XXIII IFOTES congress in July 2026 in Budapest


Published by IFOTES on 18 June 2025
Congress
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The Human Touch - the power of presence

XXIII IFOTES congress in Budapest, Hungary, from 8 to 12 July 2026

The congress will be held at the ELTE Lágymányosi Campus in Budapest and is co-organized by IFOTES member LESZ.

Information is available on the congress website and by subscribing to the congress newsletter.


Humans in the age of Artificial Intelligence

The congress theme

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the 21st century has brought radical transformation to our daily lives. Yet, many questions remain about AI’s true quality, purpose, usefulness, and its impact - especially when it comes to human connection. Core human values such as courage, creativity, empathy, humor, reconnection, solidarity, and kindness remain unquestionably important. 

While chatbots and virtual interactions can mimic human conversation, we must ask: is that enough? Genuine, reliable human responses must be rooted in trust, consideration, and respect. Helplines are flexible enough to embrace appropriate AI tools, but they continue to provide the vital “human touch” that many helpline callers still seek and need.