Open Call: Medical students for Intimate Triage (Ars Electronica Festival 2026)

Open Call: Medical students for Intimate Triage
(Ars Electronica Festival 2026)

Where: JKU MED Campus, Linz
When: 9 to 13 September 2026, five half days
Compensation: EUR 400
Apply by: 26 July 2026

We are looking for 2 to 4 medical students interested in the negotiation of AI's role in healthcare, to take part in public three-way encounters with a humanoid robot and a visitor during the Ars Electronica Festival at JKU MED Campus.

Each encounter brings three parties into exchange: you as the medical voice, a humanoid robot, and one visitor at a time. Encounters last 5 to 10 minutes, are unscripted and loosely guided, take place seated, and are held in front of other visitors. At stake is who listens, who assesses, and who decides, and what AI's arrival means for personal mental health and for the future responsibilities of those who provide care. All encounters are held in English.

You would take part as a medical voice, speaking from your training and experience, while the robot argues probabilistically. This is an artistic setting, not a clinical consultation. You do not diagnose or recommend treatment. A member of the project team is present throughout every encounter, operating the robot and able to intervene or stop it at any point. You are never alone with the setup. Encounters may be photographed, filmed, and recorded for documentation.

Intimate Triage was jointly developed with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Prevention and is part of the "Impact Initiative: Transforming Medicine Through AI and Arts ", an initiative conceived and led by the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft - Open Innovation in Science Center, in collaboration with the Linz Institute for Transformative Change (LIFT_C) at Johannes Kepler University Linz and Ars Electronica. A full Intimate Triage project outline can be read on the next page.

Compensation
We can offer a compensation of EUR 400 for 5 half days, plus first-hand experience in a triadic embodied AI setting in a healthcare context and festival access on the days you are working.

Time slots
If you are interested, please state which 5 half days you are available. Ideally, four students take part, with two present per slot alternating between encounters. The half days may be combined into full days if preferred.

• 9 September: 10:00 – 14:30
• 9 September: 14:30 – 19:00

  
  
• 10 September: 10:00 – 14:30
• 10 September: 14:30 – 19:00


• 11 September: 10:00 – 14:30
• 11 September: 14:30 – 19:00

  
  
• 12 September: 10:00 – 14:30
• 12 September: 14:30 – 19:00

  
  
• 13 September: 10:00 – 14:00
• 13 September: 14:00 – 18:00
  
  

Useful to bring

• Enjoyment of interacting with visitors
• General background knowledge in mental health
• Interest in robotics and AI in healthcare
• Willingness to speak with visitors in front of an audience about AI in healthcare
• Confident spoken English

How to apply
If you are interested, please send a short email with a few sentences on your motivation, your stage of study, and your availability to emanuel@emanuelgollob.com

Deadline: 26 July 2026 - we will get back to you by 30th of July