Lecture "AI and political power" as part of the Digital Week 2025

On September 25, 18:00-19:30, the cognitive scientist Annemarie Witschas (AG Ethics of AI, Osnabrück University) will classify the role of AI in anti-democratic projects and their ideological backgrounds in her lecture.

What happens when artificial intelligence is used to control government processes - and increasingly undermines democratic principles? In the US, we are already seeing the radical transformation of the rule of law: tens of thousands of state employees have been laid off, while unelected tech billionaires like Elon Musk are increasingly influencing political and administrative processes. The presentation will outline how AI and other digital technologies are being used as a tool in anti-democratic projects, from the creation of political advertisements to their use in administrative processes. It will also shed light on the ideological background to this development.

Following the lecture, there will be room for questions and discussion in the second half of the event.

Admission is free, but registration is requested.

Speaker: Annemarie Witschas, Osnabrück University,  Ethics of AI working group

Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Schlossaula (Room 11/E01, Neuer Graben 29, 49074 Osnabrück)

Related news

© Seedhouse

Application phase for the Seedhouse Incubator started

The Seedhouse Incubator supports founders in the further development of their business model, focusing on technology-oriented high-tech solutions in the fields of agriculture, food and artificial intelligence.

Mourning for Prof. PhD Horst Behncke

Prof. Behncke taught as Professor of Mathematics at Osnabrück University from 1974 until his retirement in 2008; he was one of the founding fathers and shaped mathematics in Osnabrück as Dean several times.

Crowd in front of a historic cathedral with a large inflatable structure in the foreground.
© KM | Universität Osnabrück

Lower Saxony Day: We were there!

The 38th Day of Lower Saxony took place from August 29 to 31, for the first time in Osnabrück. Osnabrück University and Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences were there with 360° impressions of the university location and exhibits on the world of AI!

© stock.adobe.com | westend61

Computer scientists research the memory of the future

New types of RAM are turning the computer world on its head: they retain data even without power, can perform calculations themselves and can be shared by several computers in memory pools.