The AI, Media and Democracy Lab will dive into the future of digital infrastructures through the lens of digital autonomy and sovereignty in Europe. With growing political momentum around breaking away from Big Tech dependency, and real alternatives now being piloted by institutions like UvA and SURF, this is the right moment to connect ideals with practice. 

Across the complex societal challenges studied at IAS over the past 10 years, research has shown that systemic change hinges not just on technical solutions, but on whether people and institutions move with them. For that reason, the AI, Media and Democracy Lab will approach this topic from the angle of cultural and behavioural change: what does it take to get people and institutions on board with alternative digital infrastructures?

The session, led by Natali Helberger, Agustin Ferrari Braun and Leona Vețeleanu, is structured as an interactive workshop with three core elements:

• A blue sky thinking exercise: Participants collectively explore what digital autonomy looks like today, what it should look like in the future, and how we might get there
• Practical case presentation: Frank van Tatenhove (Information Manager, UvA) and Claudia van Kruistum (Project Manager Nextcloud, SURF) present real-life insights from the ongoing Nextcloud pilot, including user experiences and the cultural, behavioural, and organisational frictions involved in transitioning away from Big Tech tools
• Structured discussion: Zooming out on cultural and behavioural change as a central challenge for digital infrastructure transitions, fuelled by real-time research insights from Carolin Schneider (PhD candidate Organisational Psychology, UvA), who is currently conducting research among the Nextcloud pilot participants.

The session closes with a wrap-up aimed at formulating concrete research questions that are meant to feed into the IAS research agenda on future digital infrastructures for the coming decade. By bringing together the diverse expertise of all IAS research groups, from governance and social dynamics to health, sustainability and digital societies, we aim to develop an integrative and shared vision.

About the organiser: AI, Media and Democracy Lab

The AI, Media and Democracy Lab researches the impact of AI on the democratic function of the media, and its role in promoting an inclusive society as a key technology. The lab is co-founded by the UvA, CWI, and HvA and made up of researchers from various backgrounds, including law, communication science, philosophy, humanities, and computer science. Each Tuesday, the lab brainstorms and co-works at IAS and uses its space to engage with other interdisciplinary initiatives and researchers who work on similar topics.