What does freedom mean to you?
Spontaneously I would say that freedom means everything to me. In this respect, freedom has a value for me that can hardly be overestimated. When I consider it a little longer, many different forms of freedom come to mind. And they come into play in very different areas of life. At university, I appreciate, perhaps especially in times of fixed opinions and positions, the opportunity to ask real questions and pursue them with an open mind. For me, these are wonderful moments when freedom is realised in this form in conversation or in research with colleagues – who may come from completely different disciplines.

How does freedom feature in your work?
My work deals with concepts of freedom that arise in the public debate about artificial intelligence. Since the publication of ChatGPT on 30 November 2022, the opportunities and dangers of the latest AI developments have been the subject of controversial debates. Ideas of freedom play a crucial role here: some see the possibility of AI tools relieving them of tedious routine tasks or solving problems that threaten the freedom of humanity, such as climate change. Others recognise AI and the dynamics it creates as the problem itself, for example, if the facilitated production of fake news undermines democratic freedom, or if AI escapes human control and develops a life of its own.

What project(s) are you working on during your fellowship at the Forum Basiliense?
My project aims to explore the key motifs of the public debate surrounding the latest developments in AI. What questions do people ask, what fears but also which hopes does AI raise? At the heart of this debate are notions of freedom that are being renegotiated by the latest AI developments. These basic motifs, the terms, figures and narratives that appear in the public debate may have a long history. For example, the motif of man-made technology getting out of control and taking on a life of its own can be found in ancient myths but has also been adapted many times in literature and film. In addition to technical factors, such ideas play a significant role in determining how we perceive and evaluate technological developments and how we deal with technological tools. Accordingly, I will examine the current debates on artificial intelligence from a cultural sociological perspective.