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A breath of fresh air.

Our new research focuses are
available for exploration!

A breath of fresh air.

Our new research focuses
are available for exploration!

NEWS FROM THE INSTITUTE

Press

Regulating AI through creative agency

In the FAZ, Ali Gümüşay and Matthias Kettemann examine discretion and judgement in the use of new technologies by public authorities and courts.

Press

US court rules that social media platforms are bad for mental health

Matthias Kettemann discusses the court case lost by Meta and Google in the US on Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

Press

The digital 2000s: the rise of smartphones, computer games and social media

Jeanette Hofmann talks about the digitalisation between 2000 and 2009 on radioeins.

Publication

Navigating Crisis

Our new Learn-and-Do Kit supports higher education institutions in strengthening their resilience through creativity.

Job Application

Student Assistant: Impact AI

Join our “Impact AI” research team and work research on AI, the common good and sustainability with us.

Job Application

Student Assistant: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Society

We are seeking support for the research focus area “Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Society”.

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • June 06
    Long Night of the Sciences 2026
    17:00 - 0:00 | Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society |
  • August 11
    3rd Workshop on ‘Public Interest AI’
    All Day | Messe Bremen (Exhibition Center) |
  • More to come soon.

    Explore our current issues
    while we reshape our research agenda…

    More to come soon.

    Explore our current issues
    while we reshape our research agenda…

    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 handbook provides guidance on the legally compliant and efficient use of data for administrations.

    DIGITAL SOCIETY BLOG

    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.

    The picture shows a tractor cultivating a field from above. One side of the field is covered in green, the other is dry and earthy. This is intended to show that although sustainable AI can be useful in the fight against climate change, it also comes at a high ecological cost.

    Between vision and reality: Discourses about Sustainable AI in Germany

    This article explores Sustainable AI and Germany’s shift from optimism to concern about its environmental impact. Can AI really combat climate change?

    The photo shows a group of runners from above, leaving long shadows on the ground. Together they shape an arrow, symbolising that while many hail AI as technology of the future it often uses historical data and is predicting the past.

    One step forward, two steps back: Why artificial intelligence is currently mainly predicting the past

    While AI is seen as technology of the future, it often relies on historical data. This blog post examines how AI can reproduce social inequalities and bias.