From May 27 to 29, 2025, re:publica will take place in Berlin – one of Europe’s most important events on digital society. This year’s theme, “Generation XYZ”, explores the challenges and opportunities of a world in digital transformation.
Science with Social Responsibility
CAIS will be present at re:publica with two sessions, joining forces with researchers from partner institutions to bring crucial topics to the stage: disinformation, AI-driven moderation, digital participation, and social justice in the digital space.
”(Dis)inform Yourself! Facts vs. Myths, Research vs. Gut Feeling”
May 26, 2025 | 3:00 -3:30 PM | Atrium 2
This session addresses how disinformation – especially in the context of elections – spreads, which myths persist, and how scientific insights can help counter them.
Speakers:
- Dr. Josephine B. Schmitt, CAIS
- Prof. Dr. Andreas Jungherr, University of Bamberg, bidt
- Miriam Milzner, Weizenbaum Institute
Dr. Josephine B. Schmitt is Scientific Coordinator at CAIS and leads its Research Incubator. She specializes in interdisciplinary formats for studying digital society and collaborates with political and educational institutions such as the Federal Agency for Civic Education and the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia. In her talk, she demonstrates how evidence-based analyses can help identify fake news and mitigate its impact.
“Taking Care of the Internet: How to Moderate Billions of Posts? And Where AI (Doesn’t) Help”
May 27, 2025 | 3:00 – 4:00 PM | Atrium 2
This panel explores how automated systems detect and evaluate content on social media – and where they fall short. The speakers discuss what happens when these systems fail, why that’s problematic, and what consequences this has for our society – such as discrimination, bias, or declining trust in digital platforms.
Speakers:
- Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hendrik Heuer, CAIS & University of Wuppertal
- Anna Ricarda Luther, Institute for Information Management Bremen
- David Hartmann, Weizenbaum Institute
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hendrik Heuer conducts research at CAIS on trust in algorithmic systems, fairness in machine learning, and participatory AI design. His work bridges technical expertise with societal reflection. He has been a visiting researcher at Harvard University and currently teaches in Wuppertal. At re:publica, he discusses why content moderation is not just a technical issue, but a sociopolitical one – and how we can shape a fair digital public sphere.
Digital Society Needs Digital Trust
By participating in re:publica, CAIS contributes current research perspectives to societal debates on digital transformation. In two sessions, topics such as digital justice, disinformation, media literacy, and the conditions of digital publics are addressed. CAIS takes an interdisciplinary approach – not only analyzing the impact of digital technologies, but also working closely with actors from politics, academia, and civil society to develop solutions.