Making sense of our connected world
My robot did my homework: AI applications and creativity at the university
Is AI a creativity killer? We consider whether and how generative AI can be used to foster creativity at universities.
Data breaches: Does the GDPR help?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the data breach notification obligation in the GDPR given its objectives?
Public Interest AI – Quo vadis?
A lot has happened since the founding of our research group on public interest-oriented AI, in science, society and politics. We provide an insight.
Data Governance
Digital platforms play a crucial role in social discourse. Besides providing access to products, entertainment and information, they also enable the politicisation of online spaces. In these, people discuss with each other, but also spread hate speech or disinformation. At HIIG, we are investigating how these new digital public spheres can be regulated by law. In addition to safeguarding human rights, the rule of law and democratic values, we are also focusing on the huge amounts of data managed by platform companies. How can this data be “shared” between state, private and public actors for new innovations for the benefit of society?
The Consent Fallacy
Are European data protection laws compatible with our rational capacity or lack thereof? Should the protection of fundamental rights rely on individual consent?
Inside Hugging Face
Understanding what actors and organisations are on Hugging Face is crucial for understanding the current dynamics of open-source research in machine learning.
EdTech: The secret to its implementation
How can universities best implement EdTech? Research-based support for universities navigating the tricky terrain of digital change.
Digital technology for rainforest protection in Indonesia: disturbances, revitalisation and resilience
Digital technology and rainforest protection are strongly intertwined, with new tools offering multiple options for monitoring and restoring.
Net-zero growth driven by green tech – A story for all?
The grand vision that green tech will contribute to net-zero emissions and sustainable economic growth is certainly appealing, but is it really a story for all?
Teaching Norms to Large Language Models – The Next Frontier of Hybrid Governance
This blogpost explores the ways in which we can teach norms to LLMs and introduces the concept of hybrid governance.
Lowering the barriers: Accessible language and “Leichte Sprache” on the German Web
How much of the German web uses understandable language? And how much of it is in Leichte Sprache? Our AI & Society Lab takes a closer look.
Public Interest Tech: A take on the actors’ perspectives on ecological sustainability
We asked actors in the field of public interest AI how they deal with ecological sustainability. What do they know about it in general and what measures do they take in particular?
The AI Transparency Cycle
A common notion of AI transparency is to either make code public or explain exactly how an algorithm makes a decision. Both ways sound plausible, but fail in practice.
Sustainable industries through digital supply chains?
Can digital supply chains help the industry to become more sustainable? Researchers at the Research Institute for Sustainability take a look at its opportunities and risks.
Towards a socially just gig economy in Kenya: Stakeholder engagement and regulatory processes
The gig economy in Kenya is growing rapidly but conditions for workers are often precarious. We investigated the livelihoods of gig workers.
The age of machine autonomy?
Can machines be autonomous – or is it a human prerogative? This categorical question dominates many discussions on our relationship to purportedly intelligent machines. A human vs. machine rhetoric, however, does not get us very far.
The Anywhere Jobs are nowhere near – How remote work is moving towards the city
Remote working allows us to work from “anywhere”. So why are cities, of all places, becoming the new mega-hubs for digital work? What does this change bring to rural regions that are being left behind?
Content moderation on digital platforms: A more intensive horizontal effect of freedom of expression?
To what extent should private companies be bound by freedom of expression? Investigating a more intensive horizontal effect of fundamental rights.
Human-centered data governance in health and care sectors
Personal data is particularly sensitive and worthy of protection in the health and care sector. What could good data governance look like here?
Digital strategizing as a new way of doing strategy
Considering the dynamics and processes related to the digitalization of the strategy making process results in a shift from digital strategy to digital strategizing. What’s behind the concept?
Turning back time for Content Moderation? How Musk’s takeover is affecting Twitter’s rules
Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter is bringing platform governance to the centre of the media spotlight. But (how) have Twitter’s content policies changed so far?
ArtificiaI Intelligence made in X: The German AI policy landscape
AI is also discussed at the subnational level. Laura Liebig and Dr. Anna Jobin asked themselves: Why do German federal states feel the need to individually issue AI policies?
