectures, public outreach activities, and broader public-facing contributions.

Talks & outreach

What We Know Empirically About the Effects of AI on Human Emotion, Memory, Cognition, and Sensory-Affective Experience. Lecture delivered at the 3rd Future Foundation Meeting, in cooperation with WU Vienna (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Vienna, Austria, April 2026.

From Echo Chambers to Emotional Crutches: The New Seduction of AI and the Decline of Human Relationality. International Conference of BCE 2025, The Human Person and Their AI, Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 24–25 October 2025.
Shaped by the Machine, Saved by the Heart: An Antidote to Digital Disincarnation. Conference on Theology and Digital Culture, Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2025.
How the Digital Revolution Challenges Our Humanity. Public lecture, Oton Župančič Library, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17 February 2025.
Generative AI and Human Creativity. Public lecture, Speculum Artium – Festival of New Media Culture, Trbovlje, Slovenia, 17–20 September 2025.
Challenges of Catechetical and Educational Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (Izzivi katehetsko-pedagoškega dela v dobi umetne inteligence). Study meeting of catechists, Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 22 November 2025.

Christianity in the Technocratic Era: Theological Reflections on How AI Is Shaping Humanity. International Conference Christianity AD 2054, Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Zagreb, Croatia, July 2024.
Artificial Intelligence and Value Alignment: The Necessity of Objective Moral Reasoning over Social and Political Consensus. International Scientific Conference Digitalisation and AI as Challenges for Ethics and Religion, Celje, Slovenia, 24–26 October 2024.
Insights into How AI Works – The Current State of Play and Prospects for Further Development. Invited lecture, Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät, Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria, 24 October 2024.

Artificial Intelligence and the Technocratic Cultural Perspective: Reflections on How AI Is Shaping Human Development. International Scientific Conference Digitalisation and AI as Challenges for Ethics and Religion, Celje, Slovenia, 2023.
Technological Trends for Sustainable Development in Animal Husbandry. Invited lecture, 8th Agro HI-Tech Conference – Sustainable Transformation of Animal Husbandry, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17 November 2023.

For a full list of my articles published in Vzgoja, including direct links to the PDF versions, please see this dedicated page.

Artificial Intelligence and Youth (Umetna inteligenca in mladi, in Slovenian). TV appearance, Obzorja duha, RTV Slovenija, 1 March 2026. Video
With This Solution, Drones Use Less Energy When Inspecting Fields (S to rešitvijo droni pri pregledovanju njiv porabijo manj energije, in Slovenian). Interview, Finance, 6 September 2023. Article