The Johannes Rau Research Foundation (JRF) focus days are a new format for collaboration between JRF institutions, which was held for the first time for the area “Society & Digitalisation” on 12 September 2024 at the FIR at RWTH Aachen.
© JRF e.V.
IDOS researcher Dr. Wulf Reiners participated in this focus day on „Artificial Intelligence (AI)“ of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation (JRF). He delivered a presentation on „International Cooperation and Artificial Intelligence,“ building on the work at IDOS, particularly within the Managing Global Governance (MGG) Programme and the embedded EU-Horizon research and network project PRODIGEES, which explores the intersection of digitalisation and sustainable development in major emerging economies and Europe.
In his presentation, he highlighted the potential of AI for international cooperation. AI can make significant contributions to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in areas such as agriculture, health, and education. The analysis of data for evaluating development cooperation projects was also highlighted as a key potential, supporting political decision-making processes. At the same time, the presentation emphasised challenges and risks posed by the use of AI, including the opacity of many AI models and the danger of disinformation that could be exacerbated by generative AI. The digital divide, which severely limits access to and benefits from AI for many countries or population groups, was also identified as a major challenge.
The use and management of artificial intelligence were subsequently discussed in an exchange of experiences between the participating JRF institutions. It became clear that AI is viewed as a powerful driver of efficiency and innovation in the areas of research, training and learning, and knowledge management, and is already being tailored for use in these fields.
IDOS is member of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation. The institutes of the Johannes Rau Research Foundation are institutionally funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
