Power and Politics of Digitalization

Buchworkshop Anna-Verena Nosthoff: Kybernetik und Kritik. Eine Theorie digitaler Regierungskunst 9. April, 11:00 - 13:00, Flexraum Abstract Wer die Digitalisierung verstehen will, sollte ihre kybernetischen Wurzeln kennen – jener Denkweise, die Kommunikation, Kontrolle und Steuerung ins Zentrum stellt. In ihrem Buch zeigt Jun.-Prof. Anna-Verena Nosthoff, wie diese Ideen unsere datengetriebene Gegenwart prägen: von den frühen Theorien über die Entstehung des Cyberspace bis zum aktuellen KI-Hype. Kybernetische Logiken durchziehen heute gleichermaßen Plattformen, Politik und Arbeitswelt. Zugleich beeinflussen sie auch die Kritik selbst, die sich oft derselben digitalen Werkzeuge und Strukturen bedient. Die zentrale These des Buches: Wenn Kritik wirksam bleiben will, muss sie neue Formen finden – jenseits der bestehenden Logik von Kontrolle und Optimierung. Nach einer Einführung von Anna-Verena Nosthoff in Ihr Buch, wird es Kommentare von Sebastian Berg (WI), Sandra Sieron (WZB) und Katrin Becker (Universität Luxemburg) geben mit anschließender Diskussion. Über Prof. Dr. Anna-Verena Nosthoff Anna-Verena Nosthoff ist Juniorprofessorin für Ethik der Digitalisierung am Institut für Philosophie an der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg. Nosthoff studierte Philosophie, Soziologie, Wirtschaftswissenschaften und Politische Theorie an den Universitäten Mannheim und Frankfurt a. M. sowie an der University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) und der University of London (Großbritannien).

Join us to discuss @annanosthoff.bsky.social's new book "Kybernetik und Kritik" with Anna, @katrinbecker.eu, @sberg.bsky.social and Sandra Sieron. The workshop is public and will take place in German at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social. Register here: cloud.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/ap...

Rainer Mühlhoff

Panel mit Rainer Mühlhoff

Gruppenfoto Workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power"

📅 The keynote took place as part of the workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power" on 20.11. at the Weizenbaum Institute.

Für unser Panel zu digitaler Staatlichkeit suchen @annkoster.bsky.social, Johannes Haaf (@goetheuni.bsky.social), Lea Watzinger & ich spannende Beiträge von Technokratie über Digitalität, KI zu digitaler Souveränität oder Verwaltungsdigitalisierung
@wzb.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social

b/w portrait of Rainer Mühlhoff

Keynote Invitation 💬💡

We are happy to be joined by @rainermuehlhoff.bsky.social who will hold a public Keynote on "The Power of AI: From Tech Ideologies to New Authoritarianisms" as part of our workshop

📅 Nov. 20th, 18:30pm, Berlin

Please register here: www.weizenbaum-institut.de/news/detail/...

b/w portrait of Rainer Mühlhoff

Keynote Invitation 💬💡

We are happy to be joined by @rainermuehlhoff.bsky.social who will hold a public Keynote on "The Power of AI: From Tech Ideologies to New Authoritarianisms" as part of our workshop

📅 Nov. 20th, 18:30pm, Berlin

Please register here: www.weizenbaum-institut.de/news/detail/...

Cover: LK Seiling, Clara Iglesias Keller, Jakob Ohme, Ulrike Klinger, Claes de Vreese. Data Access for Researchers under the Digital Services Act: From Policy to Practice. Weizenbaum Policy Paper 15, September 2025.

Out now: Our latest Policy Paper dives into the key provisions of the Digital Services Act #DSA on data access, highlighting its goals, procedures, limits, & external factors impacting implementation: 🔗 doi.org/10.34669/WI....

"Eine erzählende Gegenmacht" - epd medien Die Politikwissenschaftlerin Jeanette Hofmann hat beim Forum Medienzukunft der Medienanstalt Hessen über den engen Zusammenhang von Desinformatio

"Die Verbreitung von #Desinformation ist nicht das Resultat neuer #Medien, #Algorithmen und #KI, sondern sie ist Ausdruck der Erosion von Vertrauen in die #Demokratie", machte @jeah.bsky.social im Forum Medienzukunft deutlich. Das Transkript ihres Vortrags gibt es hier:
medien.epd.de/article/3479

🚨Deadline approaching for this years' PlatGov: abstracts welcome till Sept 2nd!

Great chance to pitch your research and connect with wonderful people. @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social @digipolicy.bsky.social @wzb.bsky.social

Poster for the Call for Abstracts for the workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power". The workshop aims to explore and critically reflect on the multifaceted power dynamics associated with generative AI across social, political, and cultural domains. We invite conceptual, theory-building, or comparative contributions that engage with power in the context of GenAI and related themes such as economic concentration, algorithmic governance, epistemic authority, and digital subjectivation. Proposal length: approx. 500 words Include: a brief biography (max. 150 words) Deadline: 15 August 2025 Send to: workshop-generative-ai@wzb.eu Languages: Abstracts and presentations in English or German, discussions in English Organisers: Sebastian Berg, Jana Heim, Clara Iglesias Keller, Florian Irgmaier, Ann-Kathrin Koster

Looking forward to your abstract submissions for our workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power" on 20-21 Novemeber!

Further details: www.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/events-1/...

