Humans & machines in (dis)harmony? – A walk through content moderation
The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) invites you to a gallery walk as part of the project Human in the Loop? Autonomy and Automation in Socio-Technical Systems (Hilo) to conclude a case study on decision-making processes in content moderation. The event will be held in English.
Humans & machines in (dis)harmony? – A walk through content moderation
Gallery Walk
3 November 2025 • 3:30 – 5:00 pm (CET)
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG)
Französische Str. 9, 10117 Berlin
With advancing technology, decision-making processes are increasingly automated. This promises higher efficiency, but raises questions over risks and accountability. In this project, we investigate the collaboration between humans and algorithmic systems (including AI) in decision-making processes of various practical fields. Specifically, we ask ourselves who and what affects the quality of decision-making. While our first case study focused on consumer credit lending, this second study investigates the moderation of harmful content on large online platforms (e.g., Instagram, YouTube, or X).
This gallery walk marks the end of our second case study on content moderation, which is part of the research project Human in the Loop? Autonomy and Automation in Socio-Technical Systems (Hilo), funded by the Mercator Foundation and carried out by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG).
Content moderation is an important example for increasing automation: It involves detecting, evaluating, and, if necessary, removing harmful content on platforms, in compliance with internal guidelines and regulation (incl. the Digital Services Act). The goal of effective content moderation is to maintain respectful and safe online discourse, for example, by identifying and sanctioning hate speech, explicit content, or disinformation. This moderation process is increasingly carried out in collaboration between algorithmic systems and human moderators. The algorithmic systems detect harmful content based on predefined criteria, dependent on specific categories of harm. However, humans often still make the final decision. As part of our case study, we modeled this complex, socio-technical interplay, analysed the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid decision-making, and, together with a group of experts, developed a “Code of Conduct” that formulates normative and ethical guidelines for the design and regulation of moderation processes.
At this stage, we would like to share our findings with you!
As part of this event, we aim to provide an interested audience with specific insights into the results of the project’s second case study. The event comprises an interview with Mophat Okinyi about the planned anthology “Inside Automation: Content Moderation, Technology, and Empowerment in the Majority World” (working title), an insight into our escape game, and key requirements from the developed Code of Conduct for Human-Machine Interaction in the Context of Content Governance (“CoC Automation”).
Speakers
Mophat Okinyi, he is founder & CEO of Techworker Community Africa. As AI and human rights activist, his primary focus lies in advocating for the fair treatment and rights of online content moderators, tech workers and data training professionals.
Agenda
| 3:30 pm | Welcome & introduction by the project team |
| 3:45 pm | Interview & Discussion with Mophat Okinyi |
| 4:00 pm | Walking through the project:
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| 5:00 pm | Closing |
Participation
If you would like to participate in the workshop, please register until 27 October 2025 using the below form. After registration, you will receive an automated reply that we have received your information. Please note that only after receiving a second email approving your registration, we can confirm your participation.
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