Who determines the rules on the internet? Will algorithms soon steer the debate? And what role does Big Tech play, those companies that invisibly engineer our digital spaces?
What the humanet3 Research Group Is Investigating
To get to the bottom of these questions, three Max Planck Institutes have joined forces and launched the humanet3 Research Group. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development und des Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law — more specifically, a group consisting of legal experts and experts in computer-assisted social sciences—are pursuing an ambitious goal: to analyze, deconstruct, and rethink the “human-centered digital transformation” of digital public spaces. In the newly published Research Agenda of humanet3, the group describes the approaches and methods of its work.
Specific projects will shed light on how technology, law, and society influence each other:
- Humans at the center of AI: What does it mean when we talk about “human-centered AI”? How can this ideal be implemented technically and legally?
- Humans in global law: How is “the human” constructed in global law, and what consequences does this have for our actions on the internet?
- Regulation by the EU: To what extent does European regulation restrict our behavior on social media platforms? What power do these platforms themselves possess to influence our behavior?
- Power for civil society: Could a new type of regulation that strengthens not only the state but also groups within civil society help us reclaim power from Big Tech?
It Is in Everyone's Hands To Shape the Digital Future
The work of humanet3 aims to show that shaping the digital future cannot be left solely to tech companies or regulatory authorities. It is a task for society as a whole. The aim is to preserve the internet as a place of free expression while creating mechanisms to protect it from the challenges of AI and the concentration of power.
The central question that ultimately stands above all else is: How can we ensure that the internet remains a place where people are at the center and do not end up as mere data sources or algorithm fodder? The research conducted by humanet3 provides important impetus for this debate. It reminds us that we must be the creative forces of the digital future and not mere passengers on the journey.
Rethinking Digital Public Spaces for Democracy
Statement by Josef Drexl (YouTube video)
Statement by Gérman Oscar Johannsen (YouTube video)
The Research Agenda on SSRN:
Erik Tuchtfeld, Germán Oscar Johannsen, Anna Sophia Tiedeke, Chaewon Yun
humanet3: The Third Attempt at a Human-Centered Internet – A Research Agenda
Max Planck Institute for Innovation & Competition Research Paper No. 25-21