Poster for the Call for Abstracts for the workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power". The workshop aims to explore and critically reflect on the multifaceted power dynamics associated with generative AI across social, political, and cultural domains. We invite conceptual, theory-building, or comparative contributions that engage with power in the context of GenAI and related themes such as economic concentration, algorithmic governance, epistemic authority, and digital subjectivation. Proposal length: approx. 500 words Include: a brief biography (max. 150 words) Deadline: 15 August 2025 Send to: workshop-generative-ai@wzb.eu Languages: Abstracts and presentations in English or German, discussions in English Organisers: Sebastian Berg, Jana Heim, Clara Iglesias Keller, Florian Irgmaier, Ann-Kathrin Koster

Looking forward to your abstract submissions for our workshop "Generative AI & The Faces of Power" on 20-21 Novemeber!

Further details: www.weizenbaum-institut.de/en/events-1/...

AI & Sustainability: Science Fiction vs. Climate Change In the debate about using AI for public good and combating climate change, tech-critic Paris Marx wants us to fundamentally challenge the ideologies the technology has been built on.

Great to speak with @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social about the sustainability issues with generative AI when I was in Berlin recently!

Am 20./21.11.25 veranstalten wir am @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social einen Workshop zum Thema "GenAI&Power". Wir freuen uns über Einreichungen, die eine theoretische & konzeptionelle Perspektive auf das Wechselverhältnis von GenAI&Macht werfen. Alle Infos zum Workshop finden sich im CfA:

Thank you @robyncaplan.bsky.social for visiting us in Berlin and giving a wonderful presentation on your recent research!

Last week we hosted Duke University's Robyn Caplan for her talk on why big (social) media companies have changed their self-descriptive narrative, and why that matters.

Brand new TechDo Digest from the @digipolicy.bsky.social research group "Technology, Power, and Domination" @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social and @wzb.bsky.social: www.weizenbaum-library.de/handle/id/917

📣 Call for abstracts: Workshop on Generative AI & the Faces of Power, Nov 20-21 at the Weizenbaum Institute, Berlin

Does your work deal with theoretical questions surrounding GenAI and power? Submit your proposals (ca. 500 words) by Aug 15!

👉 Full call: cloud.weizenbaum-institut.de/index.php/s/...

Working on platform governance?

Join for PlatGovNet 2025
Free online conference Dec 1-2
Extended abstracts (800-1000 words) due Sep 2

Amazing community, opportunity to share work, get feedback, meet others working in this area.

Glad to be part of organizing it
Details: platgov.net/conferences/...

Tomorrow! 📅

We will welcome Robyn Caplan @robyncaplan.bsky.social (Duke University) for her talk on why media companies have changed their rhetorical narratives in the light of new regulation policies.

📍 Weizenbaum Institute, Hardenbergstr. 32, 10623
🕥 11:30-13:00 (originally 11am)

📝Sign up below

Paul Schütze, Paris Marx: Sustainable AI: Narratives and Impacts Can AI really help save the planet—or is it just another resource-hungry illusion? In the light of ambitions to shape sustainable societies, where the needs ...

🎤♻️ At our event “Sustainable AI: Narratives and Impacts” @paulschuetze.bsky.social‬ (Uni Osnabrueck) and @parismarx.com‬ (@techwontsave.us‬) discussed if and how #AI can be a leap forward in the sustainability project or if it is reproducing the status quo.

📺 Full recording: buff.ly/XJKPPHe

Portrait of Robyn Caplan

Why media companies now insist they are media companies, and why that matters 🌐🏢

Duke University assistant professor Robyn Caplan (@robyncaplan.bsky.social) will present her research on this exact topic 💬

24 June 2025, 11:00-12:30, WI

Please sign up here: survey.lamapoll.de/Why-media-co...

🤩 Only 2 days until #WIConf25 Empowering People in Online Spaces: Democracy and Well-being in Digital Societies! Don’t miss one of the highlights: Our Roundtable on Democracy and Media in Europe w/ Jeffrey Wimmer, @nicocarpentier.bsky.social, Merja Mahrt and Maren Hartmann. 👉 buff.ly/firE4Gx

👉 Find out more and register (for free) here: www.weizenbaum-conference.de

The 7th Weizenbaum Conference is about to start! 🤩 Join the conversation via #WIConf25 about empowering people in online spaces. We‘ll also be posting updates throughout the day!

What is the role of digital infrastructures in the current challenges for liberal democracies?
What do they mean for vulnerable people, for activists and for democracy as a whole? The #WIConf25 offers insights into the latest Research with speakers from over 25 countries and multiple diciplines.

picture from slide and Rainer: AI is a political issue

#WIConf2025 @Rainer_Rehak on #AI #Narratives
💡Keep in mind: Models are only pragmatic reductions
🪛Fairness is a political issue not a technical one
📍Optimization is also a political matter: Optimal for who and for which goal?

We knew it! Turnout at the first #WIConf2025 session on “Gen AI and Algorithmic Dispute" is high - @rainerrehak.bsky.social opening this session.

My liveblogging from the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social Conference 2025 has started – great opening keynote on AI and democracy from @claesdevreese.bsky.social… #WI2025

snurb.info/node/3304

Another great conference liveblog from @snurb.info ⬇️

Neat recap of why we need a societal perspective on AI, in addition to individual level initiatives.

Summarised in even clearer language than the actual presentation #WIConf2025

Inspiring topics coming up for 2 days at #WIConf2025

Taking place now: @claesdevreese.bsky.social giving the #WIConf2025 @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social Keynote Speech on “Are we, citizens, ready for an AI democracy?”. Spoiler: we are not!

Is #AI messing with our #democracy? The #WIConf25 keynote by @claesdevreese.bsky.social looks at the evidence from elections in 2024. It‘s part of the campaign toolkit rather than a magic wand.