RESEARCH

Dr. Theresa Züger heads the AI & Society Lab at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, an interdisciplinary interface for new research approaches and knowledge transfer in the field of AI. The lab aims to promote an inclusive, human rights-friendly and sustainable AI strategy in Europe. 2025 she started a new research project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation called Impact AI. In this project she and her team develop and test an auditing method to assess the impact of AI projects, in regards to the public interest and sustainability.

As a co-lead in the Human in the Loop research project, Theresa Züger investigated how automated decision-making processes, such as credit allocation, need to be designed to ensure meaningful human-machine interaction. In the project Public Interest AI, Züger explored the principles and criteria that characterise AI projects that aim for the public interest and, together with Dr. Hadi Asghari, developed a theoretically grounded understanding of public interest AI. As part of this, she and her research team developed AI prototypes such as an application for simplifying online text to improve accessibility on the web and a fact-checking tool to combat disinformation. In addition, Theresa Züger worked on the international project Women* in Tech, addressing intersectional issues related to women in tech.

Previously, she headed the office responsible for the German government’s Third Engagement Report on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).