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Digital Society Blog

Making sense of our connected world

Latest articles

The photo shows an airplane seen from below flying over a circular building. This symbolizes the human role alongside the autopilot in aviation.
Daniel Pothmann | 28. October 2026

Autopilot on, brain off? What we can learn from aviation about automation

Planes have landed automatically since the 1950s. Why do we still need pilots? What aviation teaches us about humans, machines and responsible automation.

There are piles of colourful stones stacked on top of each other. They symbolise the debate among Bundestag members about wealth taxation on social media.
Sami Nenno | 9. October 2026

#TaxTheRich: How do members of the German Bundestag debate wealth taxation on social media?

Germany’s Constitutional Court is reviewing the inheritance tax. A study shows how members of the Bundestag argue online.

A black, white and ginger cat peeking out from behind a wall, symbolising the cat and mouse game surrounding the Digital Services Act.
Daniel Pothmann | 6. October 2026

Enforcing the Digital Services Act: A cat & mouse game?

The Digital Services Act has been in force for two years. Is it working as expected? A look at enforcement progress and geopolitical influences.

Platform governance

How can the goals of corporations and the values of society be reconciled on online platforms?

Dossier erkunden
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

How can we better understand the complex and reciprocal relationship between AI systems and social processes?

Dossier erkunden
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 digital organisation, digitalisation, and AI in the workplace transform the world of work?

Dossier erkunden

Further blog articles

Hendrik Send, Martin Wrobel | 6. October 2026

AI startups made in Germany — Specialisation instead of computing power

What role do AI startups play in Germany’s position in the global AI race? This article draws on ten interviews to offer insight into their business models.

Three human silhouettes are depicted mid-stride, each comprising of a collage of hardware used to develop AI including circuit boards and CPU chips. In the background there is a black and grey gradient with smoke. Beneath the runners from the left, there are two rectangle panels which run across the image, one is red and the other is blue.
A. Dumat, G. v. Richthofen, S. Bohn | 17. September 2026

Brave new world of work? Narratives on AI and the future of work

A comparison between German and US-American public discourse shows how different narratives on AI shape the future of work.

The photo shows the entrance area of an event: while people wait and an older man speaks at a standing lectern in an open space symbolising democracy without borders.
Matthias C. Kettemann, Karina Preiss | 31. August 2026

Democracy without borders? Global citizenship between platform power, AI and the crisis of knowledge

A look back and ahead at ten years of constitutional thinking across state borders.

Playing cards on a table with a hidden ace, representing the high-stakes game of platform regulation under the Digital Services Act.
Daniel Pothmann | 5. August 2026

Cards on the table: Making sense of the Digital Services Act

This article revisits the origins and core mechanisms of the Digital Services Act and asks what lessons they hold for the upcoming review process.

The photo shows yellow lockers, symbolising data protection.
Max Lukat | 3. August 2026

Why data protection doesn’t protect data, but people

This article explains why “data protection” is something of a misnomer, and why the main responsibility for making it work doesn’t rest with users alone.

Rows of empty blue chairs in a plenary hall, symbolizing the question of whether AI can strengthen democracy.
S. Youssef, T. Züger, L. Winter | 13. July 2026

Can AI strengthen democracy? A data collection on AI projects aiming to serve democratic processes

This article introduces a dataset of 98 AI projects claiming to serve democracy, built to help researchers test these claims.

The photo shows the Statue of Liberty's law tablet as a symbol of the freedom of expression in the transatlantic DSA debate.
Matthias Kettemann, Wolfgang Schulz | 7. July 2026

Between accusations of censorship and platform power: What the Digital Services Act actually regulates

The DSA is increasingly attacked as “censorship law”. This article argues: Its core purpose is to protect freedom of expression online.

A. Watolla, M. Stenzel | 29. June 2026

Tick-box democracy: What a polling booth reveals about our personal beliefs

We invited Berliners to share their feelings and opinions about democracy in Germany. Find the results here.

A computer lab with three rows of four desks, each occupied by students working at computers. Overlaying the computer lab are red lines connecting through nodes, symbolizing the flow of communication, data exchange, and interconnected networks.
Sonja Köhne | 18. May 2026

Prompt to perform? Sustainable talent management in the age of generative AI

What impact will generative AI have on talent pipelines? How must companies rethink their talent management?

A traffic light sign in the forest symbolises the assessment of the interplay between climate change and AI.
Laura State | 5. May 2026

AI between climate change and climate protection

How do climate change and artificial intelligence interact? How AI can help in the fight against climate change?

The photo shows a campus from above, showing the different paths of resilience in higher education.
B. Deacon, A. Aust, F. Kuper | 20. April 2026

Digital by design, not by default: Resilience in higher education

What does resilience in higher education look like? A comparison of two models from Germany and Portugal shows: there is no single formula.

A person climbing a steep rock face, symbolising the effort AI observatories make to scrutinise and challenge the structures of algorithmic power.
Paola Cantarini Guerra | 10. April 2026

Algorithms under scrunity: AI observatories as democratic infrastructure

Algorithms have a profound impact on people’s lives. This article explores why AI observatories are essential for democratic governance.

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About the blog

Here, HIIG researchers and guests offer research-based analysis of developments in the digital society. Each post reflects the views of its authors, not necessarily those of the institute as a whole.

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Frederik Efferenn | HIIG

Frederik Efferenn

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Sarah Ziedler

Science Communication Officer

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