Shift: Living in the Digital Age

A precise head count is necessary to protect unique animals. How many individuals actually live where? In Australia, where bushfires threaten kangaroos and koalas, AI is now used for species protection.

Poachers in Africa kill over 20,000 elephants every year. Rangers usually arrive too late. Dutch organization "Hack the Planet" has developed an intelligent camera trap that sends warnings in real time.

AI can help you boost your work productivity, reach your goals, and have more time for yourself. Some even believe a 4-day week is possible thanks to AI. How?

Apple, Samsung & Co. make it very hard for you to fix your phone. The result: Tons of electric waste that pollute the environment. How do they justify that?

Deepfakes are becoming better and easier to make thanks to better tools and more computing power. But deepfake hunters are also upgrading. A race for the truth has begun.

Videos with hate speech and fake news have achieved millions of views in Kenya. The fact-checkers from Fumbua, a local initiative, and a well-known TikTok influencer are working together to combat this.

ChatGPT, Bard or Grok: AI-controlled chatbots can distort facts, because they are trained to always use the word that is statistically most likely to follow in a sentence. However, they do not yet understand context.

Political deepfakes are becoming a growing problem. Photos, audio recordings and videos that have been manipulated or even created with AI are being used worldwide to slander political opponents – and the fakes are getting harder to spot.

Since Elon Musk fired the team responsible for election integrity at X, fake news has increased significantly on the platform. This will probably also have an impact on future elections.

Imagine all AIs shutting down – from your social media feed to Google Search – just because companies can't process any more data. Well, this is more likely than AI taking over the world. Why?  

TikTok, Facebook, X: Your favorite Social Networks might come with a price tag soon. Paid business models seem to be the future. Is there a way around it? 

Pamela Scheurer is the founder of a company for AI-based Big Data Analytics. She makes a point of ensuring that more than half of her managers are women. That is unusual for a tech company, not just in Argentina.

Līva Kalnina has built a career for herself. The Latvian works from home as a data analyst for European customers. This is possible because even rural areas in Latvia have very good Internet connections.

Chinese manufacturers are introducing smartphones that are tailor-made for the African market. What aspects do they focus on? And in what areas do they lag behind?

An Indian app just for women aims to ensure more gender equality in the professional world. The app leap.club is about online networking, training, and mentoring.

Not enough role models and too little support and job flexibility. Women in tech are underrepresented. But with the right training, they have great opportunities, says organizational consultant Adiba Maignan from Berlin.

In many countries, police use software that supposedly helps prevent crimes before they're committed. Proponents say this makes cities safer. Critics say it leads to increased discrimination. How does it work?

Police robots gather important information – for example, at crime scenes. They also ensure greater safety for police officers, because the robots are often deployed in dangerous situations.

In Los Angeles, a delivery robot filmed thieves trying to steal its contents. The video footage helped police catch the suspects. But what are the repercussions when it comes to data privacy?

Using Google search is often more of a reflex than an actual choice. Is this too much power? The outcome of the antitrust trial against Google in the US could have consequences for users worldwide.

Podcasts from around the world in your language, music and playlists catered to your taste – AI does it all. To improve your entertainment, services like Spotify and Deezer are using AI. How can you benefit even more?

Modern cars contain numerous trackers, cameras and microphones — also in the interior. What manufacturers want to know — and are allowed to sell — about the occupants, is shocking.

Generative AI inspired the choreography, music, costumes and stage design for the ballet "Fusion" at the Leipzig Opera. Beatboxer and AI artist Harry Yeff fuses his voice with artificial intelligence.

In the theater production "Felix's Room", memories of the past become visible with 3D laser technology. Holographic projections show the life of a married Jewish couple under the Nazi regime.

Immersing yourself in an opera with virtual reality glasses is possible with the VR productions of the Augsburg State Theater. They also incorporate augmented reality, so that anywhere can become a theater stage.

Could artificial intelligence help us learn to play piano or even surf? Researchers at the Dresden University of Technology are developing machines that could teach us complex skills. The goal: an "Internet of Skills."

ChatGPT can summarize texts, break down complex subjects, or give an overview of a topic. It can be used to simplify texts and research tasks. But beware: Every answer provided by ChatGPT needs to be fact-checked.

Sex education can be uncomfortable for teenagers. The smartphone app, "Love Land," aims to counter misinformation on the topic and confront taboos that teenagers sometimes face. It's designed to be fun and informative.

ChatGPT knows multiple programming languages. The AI tool can simplify writing code or setting up a website. DW tried it out.

When will you fly around town? Several air taxi companies are targeting to start operations by 2024 or 2025. Here's everything you need to know!

Fake online reviews are a huge problem for consumers – but also a huge market: Worldwide, millions of people write fake reviews for money. Online retailers like Amazon try to tackle the problem – with AI.

With its googly eyes and cute sounds, the robot Lovot was designed to be loveable. Why are such robot companions especially popular in Japan? And can they ever provide people with the kind of companionship they need?

Social media can help against loneliness. But sociologist Anne Deremetz says we must also continue meeting in person or we risk falling out of practice – and technology can never replace face-to-face interactions.

Dawn Café in Tokyo has found a way to use robots to boost inclusivity. The robots who wait on tables here are piloted by people with illnesses or disabilities. This creates jobs for those who are homebound and increases their social participation.

War video games are becoming more and more realistic and brutal. Are scenes of violence or obvious political bias acceptable?

"Reporters Without Borders" have created a palace full of books and articles in Minecraft. They want to provide independent information to people living under authoritarian regimes.

Games like "Death from Above" are deliberately political. They play an important role in the information war.

In this first-person shooter, users slip into the role of a Ukrainian soldier. Part of the profits goes to fund Ukrainian aid projects.

Games depicting wars, promise action and adventure in historical or fictional battles. But how does this affect players?

The human brain is much more energy-efficient than current AI systems. Australian startup Cortical Labs hopes its biological chips made with human neurons will be a game changer.

AI is modeled on the human brain. To copy the brain's functions, an Australian startup has grown human brain cells on electrodes in a petri dish. This means the new chip is, in a sense, alive.

So far, brain-computer interfaces have been tested mainly for people with disabilities. But tech companies are already dreaming up brain implants that could be used in a variety of fields.