The 32nd edition of the international Bovec Summer School concluded on 25 July. Over the course of two weeks, it brought together 32 students from Austria, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, including five from the University of Trieste. The 2026 edition focused on the relationship between artificial intelligence, multilingual communication, and cultural and digital transformation. The Summer School was held from 12 to 25 July in the Slovenian town of Bovec, in the heart of the Alps-Adriatic region.

The programme combined intensive courses in Italian, Slovenian, Croatian, German and Friulian with lectures and workshops exploring the opportunities and challenges of applying artificial intelligence to languages. Particular attention was devoted to the contribution of new technologies to translation and language learning, the protection of less widely spoken languages, and digital inclusion, while also addressing the risks associated with algorithmic bias and the limited representation of minority language communities.

Organised by the University of Klagenfurt, the Summer School is held in partnership with the Universities of Trieste, Udine, Ljubljana, Primorska, Rijeka and Osijek. The initiative is one of the longest-running examples of university cooperation in the Alps-Adriatic region, bringing together language education, academic discussion and dialogue among young people from different cultural backgrounds.

Alongside classroom activities, the programme included opportunities to engage with the local area, cultural events and a day trip to Ljubljana, where participants visited the Jožef Stefan Institute and its nuclear research reactor. The experience enabled students to develop language, digital and intercultural skills, while building relationships across national borders.