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Interview 05 February 2020

"If the machine starts to fool around, just pull the plug."

In what ways is artificial intelligence (AI) impacting on our society? How can productively handle the population’s reservations towards AI applications? A conversation between the AI expert Fruszina Molnár-Gábor and the new Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation, Georg Schütte.

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News 27 January 2020

Sonar Navigation Inspired by Bat Flowers

Successful "Experiment!": Researchers have come up with a solution for efficient sonar measurements for robots and self-driving cars, inspired by a special coevolution between bats and flowers.

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News 16 January 2020

Addressing Future Challenges – Georg Schütte Takes up Position as Secretary General

Dr. Georg Schütte became Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation on January 1, 2020. He took over from Dr. Wilhelm Krull, who retired oat the end of December, 2019. Schütte previously held the position of State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and now he has some ambitious plans for the Volkswagen Foundation going forward.

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Interview 13 November 2019

"A natural disaster is like a virus"

Epidemiologist Debarati Guha-Sapir gives insights, how data analysis can help to adapt to extreme weather events and even prevent deaths.

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News 07 October 2019

Concepts and Challenges of Interdisciplinarity

At the symposium "Interdisciplinarity Revisited", 150 scientists from all over the world discussed the added value of interdisciplinary approaches in research and teaching.

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Interview 30 September 2019

"We Need Interdisciplinary Cooperation on Equal Terms"

In its funding initiative on artificial intelligence (AI), the Foundation promotes close collaboration between the technical and social sciences in order to enable future-oriented AI research in the interests of society at large. An interview with the initiative's program directors.

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Stories

Eine Frau, die aufmerksam zuhört
Story 06 March 2025

So that everyone can have their say: Citizens' assembly on AI research

Rhetoric expert Anika Kaiser researches how people can make themselves heard on the major issues of our time – artificial intelligence (AI) being a case in point. She is the right person to take care that this grassroots democratic process does not remain too detached from reality: in her first life, she trained as a painter.

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Frauen mit Kopftüchern sitzen an Tischen und haben Steinblöcke mit Inschriften vor sich liegen, die sie betrachten.
Story 26 February 2025

Archaeology as reconstruction: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Mosul

He came to Mosul with the task of excavating ancient Nineveh. In the meantime, however, the mission of the ancient orientalist Stefan Maul goes far beyond this: he is rebuilding the study of antiquity in Iraq. And he is teaching the people what the Islamists robbed them of: pride in their cultural heritage.

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