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.
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 (…)
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 (…)
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 (…)
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 (…)
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 (…)
In early June 2025, the second internal workshop of the DFG/FWF Research Unit 5656 “Communicative AI” (ComAI) took place at the University of Bremen. The goal of the meeting was to sharpen shared perspectives on central theoretical and methodological challenges and to further structure the intensive exchange between the sub-projects. The focus was initially on (…)
On June 4, 2025, Annalena Mittlmeier (doctoral researcher) and Prof. Dr. Michaela Pfadenhauer presented key perspectives from the ComAI sub-project “Everyday Life and Communicative AI Companionship” (P7) at a seminar hosted by the University of Bielefeld. Their presentation focused on the question of post-sociality in relation to communicative AI – particularly in the context of (…)
Three new recordings of the ComAI Lectures with Axel Bruns, Benedetta Brevini and Christian Greiffenhagen are now available in full length on the ZeMKI YouTube channel. The lecture with guest speaker Prof. Dr. Axel Bruns, entitled “AI as Research Assistant”, deals with the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) for the analysis of media content, especially for controversial (…)
On June 3 and 4, leading international scholars will discuss key issues of technology and power at the conference “From Platform Governance to Generative AI” in Bremen. The final program is now released.AoIR Flashpoint Symposium 2025 Date and Location: 3-4 June 2025, BremenHost: Lab Platform Governance, Media, and Technology (PGMT);Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI);University of (…)
On Monday, June 30, 2025, the ComAI Lecture on “AI within Public Online Discourse” with Dr. Dennis Frieß from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf will take place at the Bremen Press Club. In his lecture, Frieß will focus on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in public online discourse and present three research projects. The first (…)
On May 7, 2025, Andreas Hepp will give a lecture at the Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. The lecture will explore the concept of digital futures and the research perspectives required to investigate them. Hepp will discuss the meaning of the term “digital futures,” which is commonly used in (…)
On April 22nd, 2025, the Center for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen hosted an inspiring panel discussion with the renowned tech philosopher Prof. Dr. David Gunkel. The challenges and opportunities of large language models (LLMs) and communicative artificial intelligence (AI) were discussed intensively for almost two hours, both on (…)
23. April 2025
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
