Digitalization and the Common Good

Digital technologies are increasingly shaping our daily lives, often without us fully understanding or being able to influence them. Algorithms determine which information we see, platforms shape public discourse, and a small number of global companies dominate the digital infrastructure of our society. When digital power is concentrated in the hands of a few corporations, democratic processes and values come under pressure, and the state’s ability to act becomes increasingly limited.

That is why the Digitalization and the Common Good project works to strengthen society’s capacity to shape digitalization in a self-determined and responsible way.

1. Setting the framework: We support policymakers in developing effective, forward-looking regulations for platforms, data, and AI. 
2. Building capabilities: We empower organizations and their employees to use data and AI responsibly and autonomously. 
3. Fostering alliances: Together with partners from academia, government, and civil society, we pool expertise and create spaces for dialogue. 

• Data determines economic and societal power. In the “Data” module, we work to reduce this imbalance and make data more usable for the common good—through clear rules, improved infrastructure, and practical pilot projects. This helps create a more diverse data economy in which data does not concentrate power but instead strengthens society’s capacity to act. 
• The state and society must understand AI in order to use it responsibly. That is why the “Artificial Intelligence” module strengthens the ability of public administration, the social sector, and policymakers to assess the opportunities and risks of AI in an informed way. At the same time, we are working to further develop AI systems as digital public infrastructure: by improving the framework conditions for alternative, ideally open models that are transparent, controllable, and aligned with the concrete needs of government and the public-interest sector. 
• Democracy already takes place in the digital sphere. In the “Platforms” module, we work to shape digital public spaces so that democratic principles—not platform logics and click metrics—are decisive. Together with policymakers, civil society, and digital communities, we strengthen spaces for open debate, participation, and orientation online. 
• Digital transformation demands more than quick regulation—it requires strategic understanding from both government and society to shape it in a sustainable and forward-looking way. That is why, in our Digital Policy module, we bring together actors from politics, academia, business, and civil society, consolidate knowledge, and build the capacity to turn complex technological developments into practical and implementable policy.

On www.digitalisierung-und-gemeinwohl.de, we regularly report on project activities. There, you can learn more about our topics, the formats we work in, and gain insights into exciting events.