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AI & Society Lab

AI & Society Lab

The AI & Society Lab is an inter- and transdisciplinary research laboratory at the interface between research, industry and civil society. It explores the societal changes and challenges that arise from the introduction of artificial intelligence in political, social and cultural processes. The Lab aims to initiate new connections and productive exchanges between stakeholders and to enrich the discourse around AI with contributions that enable conscious and informed policy-making processes, for example through academic publications, multi-stakeholder workshops, public events or media productions. In doing so, the AI & Society Lab is on its way to becoming a thought leader for an inclusive, human rights-friendly and sustainable AI strategy in Europe. Currently, the Lab’s largest project is the junior research group on Public Interest AI.

 

The AI & Society Lab is dedicated to practical topics to explore the societal implications of AI applications, for example the question of how AI infrastructures can be developed and deployed in a public good oriented way. At the same time, the Lab focuses on the concrete implementation of normative guidelines in governance processes.
The Lab sees itself as an experimental space for new formats to advance knowledge generation and knowledge transfer on AI. Together with our partners, we develop innovative research designs or event formats that enable a process of communication in a practical and interactive way.
The topic of AI is buzzing. But beyond the hype, it is about profound social changes that go hand in hand with the increasing automation of infrastructures. In exchange with our partners, we explore how this development can be made inclusive, in harmony with human rights and sustainable.

Activities

Research Clinic: Explainable AI

As a joint initiative with the project "Ethics of Digitalisation - from Principles to Practices", the Explainable AI Clinic deals with automated decision-making from the perspective of governance, technology and design.
08. – 12. September 2021 – Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society

EDIT-A-THON: Intersectional AI Toolkit

How can established queer, anti-racist and feminist ethics and tactics contribute necessary perspectives to digital systems? Our virtual fellow Sarah Ciston has developed a zine collection and code library that provides approachable guides to intersectional AI. At the EDIT-A-THON, we will demonstrate and discuss the toolkit. There will be space to explore, edit and expand on it.
01. September 2021 – Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society

Kontakt

Theresa Züger, Dr.

Research Group Lead: Public Interest AI | AI & Society Lab

Publication

The position paper „Diversity as a factor for the future“ presents ideas and demands for a more diverse AI and for a higher level of participation of women in the development.

Read the paper (German)

Why, AI?

Everyone talks about Artificial Intelligence (AI). But how does it change society? And how can we use it to help society? For that, we need to understand how AI works and how we can make it work for us. We need to get this right, because there is so much to get wrong. This is why we have put together this online learning space. We hope that with “Why, AI?” you learn a little more about how AI impacts the world. And how we need to change AI before it changes us…

Discover all 11 articles

  • AI · Society & culture

    Public Interest AI

    The “Public Interest AI” research group is developing an operationalisable analysis procedure that will allow Public Interest to be defined in an AI-specific way...
  • AI · Politics & law · Science communication · Society & culture

    The Ethics of Digitalisation – From Principles to Practices

    This research project aims to develop groundbreaking answers to challenges in the area of conflict between ethics and digitalisation.
  • Konstruktion von künstlicher Intelligenz
    Politics & law · Society & culture

    The discursive and political construction of AI

    This project empirically investigates the discursive and political construction of AI in contemporary societies. We have started with studies on the media discourse in...

Former employees

Journal articles and conference proceedings

Ogolla, S. & Gupta, A. (2018). Inclusive Design – Methods To Ensure A High Degree Of Participation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Systems. University of Oxford Connected Life 2018 – Conference Proceedings, 23-34. Publication details

Edited works

Thimm, C., & Bächle, T. C. (Eds.) (2019). Die Maschine: Freund oder Feind? Mensch und Technologie im digitalen Zeitalter. Wiesbaden: Springer VS. Publication details

Book contributions and chapters

Bächle, T. C., Ernst, C., Schröter, J., & Thimm, C. (2018). Selbstlernende autonome Systeme? – Medientechnologische und medientheoretische Bedingungen am Beispiel von Alphabets „Differentiable Neural Computer” (DNC)‘. In C. Engemann & A. Sudmann (Eds.), Machine Learning – Medien, Infrastrukturen und Technologien der Künstlichen Intelligenz (pp. 169-194). Bielefeld: transcript. Publication details

Thimm, C., & Bächle, T. C. (2018). Autonomie der Technologie und autonome Systeme als ethische Herausforderung. In M. Karmasin, F. Krotz, & M. Rath (Eds.), Maschinenethik. Normative Grenzen autonomer Systeme (pp. 73-87). Wiesbaden: Springer VS. DOI: /10.1007/978-3-658-21083-0 Publication details

Bächle, T. C., Regier, P., & Bennewitz, M. (2017). Sensor und Sinnlichkeit. Humanoide Roboter als selbstlernende soziale Interfaces und die Obsoleszenz des Impliziten. In C. Ernst & J. Schröter (Eds.), Medien und implizites Wissen. Themenheft der Zeitschrift „Navigationen“, 2/2017 (pp. 66-85). Siegen: Universitätsverlag. Publication details

