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The Weizenbaum Institute is a renowned research institute that specializes in interdisciplinary digitalization research. Founded in 2017 in Berlin, it is a joint project of leading research institutions from Berlin and Brandenburg, including Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, Universität der Künste Berlin, Universität Potsdam, Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems, and Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB).
The Weizenbaum Institute focuses on examining societal changes related to digitalization and developing options for action for politics, business, and civil society. The research encompasses four central areas:
The main mission of the Weizenbaum Institute is to interdisciplinary research the digital transformation, including its legal, ethical, and economic questions. The institute aims to realize the goals of individual and societal self-determination in a world shaped by digitally mediated transformation and boundary processes. It strives for independent and interdisciplinary research to promote the design of digitalization for the benefit of society and to protect self-determination and engagement in the networked society[1][2][3].
The Weizenbaum Institute is engaged in various initiatives that promote sustainability and responsible digitalization. For example, the research group "Security and Transparency of Digital Processes" has developed a method to help companies assess their sustainability in accordance with the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Additionally, topics such as the digitalization and opening of science, the design of digital teaching and learning processes, and the role of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace are examined to ensure that digitalization has positive and sustainable impacts on society[4][5].
The institute publishes the "Weizenbaum Journal of the Digital Society" (WJDS), an open-access journal dedicated to interdisciplinary digitalization research. Furthermore, the Weizenbaum Institute regularly offers events and workshops, such as the "Data Workers' Inquiry," which addresses the impacts of content moderation on the mental health of data workers. The new Weizenbaum Digital Science Center is also intended to strengthen research collaborations and provide scientific offerings for interdisciplinary digitalization research[2][5].
The Weizenbaum Institute is a central actor in the German and international research landscape through its comprehensive and diverse research and makes important contributions to shaping a responsible and sustainable digital society.
