Towards a humane digital technology
To what pressure on young people’s mental health does the shift of social life into a virtual world – including the advent of virtual friends – lead? Can ‘grief bots’ help us cope with the loss of a loved one who has died? How do we agree on what is authentic when it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is fake and what is real? A new wave of digital innovations is making it urgent to explore what they mean for how we interact, cohabit, and love. What do these innovations mean for our self-image and our humanity? How can we ensure that these emerging applications enrich our relationships?
Through research and dialogue, the Rathenau Instituut aims to help strengthen society’s ability to determine how to use digital technology. This requires a broader awareness of the features, effects, opportunities, and risks of emerging digital applications, as well as an understanding of the values that people find important in this respect.
That is why – in our ‘digital future dialogue programme’ – we are organising discussions on emerging digital technology with people across the country. We are supporting this process with further research into the significance of emerging digital technology for human dignity and into specific opportunities for individuals, consumers, and politicians to influence it. In doing so, we focus in any case on issues around digitalisation and social relationships (love, friendship, family, death), the community and democracy (public space, disinformation), and the living environment (nature, the built environment)