Access to relevant information is often a major challenge for refugees. The research paper “From Information-Seeking to Information-Asking: Designing RefuGPT, a Chatbot for Ukrainian Refugees in Switzerland” was published in the journal “Digital Government: Research and Practice”. RefuGPT helps Ukrainian refugees to better understand and navigate the complex bureaucratic processes… Read More »Designing RefuGPT
In an interview with WOZ, Roland Meyer, DIZH Bridge Professor for Digital Cultures and Arts at UZH and ZHdK, talks about the cultural and political consequences of generative image AI. Instead of creating new visual languages, they mainly reproduce stereotypical motifs and backward-looking aesthetics. He warns of a “model collapse”:… Read More »“AI image generators are nostalgia machines and cliché amplifiers”
UZH’s Data Donation Lab supports data journalism cooperation project In the run-up to the 2025 federal elections in Germany, left-wing influencers have gained reach on TikTok. An analysis of exclusive user data, conducted by Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) in collaboration with Stuttgarter Zeitung, Stuttgarter Nachrichten, the Weizenbaum Institute and the University… Read More »Political content on tiktok
The European automotive industry is in crisis: 2024 sales figures for electric and combustion cars have fallen. Anja Schulze, Director of the Swiss Center for Automotive Research and DIZH bridge professor at the UZH and ZHAW, explains why electromobility still has a future in an interview with the Beobachter. She… Read More »‘It’s inconceivable that the combustion engine will run forever’ – Interview with Anja Schulze
Spatial imagination is a fundamental skill for orientation in space. The targeted promotion of this skill can be supported particularly effectively through playful approaches, especially through methods from game design. The Spatial Abilities project is developing interactive, virtual training software in the form of a video game. The three-dimensional game… Read More »Spatial Abilities: New visual material in the project video
The projects cover a wide range of topics – from health, education and social participation to biodiversity. In the 4th project call, the DIZH is funding 16 projects that are characterised by their innovative strength, social relevance and strong practical relevance. The projects are realised by interdisciplinary teams that combine… Read More »16 New Projects Receive Funding
The CYRENZH Cybersecurity Clinic offers pro bono cybersecurity services to selected organizations in Switzerland. Students from the University of Zurich, the ZHAW School of Engineering and the ZHAW School of Management and Law apply the knowledge they have acquired during their studies in a practical way to strengthen the cyber… Read More »Successful Implementation of the First Four Cybersecurity Clinic Projects
The “Spatial Sustainable Finance” project by the ZHAW School of Management and Law, the ZHAW School of Life Sciences and Facility Management, and the Department of Geography at the University of Zurich has been awarded the Geospatial World Excellence Award 2025 for Environmental and Social Impact. Peter Schwendner from the… Read More »Geospatial World Excellence Award 2025
In his article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, Roland Meyer analyzes how right-wing extremists and tech companies use generative AI to package ideological messages in familiar, seemingly harmless visual styles, e.g. in the style of Studio Ghibli. He warns of the political power of these aesthetics and criticizes the exploitative… Read More »The language of digital fascism. Roland Meyer on AI, aesthetics and ideology
A recent study by the University of Zurich shows that people are more concerned about the immediate risks of artificial intelligence, such as job loss or discrimination, than about speculative future scenarios in which AI threatens humanity. Three online experiments with over 10,000 participants from the USA and the UK… Read More »How people perceive AI risks: New study by the University of Zurich