09/24/2024

CDR Conference 2024
Fairness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

On November 14, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the CDR Initiative invites you to the CDR Conference 2024 at the Data Space in Berlin-Mitte. The topic of this year's Conference is "Fairness in the Age of Artificial Intelligence."

As part of a keynote speech and a panel discussion, the conference will address, among other things, the following questions: 

• What do we mean by the term fairness in the context of digitalization in general and in regard to AI applications in particular? 
• Why is the principle of fairness so important, and what challenges does it present?
• What requirements does the AI regulation bring? How can these requirements be met?
• How can the principle of fairness be practically implemented by companies in the development of new procedures, products, and services? How do we deal with potential goal conflicts that may arise?

Additionally, members of the CDR Initiative will provide practical insights in four workshops into the role of AI guidelines, the responsible use of GPT models, measures for dealing with disinformation and hate speech, as well as the implementation of a Diversity Impact Assessment.

Further information about the program and registration can be found on the event website. Feel free to register, and also subscribe to the CDR Initiative newsletter to stay updated on all activities of the CDR Initiative.

Since January 2023, the CDR Initiative’s office has been operated by the partners ConPolicy – Institute for Consumer Policy and concern. You can learn more about the CDR Initiative here.

09/20/2024

ConPolicy and TU Berlin publish the "Consumption Reduction Compass"
A Guide to Liberation from Excess

We are surrounded by an abundance of material goods in our society: we often buy things we don’t really need and discard items that are still fully functional. But how can we foster a more mindful approach to consumption? The “Consumption Reduction Compass,” developed by Marlene Münsch and Dr. Viola Muster, project managers at ConPolicy, together with researchers from TU Berlin, offers answers to this question.

The guide is designed to help readers critically assess their own possessions and consumption habits. It begins by providing a theoretical overview of the mechanisms and structures of consumer society, examining the causes and consequences of overconsumption, as well as the potential benefits of conscious ownership reduction for personal well-being. Additionally, it addresses the problematic aspects of the minimalism trend. In the second part, readers are offered practical advice on how to achieve a long-term reduced consumption lifestyle.

The "Consumption Reduction Compass" is based on findings from the Citizen Science project "My Thing – I Am What I (Don’t) Have," in which researchers and citizen scientists collaboratively explored methods for reducing personal possessions and examined their potential for promoting long-term consumption reduction. The project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), concludes in September 2024.

The guide has been published by oekom and is available for download for free here.
For more background, you can listen to the radio reports on Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Deutschlandfunk.
Further information on the project can be found here.