Our understanding of artificial intelligence can barely keep up with the constant stream of new developments. Above all, we know little about the specific impacts of AI on key areas of society and politics, both in Germany and in comparison with other countries. The online seminar featuring two Academy fellows, Dr. Tuhinsubra Giri and Dr. Yi Hyun Kang, helped deepen our understanding. Both presented ongoing research projects and ideas, which were discussed in light of AI’s potential effects on existing inequalities. Giri’s project, which he is currently conducting in Bonn, uses the service sector as a case study to illustrate how AI is transforming the labor market. For example, delivery drivers in India communicate exclusively with AI in their daily work and no longer have direct contact with their employers. Job losses in industries such as call centers, including in Germany, are also a consequence of the broader use of AI. Kang’s research on the attitudes of participants at the Bonn Climate Conference, which she attended and documented this summer, reveals that there are very diverse positions on the use of AI in everyday diplomatic work. In the survey of participants, alongside clear rejection and skepticism, there also appears to be, for example, cautious hope.

For instance, it is not out of the question that AI tools, such as automatic translation or those used in negotiations, could help achieve a greater degree of equality of opportunity for participants from different countries or even among nongovernmental organizations.

However, both experts agreed that inequalities, such as those in the labor market or in international diplomacy, have not yet been overcome; rather, the use of AI may have actually exacerbated them. There is therefore a need for regulations that address the development and use of AI in a forward-looking and global manner, as is currently being discussed at the United Nations.