Other publications

Bächle, T. C., & Sauer, F. (2019). Autonomous Weapons Systems – Frank Sauer über die Regulation autonomer Waffen, [Audio Podcast] Exploring digital spheres – a podcast by HIIG. Retrieved from: hiig.de/podcast. Publication details

Bächle, T. C., & Baecker, D. (2019). Understanding (A)I? Dirk Baecker über den Beitrag der Systemtheorie zur Debatte um Künstliche Intelligenz, [Audio Podcast] Exploring digital spheres – a podcast by HIIG. Retrieved from: hiig.de/podcast. Publication details

Schmeiss, J., & Friederici, N. (2019). How much magic lies behind German AI production? Digital Society Blog. Publication details

Dreyer, S. / Schulz, W. (2018). Was bringt die Datenschutz-Grundverordnung für automatisierte Entscheidungssysteme? Gutachten zur neuen Datenschutz-Grundverordnung, expert report. Publication details

Ogolla, S. (2017). Artificial Intelligence at a Crossroads. Publication details

Lectures and presentations

Seminar: Programmatische Autonomie: Künstliche Intelligenz und selbstfahrende Autos (Session: Lecture: Künstliche Intelligenz?). University of Potsdam: Prof. Dr. Jan Distelmeyer. Potsdam University, Potsdam, Germany: 03.05.2022

Theresa Züger

PhD Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning research and Democracy
PhD Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning research and Democracy. University of Tübingen. University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany: 02.04.2022 Further information

Judith Fassbender

AI in the public interest: What does this mean and how can be build it?
Gesellschaft für Informatik: #KICamp21. Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.. online, Berlin, Germany: 24.02.2022 Further information

Theresa Züger, Hadi Asghari, Freya Hewett, Judith Fassbender, Jakob Stolberg-Larsen

Particles of a whole: design patterns for transparent and auditable AI-systems
UbiComp '21: The 2021 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (Session: Particles of a whole: design patterns for transparent and auditable AI-systems). UbiComp. Online, New York, USA: 25.09.2021 Further information

Judith Faßbender

Automatically evaluating the conceptual complexity of German texts
KONVENS 2021 (Session: Automatically evaluating the conceptual complexity of German texts). German Society for Computational Linguistics and Language Technology, the Special Interest Group on Computational Linguistics of the German Linguistic Society and the Austrian Society for Artificial Intelligence. Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany: 09.09.2021 Further information

Freya Hewett

Amplifying Privacy: Scaling Up Transparency Research Through Delegated Access Requests
5th Workshop on Technology and Consumer Protection (ConPro ’21) (Session: Amplifying Privacy: Scaling Up Transparency Research Through Delegated Access Requests). ConPro ’21. Online, San Francisco, USA: 27.05.2021 Further information

Hadi Asghari

Excellence and Trust
Excellence and Trust – Webinar on the EU White Paper on AI. Representation of the European Commission in Germany, KI Bundesverband, Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Online, Germany: 04.05.2020

Wolfgang Schulz

Panels

The Future of War: Drone Surveillance, Killer Robots & Lethal AI Weapons
DNL26: The Kill Cloud: Networked Warfare, Drone & AI. Disruption Network Lab. Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Germany: 25.03.2022 Further information

Theresa Züger

Gemeinwohlorientiert = Gemeinnützig? Unternehmen und gemeinwohlorientierte KI
re:publica 21. Im Internet, Berlin, Germany: 21.05.2021 Further information

Theresa Züger

Organisation of events

Workshop: Sustainable AI II
with attending Vip: Lynn Kaack. 14.06.2022. Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany (National)

Sami Nenno, Theresa Züger

AI and the Public Interest Workshop
13.06.2022. Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany (International) Further information

Hadi Asghari, Sami Nenno, Freya Hewett, Judith Faßbender, Theresa Züger

AI & Society Lab
Lecture in the course of the study week of the ZHAW: "Der Mensch im digitalen Zeitalter". 05.05.2022. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: ZHAW (International)

Sami Nenno, Judith Faßbender, Theresa Züger

Sustainable AI
with attending Vip: Friederike Rohde. 29.04.2022. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany (National)

Sami Nenno, Theresa Züger

Open Talk with Alex C. Engler: Algorithmic Services in the German Government
Open Talk. with attending Vip: Alex C. Engler. 01.04.2022. online, Berlin, Germany (International) Further information

Open Talk with Anna Mätzener: Automatic Decision Making Systems
Open Talk Series. with attending Vip: Anna Mätzener. 20.03.2022. online, Berlin, Germany (International) Further information

Open Talk with Julia Gundlach: Algorithms for the common good
Open Talk Series. with attending Vip: Julia Gundlach. 10.02.2022. online, Berlin, Germany (International) Further information

Research Clinic: Explainable AI
From 08.09.2021 to 12.09.2021. Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany (National) Further information

Nominations

Think Tank School of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

Hadi Asghari, Theresa Züger