Annual Reports

2023 was a decisive year for the Weizenbaum Institute due to the evaluation by the German Council of Science and Humanities, as the result of this evaluation sets the course for the further development of the institute. We were able to successfully convey a vivid impression of our institute, its unique profile, our outstanding research and our professional science support services. A second highlight of the past year was the 100th birthday of Joseph Weizenbaum. In the anniversary year W\100, our institute took an in-depth look at Joseph Weizenbaum's work, impact and career. The current debates surrounding artificial intelligence have made it clear that his criticism is still highly relevant today.

September 2022 was an important turning point for our still young Weizenbaum Institute: after the five-year start-up phase, we entered the establishment phase in the fall. This makes it an appropriate time to take stock, which we want to do in this annual report: What have we achieved? What path are we taking to turn the "Weizenbaum Institute" project into an independent research institution?

Our reporting period coincides with a time that was once again dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the associated challenges, the past few months have been particularly eventful for our institute and have left their mark beyond the crisis. In this annual report, we would like to take a look back and share with you the key developments, research findings and activities of our institute.

An extraordinary year lies behind us. The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on all of our lives - both privately and professionally. Digitalization received a significant boost during the crisis. Relatively quickly, we not only managed to convert our own institute's operations to the new mode, but also to use the expertise available in our company to make an impact on the social aspects of digital technologies. It is no exaggeration to say that corona has become something of an unscheduled cross-cutting topic at the institute. We are not only interested in the immediate but also the long-term consequences of the digitalization wave in the wake of the crisis.

For the Weizenbaum Institute, the reporting period was characterized by the further development of the institute, but also by the enthusiasm with which our researchers worked on interdisciplinary topics in the individual research groups. In this annual review, we report on institutional developments, formats for promoting young researchers, national and international academic exchange, knowledge transfer and dialog with society, politics and business.

The Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society began its work in September 2017. This is the first federally funded research institute to conduct interdisciplinary and fundamental research into the interactions between digitalization and social change and to develop options for shaping the digital transformation. The first year of funding was characterized by great dynamism, both with regard to the establishment of the institute and initial scientific results as well as with regard to political and social developments in the field of digitalization.