Interview Feb. 05, 2020

"If the machine starts to fool around, just pull the plug."

In what ways is artificial intelligence (AI) impacting on our society? How can productively handle the population’s reservations towards AI applications? A conversation between the AI expert Fruszina Molnár-Gábor and the new Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation, Georg Schütte.

News Jan. 27, 2020

Sonar Navigation Inspired by Bat Flowers

Successful "Experiment!": Researchers have come up with a solution for efficient sonar measurements for robots and self-driving cars, inspired by a special coevolution between bats and flowers.

News Jan. 16, 2020

Addressing Future Challenges – Georg Schütte Takes up Position as Secretary General

Dr. Georg Schütte became Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation on January 1, 2020. He took over from Dr. Wilhelm Krull, who retired oat the end of December, 2019. Schütte previously held the position of State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and now he has some ambitious plans for the Volkswagen Foundation going forward.

Interview Nov. 13, 2019

"A natural disaster is like a virus"

Epidemiologist Debarati Guha-Sapir gives insights, how data analysis can help to adapt to extreme weather events and even prevent deaths.

News Oct. 07, 2019

Concepts and Challenges of Interdisciplinarity

At the symposium "Interdisciplinarity Revisited", 150 scientists from all over the world discussed the added value of interdisciplinary approaches in research and teaching.

Interview Sep. 30, 2019

"We Need Interdisciplinary Cooperation on Equal Terms"

In its funding initiative on artificial intelligence (AI), the Foundation promotes close collaboration between the technical and social sciences in order to enable future-oriented AI research in the interests of society at large. An interview with the initiative's program directors.