Theresa Züger, Dr.
Theresa Züger is head of the Public Interest AI research group funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The group is concerned with the question of how AI can serve the public interest and which technical and social criteria must be fulfilled for this to happen. She is also co-lead of the AI & Society Lab. The Lab was launched by HIIG in 2020 and is an inter- and transdisciplinary research lab at the intersection of academia, industry and civil society. Theresa’s research focuses on the political dimensions of digital technologies and cultures, with particular interest in questions of democratic theory.
Previously, she headed the office of the Third Engagement Report from the Federal Government on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), which focuses on the digitalization of civic engagement. For the Medienanstalt Berlin-Brandenburg, she developed and managed the Media Policy Lab, a project on science networking in the field of intermediary regulation.
In 2017, Theresa received her PhD in Media Studies from the Humboldt University of Berlin. Her PhD, “Reload Disobedience“, focuses on digital forms of civil disobedience. During her PhD, Theresa was a research assistant in the research area “Global Constitutionalism and the Internet” under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ingolf Pernice. In 2016, she curated and moderated for transmediale, a festival for media art and digital culture, on the thematic field of security politics and culture.
In 2013 she was a Visiting Researcher at the Berkeley Center for New Media at the University of California, Berkeley and in 2017 a Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies. She is part of the scientific council of the Acatech TechnikRadar and a member of the commission of the Digital Transformation Think Tank of the German Caritas Association.
Journal articles and conference proceedings
Asghari, H., Stolberg-Larsen, J., & Züger, T. (2022). Approximating Accessibility of Regions from Incomplete Volunteered Data. CHI EA '22: CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems Extended Abstracts, 1-6. DOI: 10.1145/3491101.3519706 Publication details
Züger, T., & Asghari, H. (2022). AI for the public. How public interest theory shifts the discourse on AI. AI & Society. DOI: 10.1007/s00146-022-01480-5 Publication details
Bernstein, A., Vreese, C., Helberger, N., Schulz, W., Zweig, K., Baden, C. & Züger, T. (2020). Diversity in News Recommendation. Cornell University. Publication details
Züger, T., Milan, S., & Tanczer L. (2016). Sand in the Information Society Machine: How Digital Technologies Change and Challenge the Paradigms of Civil Disobedience. Fibreculture Journal: internet theory criticism research, 25. Publication details
Züger, T. (2014). Digitaler ziviler Ungehorsam. Spurensuche der Dissidenz im digitalen Zeitalter. Juridikum: Zeitschrift für Kritik - Recht - Gesellschaft, 4/2014, 472-482. Publication details
Saldías, O. & Züger, T. (2013). The good, the bad, and the ugly: A pragmatic approach for revisiting ethics and Internet politics. Acta Bioethica, 19(1), 59-70. Publication details
Züger, T. (2013). Digital Whoness oder vom Unterschied zwischen Was und Wer: Digitale Ontologie und Privatheit aus interkultureller Perspektive. FIfF-Kommunikation, 13(2), 54–57. Publication details
Züger, T. (2013). Re-thinking civil disobedience. Internet Policy Review, 2(4). Publication details
Book contributions and chapters
Züger, T. (2021). Coding resistance: digital strategies of civil disobedience. In W. E. Scheuermann (Ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Civil Disobedience (pp. 359-383). Cambridge: University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781108775748.015 Publication details
Züger, T. (2021). The world we think is the world we get. In T. Bazzichelli, Whistleblowing for Change. Exposing Systems of Power & Injustice. Berlin, Germany: transcript. Publication details
Bieber, C., Hofmann, J., Grünewald-Schukalla, L., & Züger, T. (2020). Engagement und digitale Plattformen: Plattformisierung des Engagements? In Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, Dritter Engagementbericht - Zukunft Zivilgesellschaft: Junges Engagement im digitalen Zeitalter. Bundestagsdrucksache 19/19320. (pp. 119-131). Berlin: Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbH. Publication details
Bieber, C., Hofmann, J., Hüther, M., & Züger, T. (2020). Zum Dritten Engagementbericht. In Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend, Dritter Engagementbericht - Zukunft Zivilgesellschaft: Junges Engagement im digitalen Zeitalter. Bundestagsdrucksache 19/19320. (pp. 42-51). Berlin: Bundesanzeiger Verlag GmbH. Publication details
