Wintersemester 23/24

This course introduces basic concepts, issues, and methods in the area of data and society. It is designed as a mandatory module that precedes optional courses and applications. It will offer an interdisciplinary outline of data and society phenomena including (a) an analyisis of the impact of digital technologies on individuals, organizations, and society; (b) available means to shape the evolution of digital technologies and data & society phenomena through differnet governance instruments; and (c) an exploration of differnet methods available to analyze and evaluate digital society issues.

The module “Governing Innovative Technologies: GenAI in theory & practice” offers an introduction to the challenges of governing Generative AI. Students will be familiarized with challenges and different regulatory approaches such as the EU AI Act or the US Algorhitmic Accountability Act 2022. From thereon, students will be familiarized with existing challenges in the realms of the governing GenerativeAI. Students will be introduced to technical solution finding by coding and working with APIs. Thereby, students will be able to design technical solutions to questions of governance.

The course “Lobbying in the EU” offers an introduction to the lobbying practices in the field of European platform governance. In the theoretical part, students explore relationship between EU institutions and lobbying organizations and learn to identify the main approaches for lobbying practices in the EU, “strategic reading” of EU legislative texts as well as conduct analysis of Position Papers.

The course will include two to three guest speakers from the European Public Policy Sphere who will give insights on real-life on the ground experience and will allow the students to ask questions and receive advice on necessary skills-sets that are useful when wanting to strive for a career in the EU-Public Policy sector. Finally, the course holds a practical part, during which the students will work in groups on a practical legal case. They will explore policy papers and briefs and will ultimately develop their own lobbying strategy in Brussels.

This module is offered in the form of a weekly seminar. It is designed as a project-based learning environment for students to engage, independently and in groups, in hands-on research projects related to the Professorship’s key areas of research. The project groups meet once a week with their respective supervisors to work on their projects and receive feedback. During the first sessions the supervisors will introduce and discuss application- and topic specific methods and research frameworks as well as techniques for documenting and presenting results or interim results during application, use case or research project development.

Brief topic descriptions for the available projects can be found below.

Reimagining Governance in Tech: Exploring Approaches to Democratizing International Technology Companies

Technology giants such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon have significantly transformed the modern world. These influential entities have fundamentally altered the way we interact with each other, conduct our work, and lead our daily lives. Marking a new era of digital communication, commerce, and lifestyle, their emergence and evolution represent a profound shift in our societal fabric. Yet, these companies' global impact extends far beyond their services, influencing politics, economics, and social norms, and with this prompting critical questions about their governance and accountability. The democratization of these entities, embodied in concepts like Facebook's Oversight Board or Vili Lehdonvirta's idea of constitutions for tech firms, offers a novel perspective. Such initiatives might for example seek to decentralize power and incorporate diverse voices into decision-making processes, potentially fostering more transparent, accountable, and fair practices. This project will venture into the area of tech democratization, critically examining the implementation, efficacy, and potential of such endeavors in shaping the future of technology governance.

Social Media Councils: Navigating the Intersection of Free Speech, Content Moderation and (Online) Democracy

The unprecedented influence and reach of social media platforms have transformed them into modern public squares. With this transformation, these platforms face the challenge of balancing the open discourse that underpins democracy with the necessity of content moderation to prevent harm. The proposed solution of Social Media Councils, or independent bodies to oversee decisions around content moderation, could address this challenge. This thesis will explore the concept, function, and potential impacts of Social Media Councils, shedding light on their implications for digital democracy.

Environmental Impacts of Cloud-based Quantum Computing

The emergence of cloud-based quantum computing raises essential questions about its environmental impact, analogous to issues previously identified in cloud computing. Concerns about energy consumption, material usage, and waste generation are increasingly present in the discourse around cloud computing and data center usage. In this project, students will explore and quantify the environmental footprint of cloud-based quantum computing and propose actionable mitigation strategies.

The Future of Quantum Smart Cities – Exploring Opportunities, Challenges, and Impacts of Quantum-Enabled Urban Innovation

Quantum computing, cloud computing, and smart cities are all interconnected facets of modern technology, each with potential implications for one another. This project aims to understand the potential transformative impacts of quantum computing on the development and functioning of smart cities through horizon scanning exercises. Horizon scanning exercises are forward-looking investigations designed to identify potential opportunities, threats, and changes that might affect a particular field in the future.

Impacts of Climate Change on Society

As Climate Change continues to accelerate so will the frequency of natural disasters, such as: floods, droughts, and wildfires. This course goes beyond surface-level discussions and delves into the complex interplay between environmental shifts and the intricate fabric of society. This topic can be selected by up to two groups.

Digital Self Determination and the Metaverse

With today’s large amounts of data collection, new understandings and questions around the individual’s digital traces become relevant. Are data subjects able to determine themselves in this data-driven society? The attitudes to self-determination range from alienating data as property through to broad considerations of communal access and enrichment. Digital self-determination is a complex notion to be viewed from different perspectives and in unique spaces, with the Metaverse serving as one of such spaces. 

This project will focus on applying DSD to the Metaverse and evolving questions in that field.

AI meets Quantum

Quantum Technologies are one of the most discussed future technologies. Especially in the field of AI, huge improvements in terms of computing capacity and speed are expected by the rise of the quantum era. AI can therefore be seen as the enabler of quantum technologies and vice versa. How dependent are these technologies? Which challenges arise from the upspeeding of AI through quantum computing?

Within this project you will identify different possible case studies and work on the different challenges and political indications urging new policy mechanisms to govern these quantum leaps within AI.

The focus of this module is to gain an introductory knowledge to remote sensing, AI, and Google Earth Engine (GEE) in regards to how information disseminated from these sources could be used to support decision makers pre-, during, and post- natural (and human inflicted) catastrophes.

During this course, students will be provided with access to the data by the Meldestelle REspect! (cleaned of any recognizable identifiers in line with the GDPR) for them to then review, analyze and determine actionable insights. The goal is to find patterns in the data which can inform the politicians, law enforcement as well as the wider public. Based on the analysis of the data, students will then use their informative insights to build a communication strategy that can then be used for a further dissemination. In doing so, the project goes beyond a “mere” data analysis exercise. By developing stories from the data and evidence-based communication campaigns, the results of the project aim to produce direct societal impact.