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Research for the digital society

Global, interdisciplinary, in dialogue

The institute's DNA

News from the institute

Mexico

MSD on Digital Entrepreneurship for Climate

On February 13, this multi-stakeholder dialogue will explore the potential of digital entrepreneurship to mitigate climate change in Mexico. Beginning with the presentations of findings of the research sprint “Green Technology, Entrepreneurship & Climate” we…

Research magazine

encore 2022/2023

HIIG is reinventing its DNA: our annual research highlights are now completely digital, multimedia and designed to be read on smartphones.

Indonesia

Livestream from Indonesia now available

Those who were not able to attend our event in Jakarta, Indonesia on 13.12.2022 now have the opportunity to follow the panel discussion we had on the possibilities of technology-based rainforest protection. The livestream is…

Publication

Handbook: AI in Knowledge Work

In light of the use of AI in the Workplace, our researchers offer concrete suggestions for management and co-determination.

Research Clinics Start

Platform://Democracy

For the regions of Africa & Asia, more socially sustainable rules for online communication spaces will be developed.

Indonesien

MSD & Panel Discussion: Digital Technology for Rainforest Protection

On 13 December, we are organising a multi-stakeholder dialogue and public panel discussion in Jakarta, Indonesia. The discussion will focus on the growing importance of digital technologies for sustainable rainforest and climate protection and the…

Upcoming events

Further events

  • Nov
    26
    Ideathon: Between Ambition and Bureaucratic Barriers
    Ideathon: Between Ambition and Bureaucratic Barriers
    14:00 - 21:00 | Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
  • Dec
    03
    Symposium: Making EU Digital Law Work
    Symposium: Making EU Digital Law Work
    0:00

    • Discussion dossiers

    Platform governance

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

    Data governance

    How can the technical, organisational, and regulatory mechanisms governing data sharing and use be shaped in the public interest?

    Artificial intelligence and society

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

    Digitalisation and sustainability

    How can technology be used responsibly, taking into account social, economic and ecological dimensions?

    Digital future of the workplace

    How will digital organisation, digitalisation, and AI in the workplace transform the world of work?

    KAPAZ- Material Collection

    Tackling hostility towards science

    What can be done when research comes under pressure? This resource collection supports researchers and institutions with strategies and tools for responding to hostile attacks.

    KI-Kompas

    AI compass

    AI is embedded across many areas of society, from medicine to nature conservation. Our card game presents concrete applications and invites players to critically examine their uses and implications.

    Data Governance Wegweiser - Digital Governance Lab

    Data governance guide

    Why does the potential of municipal data so often go unrealised? This handbook supports public administrations in planning and implementing data-driven projects in legally sound ways.

    DIGITAL SOCIETY BLOG

    Further articles

    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.