The work of the 21 research groups is supplemented by thematic groups with a cross-sectional character. The cross-sectional formats deal with overarching questions of ethics and political shaping of the relationship between technology and society.
The cross-sectional formats pursue two main objectives. First, they bring together research results and prepare them for overarching ethical and political questions. The aim is to provide expert opinions on the major design issues with regard to the relationship between society and digital technology.
Secondly, innovative and risky ideas and impulses for the further development of the research agenda of the Weizenbaum-Institut are to be developed. In doing so, the cross-sectional formats are to remain a living instrument. Accordingly, their questions (and also their number) will be adapted to the development of the Weizenbaum-Institute.
This cross-sectional format accompanies the transformation to a sustainable networked society. The transformation processes observed include the sustainable digitization of energy networks, mobility, and education, but also substitution effects in the working environments of the future.