Innovation and Work – Digital Society Blog

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.

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?

Rows of chairs in a higher education setting, symbolising how meaningful impact in technology design begins with understanding real people and their contexts.

Paul Vilchez | 3. December 2025

Impactful by design: For digital entrepreneurs driven to create positive societal impact

How impact entrepreneurs can shape digital innovation to build technologies that create meaningful and lasting societal change.

A lone shark in the blue ocean symbolises pressure, rivalry and the “shark tank” metaphor. The image reflects emotionless competition at work, where AI can trigger feelings of inferiority and lead to a loss of trust in the technology.

Lorenz Graf-Vlachy | 4. September 2025

Emotionless competition at work: When trust in Artificial Intelligence falters

Emotionless competition with AI harms workplace trust. When employees feel outperformed by machines, confidence in their skills and the technology declines.

The picture shows many yellow lego heads, symbolising generative AI in recruiting.

Sonja Köhne | 15. May 2025

Who hired this bot? On the ambivalence of using generative AI in recruiting

Generative AI in recruiting promises efficiency, but may also quietly undermine the human connection that HR decisions and candidate fit rely on.

Blank white paper on a yellow background symbolising how AI emails can lack personal touch and emotion.

Georg von Richthofen | 7. April 2025

Polished yet impersonal: The unintended consequences of writing your emails with AI

AI-written emails can save workers time and improve clarity – but are we losing connection, nuance, and communication skills in the process?

A person in a black jacket stands in a blue-lit room, symbolizing the integration of People Analytics in the workplace to enhance decision-making and employee dynamics.

Miriam Klöpper | 17. February 2025

How People Analytics can affect the perception of fairness in the workplace

People Analytics in the workplace can improve decisions but may also heighten feelings of unfairness, impacting employee trust and workplace relationships.

Three groups of icons representing people have shapes travelling between them and a page in the middle of the image. The page is a simple rectangle with straight lines representing data used for people analytics. The shapes traveling towards the page are irregular and in squiggly bands.

Sonja Köhne, Nele Buß, Georg von Richthofen, Hendrik Send | 4. November 2024

Empowering workers with data

As workplaces become data-driven, can workers use people analytics to advocate for their rights? This article explores how data empowers workers and unions.

The picture shows a white wall with several clocks, all showing a different time. This symbolises the paradoxical impact of generative AI in the workplace on productivity.

Georg von Richthofen | 25. September 2024

Between time savings and additional effort: Generative AI in the workplace

Generative AI in the workplace is enhancing productivity, yet employees face mixed results. This post examines chatbots’ paradoxical impact on efficiency.