Journalist Ulf Buermeyer and political scientist Lena Ulbricht discuss power shifts through AI

Frankfurt (Oder), 

On Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 4 p.m., the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) invites all interested parties to the first edition of the Viadrina Debate. Political scientist and technology specialist Prof Dr Lena Ulbricht (University of Hildesheim) and journalist and lawyer Dr Ulf Buermeyer (podcast "Lage der Nation") will join Viadrina legal scholar and AI expert Prof Dr Philipp Hacker on the panel to discuss the topic "AI and power shifts: who wins, who loses?".

Interested parties are cordially invited to the Audimax of the Viadrina, Logenstraße 4; registration (by Friday, 10 October) is requested.

The event will be simultaneously interpreted into English.

The discussion marks the start of the Viadrina Debate series, which will take place twice a year in the first week of the lecture period in October and April.

Up-to-date information and registration for the event and format can be found at europa-uni.de/viadrinadebate.

Website-Format (900x600 px)

Panellists at the first Viadrina Debate (from left): Dr Ulf Buermeyer, Prof. Dr Lena Ulbricht and Prof. Dr Philipp Hacker

Topical social issues are discussed at the Viadrina Debate from a pan-European and, in particular, Eastern European perspective. The series brings together experts, students and the interested public in a forum for critical discourse and promotes exchange between academia and civil society.

The first edition will focus on questions of power, inequality and redistribution through artificial intelligence. The guests will discuss these issues with host Prof. Dr Philipp Hacker in the areas of business, the world of work, society, knowledge, geopolitics, defence and warfare.

As Viadrina, we see ourselves as a place of exchange and dialogue. It is our mission to contribute to the constructive shaping of social challenges and to provide positive impetus for social developments. With this in mind, we would like to use the Viadrina Debate to create a space in which current, socially relevant topics can be discussed. I would be delighted if many interested people accepted our invitation to experience and discuss with recognised experts and prominent guests live at the Viadrina.

Prof. Dr Eduard Mühle, President of the European University Viadrina

Programme

Viadrina Debate: "Shifting power through AI: who benefits, who loses?"

Welcome
Prof Dr Eduard Mühle, President of the European University Viadrina

Viadrina Debate with

  • Dr Ulf Buermeyer, lawyer and journalist, co-host of the podcast "Lage der Nation"
  • Prof. Dr Lena Ulbricht, guest researcher at the Politics of Digitalisation research group, Social Science Research Center Berlin

Moderation Prof. Dr Philipp Hacker, Professorship for Law and Ethics of the Digital Society at the European New School of Digital Studies (ENS) at the European University Viadrina

Discussion with the audience

Afterwards, guests are cordially invited to exchange ideas and enjoy a drink.

Venue:
European University Viadrina
Auditorium Maximum
Logenstraße 4
15230 Frankfurt (Oder)

About the guests and the host

Prof. Dr Lena Ulbricht

Lena Ulbricht holds a Professorship in Political Science with a focus on "Digitalisation and Politics" at the University of Hildesheim.

In her current research, she focuses on the transformation of statehood in the digital age, the regulation of gaming platforms and the role of civil society in regulating technology. She is also co-host of the intersectional feminist technology podcast "Purple Code".

Dr Ulf Buermeyer LL.M. (Columbia)

Ulf Buermeyer is a lawyer and journalist from Berlin. Since 2016, he has co-hosted "Lage der Nation" with journalist Philip Banse, one of the most popular political podcasts in Germany, reaching around half a million people with each episode. Buermeyer also writes regularly for Freitag, Süddeutsche Zeitung and ZEIT online, among others.

From 2007 to 2024, Buermeyer was a judge for the state of Berlin and primarily worked as a criminal judge at the Berlin district court.

Prof. Dr Philipp Hacker

Philipp Hacker is a legal scholar and holds the Professorship for Law and Ethics of the Digital Society at the European New School of Digital Studies (ENS) at the European University Viadrina. His research focus includes EU data protection law, in particular the General Data Protection Regulation, as well as other areas of EU and national private law in connection with new technologies.

Currently, his research focuses on the regulation of digital technologies, in particular so-called artificial intelligence. In this context, he advises national and international institutions such as the German Bundestag and the European Parliament.

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