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Research for the digital society

Global, interdisciplinary, in dialogue

The institute's DNA

News from the institute

AI & Society Lab

AI and women*

The new white paper presents ideas and proposals for a more diverse AI and, above all, for a higher participation of women* in the development process.

Two new international projects

HIIG intensifies AI research

Soon, two new international research projects will start. They aim at researching AI and its societal construction.

New study

Platform innovation in small and medium-sized businesses

What are the obstacles and conditions for success for platform innovation in small and medium-sized businesses? What are the policy options for funding?

Making sense of the digital society

Stream: Iyad Rahwan – How to trust machines? 16.12.

Iyad Rahwan explores various factors that shape our trust in machines and pleads for the accomplishment of the challenges of the information revolution not only to be understood as a problem of computer science.

Algorithmic content moderation

International researchers call for accountability and transparency

“The Ethics of Digitalisation” project has completed its first research sprint and published three policy briefs, calling for more transparency and accountability concerning algorithmic content moderation.

Website Launch

Jung. Digital. Engagiert. – Launch of the portrait series

Arranged in six subject areas, the series presents examples of digital engagement in the form of reports, interviews and scientific texts.

Upcoming events

Further events

  • Sep
    29
    Spotlight: Generative KI in der Arbeitswelt
    Spotlight: Generative KI in der Arbeitswelt
    13:00 - 14:00 | Online
  • Sep
    30
    Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst: Personalisierung im Internet verständlich erklären
    Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst: Personalisierung im Internet verständlich erklären
    17:00 - 18:30 | Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society
  • Sep
    30
    Digitaler Salon: Hätte ich das nur früher gewusst …
    Digitaler Salon: Hätte ich das nur früher gewusst ...
    19:00 - 20:00 | Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society

    • 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.