Migration, displacement, and social change are key challenges of our time—in Europe and around the world. Digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence and social media, have intensified the debates surrounding these issues, but the discourse is often characterized by disinformation and polarization. This exacerbates social and political tensions. There are no simple solutions to this complex problem, because migration, the global economy, technology, and politics are closely intertwined and influence each other.
Ten years after the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015, the Einstein Center Digital Future (ECDF) invites you to an evidence-based dialogue with experts from academia, politics, and civil society. The event will examine how the social debate on migration and flight has changed and what role digital media play in this discourse. The event will kick off with a keynote speech by Vienna-based migration researcher Dr. Judith Kohlenberger, who will present a comprehensive analysis based on her book Gegen die neue Härte. She will show how geopolitical upheavals, isolationist policies, and the impact of new media interact. This will be followed by an interdisciplinary panel discussion with representatives from academia, politics, and civil society. The focus will be on how the public discourse on migration has changed over the past ten years and what challenges and perspectives this presents for the future. The event will conclude with an opportunity for informal exchange and networking over drinks and snacks.
The panelists:
- Prof. Dr. Judith Kohlenberger, migration researcher at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and head of the Research Institute for Migration and Refugee Studies and Management (FORM)
- Ebru Taşdemir, political editor at der Freitag
- Wiebke Judith, Head of Law & Advocacy bei Pro Asyl
The panel will be moderated by Dr. Fabian Braesemann, lecturer in Artificial Intelligence & Future of Work at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and associate researcher at the Einstein Center Digital Future.
Date: October 1, 2025
Start of the event: 4:00 p.m.
End of the panel discussion: 6:00 p.m., followed by networking
Registration: //here
Venue:
Einstein Center Digital Future
Conference Hall, 1st Floor
Wilhelmstr. 67
10117 Berlin