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The prevalence of speech assistants taking orders, social bots influencing debates, and machines generating texts underscores the increasing sophistication of automated communication. Simultaneously, public discourse on these phenomena reflects the ongoing challenges associated with the automation of communication. It seems that the intricacies of today’s complex societies compel a reliance on automation to meet communication needs, while also generating additional issues for which automated communication appears to be the most plausible solution.

Research in nine projects plus coordination project

The “Communicative AI“ Research Unit, funded by the DFG and the FWF, is investigating in nine projects and one coordination project how societal communication changes when communicative AI becomes part of it. Top researchers from the fields of media and communication studies, informatics, sociology and law are involved. The research focuses on pioneer communities, the development of interfaces, the legal handling and governance of communicative AI, its role in journalism, in public (online) discourse, in everyday personal life through technological companions, in the health sector and in learning and teaching.

Paper Negotiating AI(s) futures

New Publication Explores Global AI Imaginaries

How is the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) envisioned – and who shapes these visions? A new article published in the Journal of Science Communication investigates this question, co-authored by Prof. Dr. Christian Katzenbach, principal investigator of ComAI’s “Governance” project. The study examines how key societal stakeholders – including actors from politics, industry, academia, media, (…)

Teilprojekt "Education"

New Network Launched: “AI meets Qualitative Methods”

In June 2025, a new interdisciplinary network was launched within the context of the ComAI sub-project Higher Education: “AI meets Qualitative Methods” (AIQM) brings together researchers interested in critically and practically exploring the role of artificial intelligence in qualitative research. The initiative emerged from the observation that while AI tools – from structuring interviews to (…)

CUI Konferenz 2025

ComAI at the ACM Conversational User Interfaces Conference 2025

The ComAI sub-project “Interfaces” is represented at the ACM Conversational User Interfaces Conference 2025 with two paper presentations and a workshop. The international conference, taking place from July 8–10 in Waterloo (Canada), is one of the leading venues for research on conversational AI, voice interfaces, and human–machine interaction. Users as Active Co-Designers of Voice Interfaces (…)

Osaka Expo 2025

Andreas Hepp on Visions of the Future at Expo 2025 in Osaka

A new article by ZeMKI member Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp has been published in taz – die tageszeitung. Titled “Expo in Osaka: Wooden Ring Instead of Crystal Ball”, the piece examines the range of future scenarios presented at Expo 2025 – from AI-driven life narratives to grassroots sustainability initiatives. The central question: What kinds of (…)

Sara Skardelly und Leonie Winterpacht auf der Transforming Care Conference 2025

ComAI at the Transforming Care Conference 2025 in Helsinki

From June 25 to 27, 2025, Sara Skardelly and Leonie Winterpacht participated in the international Transforming Care Conference at the University of Helsinki, Finland. The conference brought together researchers and practitioners to discuss transformations in care and caregiving in the face of social and technological change. In their presentation titled “Who cares? Contesting anticipations about (…)

Sara Skardelly und Leonie Winterpacht auf der SENOvation Styria , Foto credit: Oliver Wolf

ComAI at SENOvation Styria 2025

As part of this year’s SENOvation Styria event, Sara Skardelly and Leonie Winterpacht presented initial insights from the ComAI sub-project “health: Caring through ComAI”, led by Juliane Jarke. The event took place on June 23, 2025, at the Medical Science City Graz and the Medical University of Graz, bringing together professionals and researchers from the (…)

European Conference on Critical EdTech Studies (ECCES)

ComAI in Education at the first European Conference on Critical EdTech Studies (ECCES)

The first European Conference on Critical EdTech Studies (ECCES) took place at the Zurich University of Teacher Education from June 18 to 20, 2025. The conference is dedicated to the critical examination of educational technologies from an interdisciplinary perspective. In their presentation “Rethinking Communicative AI in Higher Education through the framework of susceptibility to algorithmic (…)

Andreas Hepp

New Publication: Andreas Hepp on Figurations of Digital Futures in the Berliner Journal für Soziologie

As part of the newly released special issue “Refiguration or Transformation: The Reordering of the World Beyond Globalization” of the Berliner Journal für Soziologie, Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp (PI of ComAI project “Pioneer Communities”) has published an article. The piece, titled “Figurations of Digital Futures – or: Why We Need Media and Communication Research on (…)

Amsterdamer Gracht

Two international talks by Andreas Hepp on communicative AI and digital futures

In June 2025, Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp (ZeMKI, University of Bremen, spokesperson of the research group Communicative AI) will address key questions on the transformation of public communication and the digital futures of communicative AI at two renowned events: 24 June 2025 – “AI meets humanities & social sciences” (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna) In (…)

Denver, Colorado, USA

ComAI at ICA 2025: Critical Perspectives on Communicative AI and Society

On June 13, 2025, as part of the International Communication Association (ICA) conference in Denver, a panel entitled “Critical Perspectives on Communicative AI and Society: Imaginaries, Data Infrastructures, Democracy, Silence and Automated Markets” took place. The panel provided a platform for leading scholars to discuss key challenges in dealing with communicative AI from a social (…)

Visiting Scholar in Stanford

Andreas Hepp Visiting Scholar at Stanford University

What characterizes the “intellectual landscape” surrounding the development of artificial intelligence in California? ZeMKI member Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp is currently conducting research as a visiting scholar at Stanford University on pioneer communities in Silicon Valley. Until October 20th, Andreas Hepp will work with the Silicon Valley Archives as part of his research stay and (…)

Funded by DFG (German Research Foundation)FWF Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Andreas Hepp
ZeMKI, Center for Media, Communication and Information Research University of Bremen
Universität Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-67620
Sekretariat (Ms. Schmidt): +49 421 218-67606
E-mail: andreas.hepp@uni-bremen.de

Uni BremenZeMKI Uni BremenLeibniz Instituts für Medienforschung | Hans Bredow InstitutUni GrazUni GrazUni Wien