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Impetus for the digital society

NEWS FROM THE INSTITUTE

Interview

How powerful is Elon Musk?

Jeanette Hofmann talks about the tech billionaire and his influence on politics in ‘Das Politikteil’.

Interview

Disinformation, fake news and media

On Deutschlandfunk, Sami Nenno talks about disinformation and fake news in the run-up to the US elections and how the media should deal with it.

Quarterly Newsletter

New results and projects for the public good

This new issue of the quarterly newsletter presents the latest research and projects that focus on the public good.

Press release

Simba: Intelligent Text Simplification

We present our new AI application for reducing language barriers in online texts.

Call for applications

Internet and Society Fellowship 2025

Researchers can apply until 30 September to become part of our interdisciplinary team.

Call for applications

Autumn School in Delhi

Students can apply until 25 August for a four-day programme on feminist principles in AI development.

RESEARCH ISSUES IN FOCUS

Platform governance

In our research on platform governance, we investigate how corporate goals and social values can be balanced on online platforms.
Du siehst eine Tastatur auf der eine Taste rot gefärbt ist und auf der „Control“ steht. Eine bildliche Metapher für die Regulierung von digitalen Plattformen im Internet und Data Governance. You see a keyboard on which one key is coloured red and says "Control". A figurative metaphor for the regulation of digital platforms on the internet and data governance.

Data governance

We develop robust data governance frameworks and models to provide practical solutions for good data governance policies.
Du siehst Eisenbahnschienen. Die vielen verschiedenen Abzweigungen symbolisieren die Entscheidungsmöglichkeiten von Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Gesellschaft. Manche gehen nach oben, unten, rechts. Manche enden auch in Sackgassen. Englisch: You see railway tracks. The many different branches symbolise the decision-making possibilities of artificial intelligence and society. Some go up, down, to the right. Some also end in dead ends.

Artificial intelligence and society

The future of artificial Intelligence and society operates in diverse societal contexts. What can we learn from its political, social and cultural facets?

Digitalisation and sustainability

In terms of sustainability, digitalisation faces countless opportunities and challenges. We explore how technology is used responsibly.
Du siehst eine Bibliothek mit einer runden Treppe die sich in die höhe schraubt. Sie steht sinnbildlich für die sich stetig weiterentwickelnden digitalen Infrastrukturen unserer Wissensgesellschaft. You see a library with a round staircase that spirals upwards. It symbolises the constantly evolving digital infrastructures of our knowledge society.

Open higher education

We explore the use of open higher education & edtech to create, share and disseminate knowledge for all in our knowledge society.
Man sieht einen leeren Büroraum ohne Möbel und braunen Teppichboden. Das Bild steht sinnbildlich für die Frage, wie die Arbeit der Zukunft und digitales Organisieren und Zukunft unseren Arbeitsplatz beeinflusst. You see an empty office room without furniture and brown carpeting. The image is emblematic of the question of how the work of the future and digital organising and the future will influence our workplace.

Digital future of the workplace

How will AI and digitalisation change the future of the workplace? We assess their impact, and the opportunities and risks for the future of work.

Here you will find our experts on current press topics relating to the Internet and digitalisation.

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI). But what is all the hype? Find out with this card game.

Our new AI prototype helps people to understand German texts and summarise them in simplified language.

DIGITAL SOCIETY BLOG

Modern subway station escalators leading to platforms, symbolizing the structured pathways of access rights. In the context of online platforms, such rights enable research but impose narrow constraints, raising questions about academic freedom.

Why access rights to platform data for researchers restrict, not promote, academic freedom

New German and EU digital laws grant researchers access rights to platform data, but narrow definitions of research risk undermining academic freedom.

Three groups of icons representing people have shapes travelling between them and a page in the middle of the image. The page is a simple rectangle with straight lines representing data used for people analytics. The shapes traveling towards the page are irregular and in squiggly bands.

Empowering workers with data

As workplaces become data-driven, can workers use people analytics to advocate for their rights? This article explores how data empowers workers and unions.

A stylised illustration featuring a large "X" in a minimalist font, with a dry branch and faded leaves on one side, and a vibrant blue bird in flight on the other. The image symbolises transition, with the bird representing the former Twitter logo and the "X" symbolising the platform's rebranding and policy changes under Elon Musk.

Two years after the takeover: Four key policy changes of X under Musk

This article outlines four key policy changes of X since Musk’s 2022 takeover, highlighting how the platform’s approach to content moderation has evolved.