Menschen in Bangladesh auf der Straße
Story Jun. 17, 2020

Responsibility – following the Rana Plaza disaster

Since the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory, occupational safety in Bangladesh has improved – according to the results of a Foundation-funded study. But what will remain if the politicians don't keep at it?  

Story Jun. 12, 2020

Sentencing with the aid of algorithms

Many courts in the USA use software to assess the risk of recidivism of defendants. Should AI also be used in the German judicial system? An interdisciplinary research group is now seeking answers to the provocative issues raised in this context.

Interview Jun. 08, 2020

How the corona crisis reveals the balance of power in medicine

Freigeist Fellow Dr. Tine Hanrieder talks about how the pandemic is impacting on her research – and what she would like to see happen for people working on the front lines of global health care.

Story Jun. 02, 2020

When the black box talks to us

Thanks to increasingly sophisticated voice control, communication between man and machine is making great strides. Will the dialog with intelligent systems change our society?

Story May. 11, 2020

How do children learn to speak?

The linguist Birgit Hellwig is researching the language acquisition of small children – on the example of Qaqet, an endangered language in Papua New Guinea.

Interview May. 05, 2020

Global Issues

New impetus for the Volkswagen Foundation’s international funding: Interview with Dr. Adelheid Wessler, head of the 'International' funding team, on the 'Global Issues' program.