Artificial Intelligence and Democracy Backgrounder This backgrounder introduces readers to the research literature on AI’s impact on democracy. It surveys literature in three distinct areas: AI and the democratic public sphere, the impact of AI on election campaigns, and the importance and accountability of automated decision-making systems in public services. By Thorsten Thiel
The Gender Gap in AI Explainer The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has grown exponentially as the world is increasingly being built around automated systems and ‘smart’ machines. Yet the people whose work underpin this are far from representative of the society these systems are meant to serve. There is an extensive gender gap in AI, with a significant absence of women working in the data and AI fields globally. By Erin Lorelie Young
What is Privacy by Design? Explainer Privacy by Design (PbD) has been defined as a development method for privacy-friendly systems and services. It became a legal requirement for data controllers in the GDPR in 2018. By Simone Fischer-Hübner
What is data stewardship, and how could it address questions of power imbalance in the data economy? Backgrounder Data stewardship describes a set of governance mechanisms that allow individuals and communities greater agency over their information. How can data stewardship models address questions of power imbalance in the data economy? By Anouk Ruhaak and Astha Kapoor
Containing authoritarianism in the digital age: Platform governance in view of Germany’s constitutional order Spotlight Fighting off authoritarian overreach, while preserving minority rights and without becoming autocratic themselves has always been a challenge for democracies, however, the details of this balancing act need to be re-assessed vis-à-vis the new dangers of digital authoritarianism. By Martin Fertmann and Jan Rau
What are data intermediaries? Explainer Based on the data they collect, platforms are able to target personalized content at the user level. What are the collective aspects of personalization on media platforms? How do they affect our privacy? By Ayelet Gordon-Tapiero
Trends in Privacy Enforcement: A Comparative Analysis of post-GDPR Enforcement Styles Spotlight This analysis aims to capture and cluster different post-GDPR enforcement styles by DPAs across the EU to better understand why enforcement over data protection issues vary across borders. By Ido Sivan-Sevilla
The Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in the EU Backgrounder Whether and how to regulate AI has become a lively discussion all over the world. Only recently, regulations have come into force in a number of countries including France, Germany, China and Canada. In other countries, such as the US and Brazil they are being intensely debated. This backgrounder provides information about what is at stake when regulating artificial intelligence. By Christian Djeffal
Automated Decision Making: A hidden blessing for uncovering systemic bias? Commentary If executed properly, systematic audits of automated decision making can not only provide a mechanism to keep algorithmic systems “in check”, but may even provide systems and institutions an opportunity to better understand, and eventually overcome, the structural and human biases inherent to their practices. By Gal Yona
Fighting disinformation and the question of origin Commentary This commentary critically assesses current trends in online media control in liberal democracies. It argues that protecting society against disinformation campaigns has become a prevailing and increasingly successful legitimatory strategy for governmental restrictions on the free flow of information. By Wolf Schünemann