Weizenbaum Institute

The Weizenbaum Institute is a joint project from Berlin and Brandenburg funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The Weizenbaum-Institut e.V. is the responsible body for the central administration and legal representation of the institute. Objectives The aim is to better understand the dynamics, mechanisms and implications of digitalisation. To this end, the Weizenbaum Institute investigates the ethical, legal, economic and political aspects of digital change. This creates an empirical basis for responsible digitalisation. On the basis of the research findings, action options are developed for government, the economy and civil society, in order to shape the digital transformation in a responsible interdisciplinary manner. Consortium The Weizenbaum Institute is a joint project of five universities and two non university research institutions in Berlin and Brandenburg funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The following partners are involved in the consortium: Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK), Universität Potsdam (UP), as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). The Weizenbaum-Institut e.V. is responsible for the administrative coordination and legal representation of the institute. Joseph Weizenbaum The Institute takes its name from the German-American computer science pioneer Joseph Weizenbaum (1923 – 2008), who critically examined the relationship between human beings and machines. His call for a responsible use of technology is emblematic of the work of the Weizenbaum Institute: studying and shaping the internet and digitalisation for the good of society.