Stories

How does automated decision-making effect our daily lives? Where are the systems applied and what happens when something goes wrong? Read our journalistic investigations on the current use of ADM systems and their consequences.

Spain under shock as schoolboys create fake nudes using generative models

In a small Spanish town, several schoolboys used generative models to create fake nudes of their fellow pupils. Police, prosecutors, and parents are at a loss on how to pursue a case that shows, once again, that women are the main victims of deepfakes.

Foto von Bastien Jaillot auf Unsplash

25 September 2023

Generative Artificial Intelligence is slowly entering children’s lives

A leak from Amazon gave us a glimpse of what they have planned for youngsters - and parents. How much personal data do we (or should we) accept handing over when it comes to our children?

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Foto von Isaac Mehegan auf Unsplash

18 September 2023

Automated navigation systems are still wreaking havoc on small towns’ streets

Apps like Google and Waze are redirecting traffic to secondary roads that are not equipped to handle the traffic, disrupting their infrastructure. Small cities have little capacity to change this.

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Illustration: Julia Schwarz

19 July 2023

Algorithmic Accountability Reporting

Peeking into the Black Box

Welfare fraud scoring, predictive policing, or ChatGPT: Lawmakers and government officials around the world are increasingly relying on algorithms, and most of them are completely opaque. Algorithmic Accountability Reporting takes a closer look at how they work and the effects they have. But only very few media outlets conduct such reporting. Why?

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MidJourney - A student is taking an exam at her computer, seen from the back. Next to her, a cell phone on a tripod is filming her.

18 July 2023

200 students failed their exams. Automated proctoring could be to blame, but doubts remain 

In Spain, 200 students of the International University of La Rioja failed their exams. Some blame a glitch in the proctoring software, but it might have been a change in the system’s rules. University officials gave contradictory explanations, leaving students to fight against bureaucracy and the assessment of a machine.

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Foto von Fisnik Murtezi auf Unsplash

18 July 2023

AI-powered surveillance

In Mannheim, an automated system reports hugs to the police

Mannheim, a large city on the Rhine, deployed a video system that claims to automatically detect physical violence in some streets. It can confuse hugging with strangling, and it is unclear whether it can actually prevent violence.

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Foto von Gilles Lambert auf Unsplash

21 June 2023

The Automated Hunt for Cybergroomers

Algorithms have been developed to help track down cybergroomers, who stalk minors online. But the reliability of automated systems is controversial – and they can even criminalize children and teens.

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Photo by Tobias Messer on Unsplash

5 June 2023

ChatGPT-like models boom, but small languages remain in shadows

A lack of source material, investment, and commercial prioritization are all holding back the development of generative models and automated moderation for languages spoken in smaller countries and regions.

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30 May 2023

Let the Games Begin: France’s Controversial Olympic Law Legitimizes Automated Surveillance Testing at Sporting Events

Building up from a decade of surveillance creep, the new French law is yet another example of how sporting events are used to normalize automated surveillance systems in public spaces.

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25 May 2023

The AI Mobility Revolution in the Countryside: Optimism versus Reality

Frieder Schmelzle from the Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) gives an overview of the current mobility and digital strategies of the German state governments on the issue of public transport connections in rural regions. Great expectations lie on the automation of local transport. However, this overshadows more fundamental questions about sustainable mobility in rural areas.

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