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Recommender systems -Shaping our news?

A speech by Damian Trilling

How can we ensure trust and responsibility in the use of generative AI? What role does it hold in the future of media? What are recommender systems and how do they shape our news feeds?

These were the key questions discussed at the Media Futures Annual Meeting in Bergen, Norway, which brought together over 130 participants from organizations such as @BBC Verify, TV 2, Nokia Bell Labs Cambridge, Amazon Web Services, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Dataminr.
TWON-consortium leader Damian Trilling, professor at Vrjje Universiteit Amsterdam, discussed one of the above mentioned questions in his closing speech: He outlined the impact of different responsible recommender systems for news, as there needs to be a balance between user engagement and ethical considerations.
The Twin of Online Social Networks (TWON) can help to find out, what this balance shall look like and what the impacts of a disbalance are.

The event also featured insightful keynotes that discussed emerging ethical challenges and technological strategies to tackle them, assessed the potential of AI in disaster response, stressed the addressing of falsehoods in uncertain times or showed the impact of regular and early smartphone usage on our world view.

We are happy about the success of the SFI MediaFutures Annual Meeting 2024, fostering collaboration between researchers, industry experts and practitioners.

How to counter Antisemitism online – The European Practitioners network against Antisemitism meets

How does antisemitism appear on social media? What is the role of platform operators when it comes to the moderation of hateful content? And how to counter antisemitism online?

These were only some of the questions discussed during DialoguePerspective’s European Practitioners Network Against Antisemitism meeting in Belgrade this November. In a number of input sessions and workshops participants exchanged the challenges and developed possible solutions, with a focus on intersectionality and younger generations. A visit to a local synagogue gave the chance to grasp realities of Jewish life in Serbia.

In the panel discussion TWON’s Jonas Fegert discussed with Katharina von Schnurbein (European Commission’s Coordination on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life), Friedrich Enders (TikTok) and Misko Stanisicšić (Terraforming). Moderated by Jo Frank (DialoguePerspectives) they talked about countering antisemitism online. Jonas Fegert stressed the importance of understanding platform mechanisms, as there is currently a lack of transparency. A Twin of Online Social Networks (a TWON), such as the one we are currently building, is a crucial tool to understanding the effects of platform design choices. The researcher access to platform data guaranteed by the Digital Services Act (DSA) is a chance to shed light in this field. But it is also the responsibility of platform operators to create transparency and cooperate with researchers.

The event was kicked off by remarks by Anke Konrad (German Ambassador to Serbia), Avivit Bar-Ilan (Israeli Ambassador to Serbia), Edward Ferguson (UK Ambassador to Serbia), Brankica Janković (Commission for Protection of Equality, Serbia) and Katharina von Schnurbein.

Thank you for the great discussions with practitioners, activists, policy makers and platform operators!

The first TWON Citizen Lab took place in Karlsruhe!

As part of the Days for Democracy Karlsruhe the participants of DialoguePerspectives’ European Leadership Workshop discussed on how online social networks influence democracy in the digital age.

Achim Rettinger (Trier University), Neta-Paulina Wagner (DialoguePerspectives) & Damian Trilling (Amsterdam University) (from left to right)

In workshops by TWON’s Prof. Damian Trilling, Prof. Achim Rettinger and Dr. Eugen Pissarskoi the participants learned about research approaches to social media dynamics, the ethics behind creating Twins of Online Social Networks (TWON) and the role of online social networks and AI in digital democracy. Melanie Döring and Marisa Wengeler from Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) held thought-provoking inputs on the EU’s Digital Services Act and media literacy as well as the concept of pre- and de-bunking in the online realm. Nuriyatul Lailiyah gave interesting insights on the usage of social media in Southeast Asia. The participants of the European Leadership Workshop not only discussed on the topics within the group, but also with citizens during public outdoor events in the Triangel Event Space Karlsruhe during a Bar Camp and a World Café format.

Discussions in small groups among participants of the European Leadership Workshop

At the end of the 4-day workshop (16.-19. September 2024) the participants worked on a policy brief on necessary regulatory action. This will be used as a basis for further discussion for the scientists of the TWON consortium.

Presentation of ideas for regulatory measures

The European Leadership Workshop moderated by DialoguePerspectives’ programme manager Neta-Paulina Wagner is an integral part of the TWON project:

– It works on the translation from research in to actionable solutions.

– It equips participants with the skills and insights needed to navigate and address the challenges posed by digital democracy.

– Participants actively contribute to the broader conversation on digital citizenship and how we can shape a more resilient, informed, and participatory society in the face of rapidly evolving digital challenges.

A big thank you to our partner DialoguePerspectives for organizing the workshop and thank you to all participants for the great discussions!

Panel Discussion Recap: The Intersection of Generative AI and Online Social Networks

In a panel discussion hosted by AlgorithmWatch in Berlin, the FZI’s Jonas Fegert emphasized the inseparable link between Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Online Social Networks (OSNs). He argued that to fully understand platform mechanisms, we need to develop Digital Twins of Online Social Networks (TWONs), which will provide greater insight into how these platforms function and influence user interactions. With our joint research project, we are taking important stapes in this direction.

The discussion explored the growing role of Generative AI in shaping online communication and the importance of transparent oversight to address the ethical and societal implications of these technologies. In the light of multiple state elections in Germany, the immediate political effects of OSNs and AI were another focal point of the discussion.

Project Review Meeting with the EU-Commission in Brussels

On June 4th the first project review meeting of our EU-funded project “TWON – Twin of Online Social Networks” took place in Brussels. This was a great opportunity to reflect the first year of work in the consortium. We received valuable and encouraging feedback by Prof. Kalina Bontcheva (University of Sheffield), José Manuel Gómez Pérez (Director Language Technology Research at expert.ai) and Ilona von Bethlenfalvy (European Commission), which we will use in the next steps of our project.

On the previous day we also had a consortium meeting in the representation of the state of Baden-Württemberg to the European Union in Brussels – thank you for hosting us!

Jonas Fegert, Michael Mäs, Marko Grobelnik, Achim Rettinger and Damian Trilling (left to right)

Marko Grobelnik, Achim Rettinger, Michael Mäs, Damian Trilling, Alisa Kerschbaum
and Jonas Fegert (left to right)

We got started!

In April of 2023, our international consortium – comprised of eight partner institutions from various European countries – gathered to mark the launch of TWON in Amsterdam. The project will use digital twins of social networks to explore the impact of social media platform mechanisms, such as content filtering or personalization, on democratic debates.

Hosted by the University of Amsterdam, we were able to get a productive head start on the project. Over the course of three days, we begun mapping out the work in various work packages, identified potential challenges and tapped into our collective wisdom in beginning this highly complex research undertaking.

The members of our consortium returned to their respective countries with lifted spirits, and are looking forward to reunite for our second consortial meeting in Karlsruhe in October of 2023. Check out our press release for more details on TWON and the people behind it.