Skip to content

Latest articles

Green Tech seems promising

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?

LLMs

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.

Detecting easy language on the German web

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.

Further blog articles

ecological sustainability is getting more and more important in the tech sector

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?

Picture shows a transparent umbrella from above. It stands symbolic for the AI Transparency Circle.

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.

Could digital supply chains help the industry to become more sustainable?

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.

Man sieht eine*n Lieferant*in eines Online-Lieferdienst für Essen auf einem Motorroller. Das Bild steht sinnbildlich für die Arbeitenden in der Gig Economy in Kenia. You see a delivery person from an online food delivery service on a scooter. The image is emblematic of the workers in the gig economy in Kenya.

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.

Man sieht mehrer Spiegel, die in unterschiedlichen Formen angeordnet sind und verschiedene Oberflächen, wie den Himmel, eine Hauswand und so weiter widerspiegeln. Das Bild steht sinnbildlich für die vielen verschiedenen Bedeutungen von autonomen Systemen in unserer Gesellschaft. You see several mirrors arranged in different shapes reflecting different surfaces, such as the sky, a house wall and so on. The image is emblematic of the many different meanings of autonomous machines in our society.

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.

remote work is moving towards the city

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.

Wie verwaltet man Daten im Gesundheitswesen- und Pflegesektor?

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?

Twitter needs to be handled with care

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?

Federal German states have their own approach of AI Policy

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?

Digital Democracy needs deliberation

Designing Digital Democracy

Designing rules for digital democracy is difficult. But new ideas for more democracy on platforms through deliberative elements are being piloted. How promising are they?

Shaping AI in the interests of employees

Shaping AI in the interests of employees

AI offers opportunities and risks for employees. But what can managers and works councils do to enable potential positive effects and avoid negative effects?

smart walls are a threat for democracy

Fest-Forward: Speculative Governance of the Smart Wall

Serious issues raised by advances in algorithmic immigration and border control: addressing the smart wall.

Social Media Councils can help to force digital platforms into responsibilty

Social Media Councils: An effective means of holding digital platforms accountable?

Social Media Councils may align public values with platform governance if platform economic incentives are taken into account.

Accepting cookies

Caring about privacy but accepting cookies? Questioning the privacy paradox.

Why do we agree to privacy agreements like Cookies way faster and consider them less online than offline? Let’s explore the Privacy Paradox!

Content Moderation – What can stay, what must go?

How can rules for algorithmic content moderation in Social Networks look like? This guest article by Alexandra Borchardt examines researcher’s suggestions.

Is the new EU directive for sustainability in AI a toothless paper tiger or a sharp and hungry lion?

A lion for sustainable AI: How to support a new standard for sustainability reporting?

The Sustainability of AI is missing proper standards. The EU’s CSRD is a reporting tool that might be a new directive. But is it a toothless paper tiger or a sharp lion?