The focus is on digital security as a people-centred and interdisciplinary field of research. The aim is to examine the risks that digital technologies pose to people and society, and how these risks can be mitigated. This includes, for example, discrimination and bias caused by digital systems, disinformation and misinformation, or situations in which users have only limited ability to understand or influence how digital technologies are used. The seminar also addresses the question of how digital systems can be designed and regulated to better protect vulnerable groups in particular – such as children.
The aim of the two-day seminar is to promote exchange and networking amongst early-career researchers across disciplinary boundaries. The focus is on constructive feedback on research work and the exchange of ideas on shared research questions. The discussions are intended to contribute to making digital systems safer, more responsible and more socially sustainable.
Two keynote speeches on AI and cyber-resilience
Prof. Dr Lena Kästner, Professor of Philosophy, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bayreuth and Principal Investigator in the bidt FoGG project, will provide the opening address. In her keynote address, ‘AI and the Safety Paradox: Convenience, Control, or Compromise?’, she will explore the tension between convenience, control and safety in the use of artificial intelligence.
The second keynote will be delivered by Dr Jens Karschau, an officer in the digital consumer protection division at the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). Under the title “Cyber-Resilience: Bridging Consumer Protection, Smart Hardware, and the AI Frontier”, he will speak about the security of digital ecosystems for consumers, their systemic risks and the growing importance of artificial intelligence.
DigiSem 2026 – Digitalisation Research Seminar
About the Network of Institutes for Digitalisation Research (NIfD)
Since 2021, the Network of Institutes for Digitalisation Research (NIfD) has brought together leading institutions in Germany that conduct interdisciplinary research into the social, political and technological consequences of the digital transformation. The network’s members are the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), the Centre for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans Bredow Institute (HBI), the Weizenbaum Institute and the Centre for Responsible Digitalisation (ZEVEDI). The network fosters cooperation, knowledge exchange and joint initiatives to raise the profile and impact of digitalisation research in Germany.
Participating institutions of the NIfD
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