Omnipresent & hidden: Impact, costs, and futures of AI
The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) invites you to a workshop on the impact, costs and futures of artificial intelligence as part of the Impact AI project. The event will be held in English.
Omnipresent & hidden
Impacts, costs, and futures of AI
Workshop
29 October 2025 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm (CET)
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) • Französische Str. 9, 10117 Berlin
AI technologies have sparked ongoing hype and public attention. It seems that almost no week goes by without news about AI supposedly mastering a new task, solving a serious problem or outperforming a human. However, this publicity and the discourse surrounding it are dominated by the firms that invest in and design these systems, and which therefore depend on a glorified public perception of AI systems and their impact on our societies. Other voices, especially critical ones from research and civil society, are underrepresented in the public debate. While AI ‘innovation’ is omnipresent, it tells a very one-sided story at the very least. Many realities about AI industries, the processes of AI development, and the costs and impacts they create for societies and the planet are left out and remain underresearched and funded.
In this collaborative workshop, organised by Prof. Dr. Jan Distelmeyer (EMW, University of Applied Sciences Potsdam & University of Potsdam) and Dr. Theresa Züger (Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society), we will spotlight different perspectives on AI that often remain hidden. We will explore the perspectives of data workers’ collectives who invest the human labour that forms the basis of AI technology. We will discuss the resource costs and extraction mechanisms that underpin the growth of the AI industry, including water, energy, emissions, raw materials and the waste that AI technologies generate. We will also explore how an intersectional feminist perspective can highlight the injustices produced by AI developments and articulate the hidden costs on society.
Our three distinguished speakers, Mophat Okinyi (CEO Techworkers Community Afrika), Raghavendra Selvan (Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Machine Learning Section) and Katrin Fritsch (Green Web Foundation), will engage in a discussion outlining and debating the commonalities and tensions of the issues surrounding the growing AI industry. Participants are invited to take part in an intensive half-day workshop involving short presentations from our guests and room for open debate, with the aim of identifying shared problem descriptions, common goals, and potential courses of action.
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.
Raghavendra Selvan, he is an Assistant Professor at the Machine Learning (ML) Section, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH). His current research interests are broadly pertaining Resource Efficient ML, ML for Sciences, and Graph Neural Networks. He is also interested in the intersection of sustainability and ML where he investigates sustainability with ML, and also the sustainability of ML.
Katrin Fritsch, she is a freelance writer on technology, environment, and feminism, as well as a Senior Program Manager at Green Web Foundation. She also advises organisations on data, justice, sustainability, and emerging technologies. Previously, she was chair of epicenter.works and co-founded and co-led MOTIF: a think tank working towards social justice in the digital age. Katrin is also a co-initiator of the art project Feminist Futures.
Agenda
| 2:00 pm | Welcome & introduction by Jan Distelmeyer & Theresa Züger |
| 2:15 pm | Panel statements (15 mins.) with Mophat Okinyi, Raghavendra Selvan, & Katrin Fritsch Plenary discussion (45 mins.) |
| 3:15 pm | Coffee break |
| 3:30 pm | Focus sessions |
| 5:15 pm | Coffee break |
| 5:30 pm | Collective reflection & outlook |
| 6:00 pm | Closing with drinks & snacks |
Participation
If you would like to participate in the workshop, please register until 27 October 2025 using the below form.
(Titelbild von NOAA über Unsplash.)
Bookings
DIGITAL SOCIETY LECTURES
This high-profile lecture series thrives to develop a European perspective on the processes of transformation that our societies are currently undergoing.
DIGITALER SALON
Once a month we publicly discuss the impact of digitalisation on the society. Therefore we invite special guests and engage in a dialogue with the audience.
NEWSLETTER
Be the first to learn about our new events and exciting research results.