Newsroom

Story 12 June 2020

Sentencing with the aid of algorithms

Many courts in the USA use software to assess the risk of recidivism of defendants. Should AI also be used in the German judicial system? An interdisciplinary research group is now seeking answers to the provocative issues raised in this context.

Interview 08 June 2020

How the corona crisis reveals the balance of power in medicine

Freigeist Fellow Dr. Tine Hanrieder talks about how the pandemic is impacting on her research – and what she would like to see happen for people working on the front lines of global health care.

Story 02 June 2020

When the black box talks to us

Thanks to increasingly sophisticated voice control, communication between man and machine is making great strides. Will the dialog with intelligent systems change our society?

Story 11 May 2020

How do children learn to speak?

The linguist Birgit Hellwig is researching the language acquisition of small children – on the example of Qaqet, an endangered language in Papua New Guinea.

Interview 05 May 2020

Global Issues

New impetus for the Volkswagen Foundation’s international funding: Interview with Dr. Adelheid Wessler, head of the 'International' funding team, on the 'Global Issues' program.

News 30 April 2020

Empowering citizens to become AI co-designers

Dr. Diana Serbanescu believes that theater and artistic practices help to engage the public in a promising dialog with research and technology.

Stories

Mehrere Personen sitzen zusammen, eine Frau erzählt etwas, ein Mann tippt dabei an einem Laptop. Im Hintergrund sind Bananenpflanzen und ein Dschungel-Wald zu sehen.
Story 27 May 2026

A Pharmacy From the Rainforest: Remedies for the Mind

Fabien Schultz is searching for natural materials that can be used to treat mental health conditions. To this end, he is working with indigenous communities in Uganda and Tanzania – and with monkeys.

Portrait eines Mannes
Story 26 March 2026

Hybrid Computers Made of Nerves and Fibre Optics

Wolfram Pernice is researching how computers based on neural networks could in future compute even faster and more efficiently – using light instead of electronics. And real nerves instead of optical fibres.

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