Züger, T. (2017). Digitale Dissidenz. In Daase, C., Deitelhoff, N., Kamis, B., Pfister, J., & Wallmeier, P. (Eds.), Herrschaft in den Internationalen Beziehungen (pp. 179-200). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Publication details
Züger, T., Milan, S. & Tanczer, L.M. (2017). Sand im Gertriebe der Informationsgesellschaft: Wie digitale Technologien die Paradigmen des Zivilen Ungehorsams herausfordern und verändern. In D. Jacob, T. Thiel, Politische Theorie und Digitalisierung (pp. 265-296). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. Publication details
Working paper
Asghari, H., Birner, N., Burchardt, A., Dicks, D., Fassbender, J., Feldhus, N., Hewett, F., Hofmann, V., Kettemann, M. C., Schulz, W., Simon, J., Stolberg-Larsen, J., & Züger, T. (2022). What to explain when explaining is difficult. An interdisciplinary primer on XAI and meaningful information in automated decision-making. Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6375784 Publication details
Bernstein, A., de Vreese, C., Helberger, N., Schulz, W., Zweig, K., Baden, C., Beam, M. A., Hauer, M. P., Heitz, L., Jürgens, P., Katzenbach, C., Kille, B., Klimkiewicz, B., Loosen, W., Moeller, J., Radanovic, G., Shani, G., Tintarev, N., Tolmeijer, S., van Atteveldt, W., Vrijenhoek, S., & Züger, T. (2021). Diversity in news recommender systems. Dagstuhl Manifestos, 9(1). DOI: 10.4230/DagMan.9.1.43 Publication details
Hofmann, J. & Züger, T. (2019). Es geht um die Welt. Geschäftsstelle des Dritten Engagementberichts. Publication details
Other publications
Züger, T. & Henn, J. (2021). Roundtable-Dialoge für die Zukunft der KI in Europa. Digital society blog. Publication details
Züger, T. (2020). “KI stellt uns nicht nur vor technische Fragen, sondern auch vor gesellschaftliche.”. #ki_berlin. Publication details
Züger, T. (2019). Podcast: Digitales ziviles Ungehorsam. Exploring digital spheres – Ein Podcast des HIIG, Episode 22. Publication details
Züger, T. (2017). Reload Disobedience: Ziviler Ungehorsam im Zeitalter digitaler Medien. Doctoral Dissertation, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Publication details
Züger, T. (2017). Die Wahrheit und ihre neuen Kleider. Polar (22), 99-104. Publication details
Haase, A. & Züger, T. (2016). Mit dem BKA ins hacktivistische Dunkelfeld. netzpolitik.org. Publication details
Haase, A. & Züger, T. (2016). BKA: “Den Hacker gibt es nicht. Wir sollten ihn erfinden.”. netzpolitik.org. Publication details
Haase, A., Züger, T. (2015). Hacktivismus = Cybercrime? Eine Replik auf die Studie des BKA zu Hacktivisten. netzpolitik.org. Publication details
Züger, T. (2015). Whistleblowing – Das neue Spiel um die Macht der Information. Das Netz, 38-43. Publication details
Züger, T. (2014). Civil Disobedience. An International Issue. Voelkerrechtsblog.com. Publication details
Züger, T. (2013). Lying in politics: Thoughts about Edward Snowden and the illusion of control. The Rabbit Hole. Theorizing Communications Governance. 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: 03.05.2022Theresa Züger
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
Digital DisobedienceRingvorlesung WiSe 2019/20: Selbstbestimmung in der vernetzten Gesellschaft. Weizenbaum-Institute. Technische Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 28.01.2020 Further information
Theresa Züger
Junges Engagement: Bestandsaufnahme, Potentiale und HerausforderungenWir für Klima, Demokratie und Gerechtigkeit!. Zukunft Bildung Schleswig Holstein, Landesbeauftragter für politische Bildung. Landeshaus, Kiel, Deutschland: 17.01.2020 Further information
Theresa Züger
Wekstattgespräch Demokratie im digitalen Kontext. Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission. Futurium, Berlin, Deutschland: 27.09.2019 Further informationTheresa Züger
Forum II: Auf dem Weg zur Digital Literacy im Engagement. Stiftung Bürger für Bürger. Schloss Diedersdorf, Diedersdorf, Deutschland: 03.05.2019 Further informationTheresa Züger
Symposium: The Relevance of Culture in the Age of AI (Session: The Relevance of Culture in the Age of AI). Goethe-Institut Sydney. Goethe-Institut Sydney, Sydney, Australia: 08.03.2019 Further informationTheresa Züger
#1 Mensch und Kultur im Wandel des DigitalenNetzdialoge (Session: Philosophie des Digitalen). Christian Uhle. Brecht-Haus Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 18.10.2018 Further information
Theresa Züger
Panels
