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Quarterly News
Dear friends and fellow researchers,
Artificial intelligence, climate change and shifting political landscapes all pose challenges that no organisation, state, discipline or individual can address alone. That’s why, at HIIG, we work in networks that stretch from Germany to partners around the world. It’s also why we recently became the first research institute in the country to join a new UN-supported international network for AI capacity building.
Especially at a time when science faces growing pressure, we need to stand together, exchange ideas, learn from one another and build shared strategies. This is what gives research the strength to withstand that pressure and the openness to keep asking better questions.
We invite you to explore the latest fruits of the work from our research projects, recent publications and our upcoming events.
Stay informed and inspired,
Jeanette Hofmann · Björn Scheuermann · Thomas Schildhauer · Wolfgang Schulz

Research and activities
New project: The Future of Ownership
The ownership structure of corporations determines who makes decisions, what goals the company pursues and how profits are distributed. Steward ownership challenges this logic by separating control from capital. However, there is little empirical evidence on whether such organisational models actually deliver the results attributed to them. Over the next two years, we will examine steward-owned firms to identify the conditions under which they can generate positive economic, ecological and social impacts.
New project and network: AI Capacity-Building
AI capacities vary widely across states, with entire regions at risk of becoming mere recipients of AI systems rather than active shapers of the technology’s future. To help bridge that gap, HIIG is becoming the first German research institute to join the UN-supported Global Network of Centres for Exchange and Cooperation on AI Capacity Building. Organisations from over 20 countries are pooling their expertise to learn from and strengthen one another.
New project: Anonymised Collection and Use of Mobility and Movement Data
Mobility data can help cities plan cycle paths and ease traffic congestion. However, processing this data can be problematic, as inadequately anonymised data sometimes allows individuals to be reidentified, which poses risks to their rights and freedoms. This joint project uses homomorphic encryption to process the data, preserving its usefulness while safeguarding the rights of those affected. We are examining whether such data constitutes personal data under the GDPR.

Publications
Scholars under attack
Hostility towards science is a growing challenge in science communication. This special issue of the Journal of Science Communication, published by the KAPAZ project, addresses this hostility within broader shifts in media ecosystems, political polarisation and contested epistemic authority. Drawing on interdisciplinary and international perspectives, the nine contributions show how such hostility varies by political system, institution, discipline and social identity.
Conflict-situated cooperation
Even amid persisting ethnonational conflict, IT professionals in Israel and Palestine continue to jointly develop software, despite societal narratives casting each other as the enemy. This qualitative case study in the Journal of Management, co-authored by Ali Aslan Gümüşay, uncovers the coping tactics behind that cooperation and develops a new concept – conflict-situated cooperation – to explain how people sustain professional cooperation in the shadow of conflict.
Stances toward data governance
Sharing data to fuel AI development in healthcare means weighing model robustness and bias reduction against privacy and openness against control. But how do data-sharing initiatives navigate these tensions in practice? Rahel Gubser, Matthias Schulte-Althoff, Jörg Pohle, Nils Heinemann, Felix Balzer and Daniel Fürstenau examine four forerunner initiatives building data repositories for future AI, revealing twelve governance practices that form three distinct stances toward data governance.
Resolving the value-for-risk dilemma
Despite proven benefits and extensive EU legislation promoting data sharing, the willingness to share data remains low. Max von Grafenstein argues the problem is insufficiently defined. At its core lies a value-for-risk dilemma, where data is only shared if the value clearly outweighs compliance risks and costs. Using the European Commission’s draft Digital Omnibus Law, the author applies this analytical framework to suggest improvements for more effective and efficient data-sharing regulation.

HIIG BOOKSHELF · Other worthwhile publications

Events
3rd Workshop on 'Public Interest AI'
At the 49th German Conference on Artificial Intelligence, HIIG is co-hosting a workshop on the rapidly growing number of AI projects aiming to serve the public interest or common good. There is still a lack of discursive spaces to discuss their concrete impact and what "good" actually means. The workshop connects public interest theory to the AI debate, fostering exchange among existing projects on common challenges, methods and standards.
Are the kids alright? The protection of minors online and social media bans
Following Australia’s ban on social media use for under-16s, European countries are considering similar legislation. France recently became the first EU country to vote in favour of banning under-15s from using these platforms. But is that really the answer? This Learning Call, which is part of the DSA Research Network, discusses the merits of, and alternatives to, an age ban for protecting minors online.
Safe in data traffic
How much do users really understand about what happens to their data? The Safe in data traffic project researches ways to make the risks of data processing in the context of personalisation more understandable under the GDPR. In this workshop, the project team will present their findings and discuss practical implementation, outstanding issues and future steps with representatives from data protection supervisory authorities, the digital economy and consumer protection organisations.
Academic freedom under pressure
How robust is Germany’s academic system against political influence? Could it maintain independence even under an antidemocratic government? Recent developments in the US show how vulnerable academic freedom can be, even in established democracies. Similar trends can be seen in Israel, Hungary and Poland. Together with university leaders, researchers and civil society actors, this workshop maps potential vulnerabilities at German public universities and works through concrete attack scenarios.

BEYOND HIIG · Events that caught our eye
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