The 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival will gather leading journalists, editors, and publishers from around the world in Vienna from May 25 to 26, 2023, to explore the rapidly evolving global and technological landscape for independent journalism. Under the theme “New frontiers: Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI”, we’re focused on securing the future of news media, building on the solid footing of the past.

Artificial intelligence is here and ushering in the next big disruption. Now, the IPI global network is coming together to place journalism at the centre of the discussions about what that means for press freedom and media innovation: two intertwining strands that define IPI’s DNA.

Over the course of two days in Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier – where the city’s old meets the new – these two strands will run in parallel to form one big event mapping out the new frontiers for journalism at a time of intense global upheaval and technological change.

The inaugural Media Innovation Festival is the new flagship of IPI’s innovation programme. We think of it as “delta” – a symbol of the radical changes in journalism. At the Media Innovation Festival, we will explore how journalists are using new approaches and tools, including the power of AI, to support innovation in journalism.

This will be an annual event bringing together media innovators, founders, editors, and big thinkers, reflecting IPI’s conviction that the best way to get ahead of the rate of change in media transition is by collaborating to drive and share new ideas and experiences.

Meanwhile, the IPI World Congress will take a deep dive into emerging challenges for press freedom and independent journalism, including a special lens on the impact of AI and other new technologies, all in a global context of rising authoritarianism and pervasive disinformation. From digital censorship to surveillance to media capture, and to staying safe on the frontlines covering war and protests, we’ll share experiences, ideas, and solutions – an exchange that is at the core of what the IPI global network is about.

The Congress and Innovation Festival will wrap up on the evening of Friday, May 26 with an award ceremony honouring the 2023 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer at Vienna’s stunning city hall. The award ceremony will kick off a night of celebrating journalism at the Vienna press freedom ball, which Congress participants will have the rare opportunity to attend. Hosted by the oldest press club in the world, PresseClub Concordia, the press freedom ball is one of the highlights of Vienna’s ball season.

This is a moment of change, complete with challenges and opportunity. Join us in Vienna as we meet this moment head on.

Registration for the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival is now open here.

Interested in becoming a sponsor for the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival? Write to Grace Linzer at glinczer[at]ipi[dot]media for more information.

Media Innovation Europe (MIE) is a two-year programme co-funded by the European Union aiming to provide European newsrooms with time and space and access to expertise to help them more deeply understand the challenges they face, reach new consumers and find pathways to financial sustainability.

The project is delivered by a consortium led by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) together with the Berlin-based Thomson Media (TM), the Kyiv-based Media Development Foundation (MDF) and the Sarajevo-based Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN).