Alternative Futures

As governments across the globe turn to digital IDs and tech-enabled services to improve governance, concerns around privacy, surveillance, and power imbalances put citizens at risk. In this discussion, five experts discuss the benefits and trade-offs of digitising public infrastructure. They talk about the role of the private sector, the need for better alternatives, and the importance of accountability and transparency.

In the digital age, threats to privacy from surveillance and data misuse are becoming more prevalent. Recent developments like the use of police data and the proposed EU-level chat control raise critical questions. In this interview, Rainer Rehak from the Weizenbaum Institute discusses the risks of these developments and speaks about the urgent need for measures to protect digital freedom.

How can artificial intelligence help address the pressing challenges of climate change? In this interview with Dona Mathew, an expert at the Digital Futures Lab, we explore the various ways AI can be utilized in areas such as weather forecasting, climate-resilient agriculture, and energy efficiency. Dona shares her insights on the potential and challenges of AI, as well as the ethical considerations that should be taken into account when implementing AI in climate-related initiatives.

As climate change accelerates, AI technologies are increasingly seen as part of the solution. But how effective are these tools, and at what cost? Pia, Policy & Advocacy Manager at AlgorithmWatch, offers a critical perspective on the role of AI in climate action. From environmental impacts to the ethics of AI deployment, she discusses the need for inclusive, sustainable approaches and accountability within the industry.

Disinformation today goes far beyond spreading falsehoods—it’s about strategic precision. Nazifa Raidah, a journalist from Bangladesh, discusses the intricate tactics of modern disinformation campaigns and the role of journalists in countering their disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, while also highlighting the challenges faced in South Asia.

In this age of platformisation, digitisation and AI — what kind of power imbalances exist? Should the government partner with private entities? Does AI leave scope for a just digital future? In this conversation, three subject-matter experts discuss existing power imbalances, AI and digital rights, and the path ahead.

How do ownership structures, content moderation and internet shutdowns affect digital spaces? How can we design the online spaces that we wish for? Experts and activists from India and Germany delve into these queries, scrutinizing the dilemmas surrounding digital spaces.

In this interview, Elisa, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Superrr Lab, delves into the German discourse on Digital Media and Democracy and explores the impact of disinformation, hate speech, and digital violence and the need to prioritize the public interest and societal well-being

In this interview, Erik Tuchtfeld as the co-chair of D64, sheds light on the unintended consequences of digital platforms, the pressing need for regulation to ensure inclusivity and safety, and D64's robust advocacy for a democratic organization of the digital public sphere.

Bias is an inescapable feature of our daily lives and it affects everything from the songs we like to the presents we receive. As the use of AI becomes more omnipresent in our daily lives, we have to consider the implication of personal and societal bias creeping into AI systems and how it impacts us.

Freedom of expression is an essential pillar of democracy. But what if the most important source of information and space for free speech – the internet – is used to pursue anti-democratic goals?
 

Human rights lawyer and author Maureen Webb explains how “technical fixes” can exacerbate bias and discrimination, and how hackers are fighting to protect our democratic rights in the digital space.
 

In the name of ‘Data Sovereignty’, India has begun restricting cross-border data flows and enforcing data localisation norms. But what does it mean for India's intricate relationship with cross-border data and India's diplomatic expectations from data transfer agreements?

In our modern world, nothing can escape the digital revolution. The way we commute, communicate and consume is controlled by code, and that code is growing increasingly intelligent. But artificial intelligence is by no means as fair or neutral as it may seem.
 

Over the past decade, we have come to spend much of our lives in the digital sphere – a sphere that is increasingly controlled by just a handful of corporations. These companies, unavoidable for most, exert a considerable amount of control over what we can see and say, as well as the types of tools available to us.

Media scholar Tung-Hui Hu explores exhaustion and disappointment in the digital age. In this interview he explains how digital lethargy affects our lives – even when we’re offline.

What has been the impact of digital platforms over the last two decades? The author, drawing from personal insights, navigates through the landscape of social media, shedding light on concerns like data hunger, privacy threats, and the quest for user control.

Is it possible to control the power of the big social media platforms using democratic processes? Cultural scientist Michael Seemann talks about the shaping of public opinion in the digital space.
 

Nowadays most countries in the world have a democratic constitution, on paper at least. But how democratic are the democracies of today? And what does it even mean: democracy?

 

In the past, whenever cultural heritage was destroyed by natural disasters or wars, that destruction was irremediable. But it doesn’t have to be that way anymore: here’s how digital technologies can preserve cultural heritage for posterity.