Between Principle and Practice: Evaluating the EU AI Act Through the Lens of Digital Humanism

Matúš Mesarčík, Natália Slosiarová

This paper analyzes the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) through the prism of Digital Humanism, using the principles articulated by Erich Prem as a normative lens. These principles emphasize the co-evolution of technology and humanity, the responsibility of technology to protect people and the environment, its role in reinforcing democracy and society, the malleability of technological systems, and the fundamental differences between humans and machines. Our analysis finds that while the AI Act incorporates aspects of these principles, such as through its attention to fundamental rights, it only partially fulfils their broader vision. We argue that a deeper alignment with digital humanism would enhance the AI Act’s ability to guide the development and deployment of AI in a way that genuinely prioritizes humans and societal well-being.

Cite: Mesarčík, M., Slosiarová, N. (2026). Between Principle and Practice: Evaluating the EU AI Act Through the Lens of Digital Humanism. In: Hagedorn, L., Schmid, U., Winter, S., Woltran, S. (eds) Digital Humanism. DIGHUM 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 16319. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-11108-1_23