The Future of War: Drone Surveillance, Killer Robots & Lethal AI WeaponsDNL26: The Kill Cloud: Networked Warfare, Drone & AI. Disruption Network Lab. Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Germany: 25.03.2022 Further information
Theresa Züger
Public Round Table "Taming the iMonster: Regulating digital platforms"Vienna Winter School: Taming the iMonster: Regulating digital platforms. University of Vienna. University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria: 24.02.2022
Theresa Züger
Wie vermitteln wir Wissen über KI an die Bevölkerung?Auftaktveranstaltung: Zentrum für vertrauenswürdige Künstliche Intelligenz. iRights.Lab, Berlin, Germany: 07.12.2021 Further information
Theresa Züger
Young activists & human rights in a digital ageFundamental Rights Forum. Online, Fundamental Rights Forum, Warsaw, Poland: 11.10.2021 Further information
Theresa Züger
Gemeinwohlorientiert = Gemeinnützig? Unternehmen und gemeinwohlorientierte KIre:publica 21. Im Internet, Berlin, Germany: 21.05.2021 Further information
Theresa Züger
Dreams of Electric Sheep: #WTF 3000Musikalisch-theatrale Talkshow. Radialsystem Berlin. Radialsystem, Berlin, Germany: 05.04.2019 Further information
Theresa Züger
Media@Sydney: Digital Rights in an Age of Surveillance AIMedia@Sydney: Digital Rights in an Age of Surveillance AI. The University of Sidney. University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia: 07.03.2019 Further information
Theresa Züger
The Human and the MachineThe Human and the Machine. Soho House, Berlin, Germany: 24.05.2018 Further information
Theresa Züger
Opending Fireside Chat with Chelsea Manningre:publica 2018. re:publica. Station Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 02.05.2018 Further information
Theresa Züger
Human creativity and empathy in a second machine ageSymposium. Kunztschule, Berlin, Germany: 14.07.2017 Further information
Theresa Züger
Evidence of ConspiracySamizdata: Evidence of Conspiracy. Disruption Network Lab. Kunstraum Bethanien, Berlin, Germany: 11.09.2015
Theresa Züger
Moderation of workshops and panels
Engagement frühzeitig in Bildung und Erziehung integrierenDialogtag: Stärkung für junges und digitales Engagement – Fachveranstaltung zum Dritten Engagementbericht. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. Online, Berlin, Germany: 08.06.2021 Further information
Theresa Züger, Anja Adler
Workshop #engagierdichglücklich. Tincon e.V.. Kühlhaus Berlin, Berlin, Deutschland: 07.05.2019 Further informationTheresa Züger
Slacktivism, activism and protest online. Does the Internet have what it takes to be political?Early Stage Researchers Colloquium. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 21.11.2013
Theresa Züger
Organisation of events
Workshop: Sustainable AI IIwith 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 Workshop13.06.2022. 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 LabLecture 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 AIwith attending Vip: Friederike Rohde. 29.04.2022. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany (National)
Sami Nenno, Theresa Züger
Roundtable Inklusive KI10.09.2020. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Representation of the European Commission in Germany (International) Further information
Daniela Dicks, Natasha Vukajlovic, Juliane Henn, Katharina Mosene, Alexander Pirang, Moritz Timm, Kai Gärtner, Wolfgang Schulz, Theresa Züger
1st Pop-Up Lab: Inclusive AI? The challenges of automated tools in HRFrom 24.08.2020 to 26.08.2020. Online, Berlin, Germany (International) Further information
Shlomi Hod, Georg von Richthofen, Daniela Dicks, Deniz Erden, Juliane Henn, Alexander Pirang, Matthias Spielkamp, Marcel Hebing, Kai Gärtner, Wolfgang Schulz, Theresa Züger
Analysing the digital society / GesellschaftsanalyseFrom 01.04.2019 to 12.07.2019. Leuphana Universität Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Deutschland (National)
Theresa Züger
Civil Disobedience Beyond the State III: The Right of Resistance in a Globalised Worldwith attending Vip: Prof. Karuna Mantena. From 24.11.2015 to 25.11.2015. Nuffield College, 1 New Road, Oxford, Oxford, UK. Co-Organised by: Annette Zimmermann (University of Oxford), Robin Celikates (University of Amsterdam), This conference has been organised with the generous financial support of Nuffield College, the Amsterdam Center for Globalisation Studies, the NWO-funded project ‘Transformations of Civil Disobedience’ and the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. (International)
Theresa Züger
