Updates from I2SC

We are happy to share Jonas Fegert’s ( https://lnkd.in/evu8FZ42 ) TEDx talk, Digitale Demokratie in der Krise – und was wir dagegen tun können , from our TEDxSaarbrigge event on June 14th, 2025. Private Plattformen haben enorme Macht über öffentliche Debatten. Jonas Fegert zeigt, wie Algorithmen unsere Meinungsbildung beeinflussen und wie digitale Demokratie gestaltet werden kann – interdisziplinär, partizipativ und verantwortungsvoll. Private platforms shape public debate. Jonas Fegert explores how algorithms influence opinion formation and how we can design participatory digital democracies. 👉 Full talk on YouTube: More details on TEDx Saarbrigge: https://www.i2sc.net/events/past-events/tedx-saarbrigge  

We are happy to share Dr. Carolin-Theresa Ziemer’s ( https://lnkd.in/e4s4Ni-7 ) TEDx talk,  Belonging & Belief: The Identity Paradox in Misinformation , from our TEDxSaarbrigge event on June 14th, 2025. Warum glauben wir Falschinformationen – selbst wenn Fakten klar sind?   Dr. Ziemer zeigt, dass es weniger um Wahrheit als um Zugehörigkeit geht. Unsere Identität kann uns verwundbar machen – aber sie kann uns auch schützen. Drei Strategien für Resilienz: Inokulation, Empathie, Identitätsbildung. Why do we believe misinformation, even when facts are clear? Belonging often outweighs truth—but our identities can also help us resist. Three strategies for resilience: inoculation, empathy, and identity building. 👉 Full talk on YouTube:   More details on TEDx Saarbrigge: https://www.i2sc.net/events/past-events/tedx-saarbrigge  

We are happy to share Christian Felber’s ( https://lnkd.in/eAiWvbkM ) TEDx talk,  Common Good Democracy: Stepping up to the next level in democracy evolution , from our TEDxSaarbrigge event on June 14th, 2025. How do we measure what truly matters?  Christian Felber calls for a shift from GDP-driven policies to a “Common Good Democracy,” where citizens hold real sovereign rights and societal well-being is central. 👉 Full talk on YouTube:  More details on TEDx Saarbrigge: https://www.i2sc.net/events/past-events/tedx-saarbrigge  

Date : November 21, 2025 Abstract : In this talk, I will share my never-ending learning journey on algorithmic fairness. I will give an overview of fairness in algorithmic decision-making, reviewing the progress and wrong assumptions made along the way, which have led to new and fascinating research questions. Most of these questions remain open to this day and become even more challenging in the era of generative AI. Thus, this talk will provide only a few answers but many open challenges to motivate the need for a paradigm shift from owner-centered to society-centered AI. With society-centered AI, I aim to bring the values, goals, and needs of all relevant stakeholders into AI development as first-class citizens to ensure that these new technologies are at the service of society. You can watch the recording of the talk below. Check out our lecture series: https://www.i2sc.net/events/i2sc-lecture-series And, sign up to our mailing list if you don't want to miss these talks.

Last semester, Dr. Vikram Kamath Cannanure from I2SC organized the AI in the Global South Seminar where students from Saarland University worked together to discuss case studies, brainstorm the challenges in AI adoption, and build AI applications to support the Global South. In this series of blog posts, we showcase the projects created by the seminar participants.   Project : Malam: A Low-Bandwidth AI Math Tutor for Afghan Girls Team : Tedis Cico, Ahmad Fadel, Mahalakshmi Raveenthiran, Désirée Wiltzius After the Taliban enforced an education ban for girls after sixth grade in late 2021, a lot of girls and women have turned to online studying resources. Our project explores how generative AI (GenAI) can provide safe, motivational, and culturally responsive math tutoring for Afghan girls. To better understand this dreadful problem, we have read papers, watched interviews, listened to podcasts and, most importantly, talked to Hamyoon Behmanush, an Afghan doctoral researcher a...

Last semester, Dr. Vikram Kamath Cannanure from I2SC organized the AI in the Global South Seminar where students from Saarland University worked together to discuss case studies, brainstorm the challenges in AI adoption, and build AI applications to support the Global South. In this series of blog posts, we showcase the projects created by the seminar participants. Project: A Strategic Blueprint for Improving Digital Health Literacy using Responsible AI: Design and Governance of a Medically Validated Conversational Agent   Team:  Rayyan Minhaj, Rajkumar Vaghashiya, Vaishnavi Borse, Muhammad Mubeen Siddiqui Problem & Context "Ali ji is a 45-year-old farmer living in rural Pakistan. He's never been to school, but he works hard every day to provide for his family. Two weeks ago, after suffering from persistent chest pain, he traveled 5 kilometers to the nearest hospital. The doctor handed him a report filled with numbers and medical terms like LDL, triglycerides, HDL, and t...