Research thrives on exchange. Here you will find the current dates of events and also news about the DIID. In addition, we regularly include summaries of past events to keep you up dated. Unfortunately, the latest news is mainly published in German language.
On 2 and 3 September, the first co-creation workshop of the BMBF-funded IndI project took place at Schloss Mickeln in Düsseldorf. Representatives from politics, the media and public participation were invited to discuss with the research team how online discussions can be made more inclusive with the help of AI.
On 21 June 2020, the annual DIID summer retreat took place, followed by a summer party. DIID members, practice partners and invited guests gathered at Schloss Mickeln in Düsseldorf from 12.30 p.m. to discuss current research projects on the internet and democracy. A workshop with André Bächstiger (report) had already taken place in the morning.
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Research thrives on critical and constructive dialogue. As part of a DIID research workshop, we welcomed Prof. Dr André Bächtiger (University of Stuttgart) to Schloss Mickeln on 21 June. André Bächtiger is an internationally recognised expert in the field of empirical deliberation and democratisation research and an enthusiastic generator of ideas.
On 15 May 2024, the IndI project team met at a workshop to discuss the progress of the project and further work steps. Dr Bettina Schmietow from the project management agency and Dr Katharina Gerl, coordinator of the “Integrated Research” cluster, were also present.
On 3 May 2024, the kick-off meeting for the project “Success factors for local eParticipation: Mapping and strengthening digital civic participation in German municipalities (ErLE)” took place in Dresden.
In November last year, we reported on the DIID teaching project “Ethical Issues in Artificial Intelligence (AI)“, which was funded by the Citizens’ University. The project was successfully concluded last week with three workshops held at a Düsseldorf secondary school.
Members of the DIID are much sought-after experts on their topics. Independent expertise and categorisation are particularly important in the context of the current debates surrounding right-wing extremism and the role that digital media plays in this. DIID coordinator Dr. Dennis Frieß has spoken to Antenne Düsseldorf on several occasions in recent weeks.
The new DIID Board of Directors was elected by the General Assembly on December 8, 2023. On February 7, the Board met for its first working session.
The project commissioned by the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) entitled “Possibilities and limits of digital participation instruments for public participation in the site selection process (DigiBeSt)” was concluded in summer 2023 with a workshop at the BASE premises in Berlin. The final report (only available in german) on the project has now been published.
On Friday, December 8, 2023, the DIID held its winter retreat and at the same time invited members to a general meeting at the Haus der Universität. Christiane Eilders was also officially bid farewell at this meeting.
The BMBF-funded project IndI has been up and running since November 1, 2023. In addition to the sub-project, the coordination of the associated BMBF cluster has also been anchored at DIID.
The teaching project “Ethical Issues of Artificial Intelligence (AI)” started in the winter semester 2023/2024. Under the guidance of DIID members Jonathan Seim and Jonas Carstens, HHU students are addressing ethical issues relating to artificial intelligence and developing corresponding workshops for students.
Long-time DIID spokesperson Prof. Dr. Christiane Eilders has been appointed to be the new director of the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS) since October 1, 2023. We wish her all the best in her new role and would like to thank her for our very successful time together. A few personal words from Christiane Eilders:
The NRW Research College Online Participation is history. From 2014 to 2023, more than 20 doctoral students conducted research on the topic of online participation at the Research Training Group. Without the Kolleg, the DIID would not have been conceivable. A brief review:
In cooperation with the Junior Scientist and International Researcher Center (JUNO), the DIID has conducted a survey among postdocs at HHU-Düsseldorf. The survey is the basis for a participation process for HHU-wide postdoc guidelines to take place in the winter semester 2023/2024.
The PolKomm2023 conference, organized by the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy (DIID), took place from June 28 to 30, 2023, at the Haus der Universität in Düsseldorf. The conference theme “AI – Conflicts – Conventions” featured a total of 17 presentations from the field of political communication research.
At this year’s re:publica, DIID member Lena Wilms and DIID alumna Anke Stoll were awarded in an idea competition “Civic Innovation Platform” for their idea to develop an approach to analyze and reduce discrimination in AI language models.
Last week, Prof. Dr. Kaiping Chen was a guest at DIID. During a workshop, some DIID members had the opportunity to exchange ideas with the American colleague. In the evening, Dr. Chen gave a lecture as part of the HeiCAD Lectures.
What role can and should AI play in digital participation processes? These and other questions were discussed by a working group (WG) of DIID researchers and participation practitioners at CAIS in Bochum from February 8 to 10, 2023.
On Friday, January 20, 2023, the annual DIID Winter Retreat took place. Researchers and practice partners from the DIID cosmos met at Schloss Mickeln in Düsseldorf from 9:30 a.m. to discuss various topics and develop research ideas.