Beyond Monolithic Truths: INFINITY Drives Dual Semantic AI Workshops at ISWC 2026
History isn’t flat, so why should our data models pretend it is?
At the 25th International Semantic Web Conference (ISWC 2026) in Bari, the INFINITY project is co-leading two complementary Barstuhl-format workshops—MKG and CHARGED—to pioneer ethical, multi-perspective AI and heterogeneous data integration for the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH).
1. Beyond Monolithic Truth: The MKG Workshop
Mainstream Knowledge Graphs often assume a single, rigid notion of “truth”. But cultural, historical, and scientific knowledge is inherently disputed, perspectival, and evolving over time. The MKG (Multi-dimensional Knowledge Graphs) workshop introduces a new paradigm for contextual, temporal, and perspectival knowledge representation. Instead of flattening history, MKG explores how neuro-symbolic AI can reason over the exact conditions under which a statement is valid, disputed, or superseded.
Format: Full-day interactive Barstuhl workshop featuring lightning talks, breakout groups, and plenary synthesis.
Chairs: Lyndon Nixon (Storypact & Modul Univ. Vienna), Valentina Presutti (Univ. of Bologna), Disha Purohit (Leibniz Univ. Hannover), Andrea Schimmenti (Univ. of Bologna), Maria-Esther Vidal (LUH, TIB & L3S).
Target Audience: Logicians, ontology and knowledge graph engineers, neuro-symbolic AI researchers, and digital humanities practitioners.
Outcomes: A community-drafted framework document, an MKG white paper, and a proposal for a future Dagstuhl seminar.
Are you attending ISWC 2026 in Bari? Shape the future of contextual data representation by submitting your Expression of Interest.
Website: mkg.infinity-eccch.eu
Submit EOI: mkg.infinity-eccch.eu/cfp.html
2. Taming Asynchronous Data: The CHARGED Workshop
Europe’s natural history museums alone hold over 1.5 billion physical specimens collected across four centuries. When you combine historical archives with contemporary sensor feeds, meteorological records, and maritime logs, integrating this data becomes a monumental computational challenge. The CHARGED (Computational cHallenges fRom hiGhly divErse Data) workshop brings together computer scientists, digital humanists, and heritage professionals to tackle AI-assisted integration of asynchronous, highly heterogeneous datasets. One of INFINITY’s real-world use cases serves as a core foundation for this workshop’s exploration. The workshop focuses on 3 core challenges:
Fidelity Mismatch: Balancing low-tech historical records with high-precision modern data feeds. Spatio-Temporal Context: Aligning shifting historical borders, fluid place names, and evolving timelines. Positionality & Bias: Detecting cultural, historical, and algorithmic bias before it trains next-generation models.
Format: Full-day interactive Barstuhl workshop.
Chairs: Marieke van Erp (KNAW Humanities Cluster), Catherine Faron (Université Côte d’Azur), Andreas Weber (Univ. of Twente), Célian Ringwald (Univ. of Bologna).
Outcomes: A joint strategic white paper setting the technical roadmap for heterogeneous data integration in the SSH (Social Sciences & Humanities) and Cultural Heritage domains.
Have insights on AI-driven data harmonization? Join the discussion at CHARGED.
Website: https://dhlab-nl.github.io/charged-workshop/
Submit EOI Form: https://forms.gle/gmHuLoNC5U3LQeks9
Why It Matters: Building Ethically Grounded Heritage AI
These two workshops represent two sides of the same mission for INFINITY. While MKG designs the formal architecture to retain nuance and perspective, CHARGED solves the practical pipelines needed to ingest raw, chaotic real-world collections. Together, they directly support the broader goals of the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH). By moving away from centralized, one-size-fits-all AI algorithms, INFINITY is helping construct open-source, ethical AI toolsets. This ensures European digital heritage remains transparent, multi-vocal, and instantly accessible to researchers, creators, and citizens alike.
Join Us at ISWC 2026!
Both workshops are hosted within the 25th International Semantic Web Conference (Bari, Italy, 25–26 October 2026) and are open exclusively to registered ISWC participants.