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“ComAI” research unit on communicative artificial intelligence kicks off

In January, the DFG/FWF research group “ComAI” on the automation of societal communication, jointly initiated by the ZeMKI at the University of Bremen, the Hamburg Leibniz Institute for Media Research, the University of Graz, and the University of Vienna, will commence.

Nine research projects, along with a coordination project, will investigate how societal communication changes when communicative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes part of it. The research group is coordinated by the ZeMKI (Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp) and the Leibniz Institute for Media Research (Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen). Leading researchers from the fields of communication and media studies, human-computer interaction, sociology of knowledge, governance research, and media law are involved.

“There are great fantasies about how artificial intelligence will change our society. In the ComAI research unit, we want to explore how AI is changing communication – not only in the present, but also what potential it holds for a different kind of future,” says Andreas Hepp, co-spokesperson of the DFG/FWF research group ComAI.

The shared goal of the group is to systematically analyze the transformation of societal communication under the influence of artificial intelligence by examining the consequences of its application in various social contexts and the societal discourse surrounding it. The research focuses on social pioneers, interface development, the legal and corporate handling of communicative AI, its role in journalism, public (online) discourse, personal daily life with technological companions, healthcare, as well as learning and teaching.

The research group is also establishing an innovative “ComAI Research Space” – a shared research environment among the participating institutions to enhance the visibility of the group’s findings for decision-makers in various societal sectors. A key component of this initiative is the ongoing exploration of possible future scenarios for the dissemination and impact assessment of automation processes at different levels of societal communication.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the research group “Communicative AI: The Automation of Social Communication” during an initial funding phase from 2025 to 2028. Researchers involved include Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp (ZeMKI, University of Bremen), Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | HBI), Prof. Dr. Rainer Malaka (TZI, University of Bremen), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | HBI), Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach (ZeMKI, University of Bremen), Prof. Dr. Cornelius Puschmann (ZeMKI, University of Bremen), Dr. Gregor Wiedemann (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | HBI), Prof. Dr. Michaela Pfadenhauer (University of Vienna), Prof. Dr. Juliane Jarke (University of Graz), and Prof. Dr. Andreas Breiter (ifib/ZeMKI, University of Bremen).