Weapons of the Geek (The Digitalization of Disobedience from Whistleblowing to Anonymous)International Workshop: Civil Disobedience Beyond the State II. with attending Vip: Gabriella Coleman. From 08.05.2015 to 09.05.2015. ACUD e.V. und Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Robin Celikates, Amsterdam; Annette Zimmermann; Oxford (International)
Theresa Züger
Civil Disobedience beyond the StateCivil Disobedience beyond the State. with attending Vip: Robin Celikates, Annette Zimmerman, Kimberly Brownlee, James Ingram, Jeff Juris, Jacob Appelbaum. From 30.10.2014 to 31.10.2014. Department of Philosophy, Faculteitskamer, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Co-Organised by: Robin Celikates (University of Amsterdam), Annette Zimmermann (University of Oxford) (International)
Theresa Züger
From Disobedient Practices to Global Governance Arrangements: Academic perspectives on digital phenomenaDiscussion at the HIIG as part of the Federal Foreign Office's Visitors' Program. 07.08.2014. Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany (International)
Kirsten Gollatz, Rüdiger Schwarz, Osvaldo Saldías, Theresa Züger
Digitaler ziviler UngehorsamMasterseminar HU Berlin im Fachbereich Medienwissenschaft. From 28.04.2014 to 14.07.2014. Humboldt Universtität zu Berlin, Institut für Medienwissenschaft, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Institut für Medienwissenschaft, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (National)
Theresa Züger
Demonstrate and Disobey. Protest and Civil Disobedience On and Offline (Round Table)RightsCon 2013. with attending Vip: Hanni Fakoury, Geoffrey King, Burak Arikan. From 03.03.2014 to 04.03.2014. Silicon Valley, San Francisco, United States of America. Co-Organised by: Access (International)
Theresa Züger
Nominations
Fachausschuss Kommunikation und Information der Deutschen UNESCO-Kommission.Theresa Züger
Deutscher Caritasverband e.V.: Vorstandskomission Digitale Transformation.Theresa Züger
Advisory Board Politics&Society Programm Track re:publica 19.Theresa Züger
Begleitkreis des TechnikRadars der Acatech.Theresa Züger
Gesellschaft für Informatik: KI-Newcomer*innen 2021.Theresa Züger
Participation as expert
Explainable AIExplainable AI Research Clinic – Explainable AI Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. Coconat Gutshof, Bad Belzig, Germany: 08.09.2021 Further information
Vincent Hofmann, Jakob Stolberg-Larsen, Freya Hewett, Matthias C. Kettemann, Wolfgang Schulz, Theresa Züger
Kick-Off Workshop des Civics Innovation Hub Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Berlin, Deutschland: 29.05.2019Theresa Züger
Diversity, Fairness, and Data-Driven Personalization in (News)Recommender System Dagstuhl Perspective Workshop Schloss Dagstuhl Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik. Schloss Dagstuhl, Dagstuhl, Deutschland: 25.11.2019 Further informationTheresa Züger
Digitaler ziviler UngehorsamInstitut für Widerstand im Postfordismus Keynot: Digital civil disobedience Label Müller. Vierte Welt, Berlin, Germany: 12.06.2015
Theresa Züger
Media appearances
Künstliche Intelligenz und Frauen (05.10.2021). D64 Zentrum für Digitalen Fortschritt
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Mit Open Mind und Open Source – das demokratische Potenzial gemeinwohlorientierter KI (19.07.2021). Prototype Fund
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Im Spannungsfeld. Demonstrationen gut vorbereitet und reflektiert begleiten (15.02.2021). Deutscher Journalisten-Verband
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Porträt Theresa Züger (28.05.2021). Tagesspiegel
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Das Co-Design des Gemeinwohls (19.04.2021). Wikimedia
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Das Recht auf Widerstand (20.09.2019). Südwind
Ziviler Ungehorsam gehört zur Demokratie (18.04.2019). Deutschlandfunk Nova
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re:publica 2018: Chelsea Manning – von Diskriminierung in der digitalen Welt (02.05.2018). WDR
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Vom Ungehorsam des freien Menschen (02.05.2018). Frankfurter Allgemeine
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Was ist die Seele? (21.12.2017). ZEIT Magazin
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Hacktivists keep refugees online in dead zone Germany (07.07.2016). Newsweek
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Radio format (25.03.2015). DRadio Wissen
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Theresa Züger on Digital Civil Disobedience (09.08.2013). Research Interview by Ben Wagner for the Digital Freedoms Project