AI, Media & Democracy Lab
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aimediademlab.bsky.social
AI, Media & Democracy Lab
@aimediademlab.bsky.social
Ethical Legal Societal laboratory focused on the implications of AI for Media and Democracy 🤝 CWI, HvA & UvA #ELSAlab
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Interested in AI and Media? Stay in the loop with us! 🦋

We're an interdisciplinary research hub based in Amsterdam, focused on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI for media and democracy.
Lei Nelissen from Studio Falkland recently visited us to discuss Dutch digital autonomy: starting from their online visualizer (zijnwealautonoom.nl) we had conversations on the pain points of reliance on Big Tech, finding alternatives, and scaling efforts.
👉 Read more: www.aim4dem.nl/are-we-alrea...
February 5, 2026 at 12:02 PM
✨ New publication by lab member @annaschjoett.bsky.social with @nadjaschaetz.bsky.social!
This ethnographic study explores how journalists interface with online courses on AI use in the newsroom, what they learn, and how didactic material may be biased.
Read here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
February 3, 2026 at 12:02 PM
🏛️ The AI-generated visual disinformation being spread by the White House regarding a recent protester arrest is damaging the already dwindling credibility of photos as proof.

Our lab director @claesdevreese.bsky.social has spoken with @rtl.nl and @france24.com about this: tinyurl.com/3y3fvbz9
White House spreads AI-manipulated image of protester arrest – AI, Media & Democracy Lab
www.aim4dem.nl
January 29, 2026 at 12:01 PM
🎙️ Our lab is organizing a panel discussion with @natalihelberger.bsky.social and special guest @oscarwestlund.bsky.social on the global challenges posed to academic freedom. Join to learn why defending it matters!

📍 SPUI25 (and online)
📅 24.02 | 17:00
Sign up for free: www.spui25.nl/programma/ac...
Academic Freedom Under Attack
This panel discussion addresses the growing global assault on academic freedom—a cornerstone of democratic societies now under increasing threat from authoritarian regimes.
www.spui25.nl
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM
📢 A national AI board is needed in the Netherlands!
Our lab directors @natalihelberger.bsky.social and @claesdevreese.bsky.social, and our board member Pascal Wiggers, have signed an open letter asking the government to establish a regulatory body for AI.
Read more: www.aim4dem.nl/letter-to-th...
Letter to the informateur proposing national AI board signed by 60 academics & experts – AI, Media & Democracy Lab
AI, Media & Democracy Lab
www.aim4dem.nl
January 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM
🏆 Our lab co-director @natalihelberger.bsky.social has become the namesake of an award (which is now taking applications)!

See more about the Natali Helberger Award created by @tomasdodds.bsky.social, at the Public Tech Media Lab of @uwsjmc.bsky.social:
ptml.sjmc.wisc.edu/natali-helbe...
Natali Helberger Award
The Natali Helberger Award recognizes doctoral students who have conducted research through interdisciplinary collaboration that advances a Public Interest Technology (PIT) perspective in…
ptml.sjmc.wisc.edu
January 22, 2026 at 12:01 PM
❗ Last weeks to apply to the legal postdoc position hosted by @ivir-uva.bsky.social and AIMD!
Our department is looking for a researcher to explore the legal aspects of inclusive technologies for access & social participation.

👇 Apply here, deadline 31 January 2026:
werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...
Vacancy — Researcher to Explore the Legal Aspects of Inclusive Technologies for Access & Social Participation
<p><span>Around 25% of the Dutch population lives with long-term visual, hearing or cognitive disabilities and diversities, often facing barriers to participation, equality and inclusion when…
werkenbij.uva.nl
January 20, 2026 at 12:01 PM
👀 Check us out in the 3rd edition of the ELSA labs magazine!

With the theme of collaboration, it's a showcase of recent progress of AI ELSA labs in the Netherlands — and our work on AI disclosures and recommender systems is included, with interviews from researchers!

👉 aic4nl.nl/wp-content/u...
January 15, 2026 at 12:01 PM
🤝 Research collaboration wrapped!

Marcio Fuckner, Sanne Vrijenhoek, Suzana Bašić and Manel Slokom, all associated with our lab, worked with NEMO Kennislink to the goal of creating a responsible, AI-assisted content-based recommender system that didn't rely on personal info or behavioral profiles.
January 13, 2026 at 12:02 PM
💡 Our lab member Theresa Josephine Seipp contributed to this European Audiovisual Observatory report, discussing the implications of journalists' AI use, the impacts of this shift beyond the newsroom & legislative approaches to regulate AI in news work.

Read here:
News media, pluralism and journalism in the digital age
rm.coe.int
January 8, 2026 at 12:01 PM
🎆 With the new year in full swing, our lab has some exciting projects, events, and collaborations to look forward to in 2026! Here's part of what's coming from us this year 👇
January 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM
🖼️ Learn more about how the effects of different types of visual disinformation manifest from this new publication by our lab member, @teresaelena.bsky.social! It compares perceptions of deepfakes, cheapfakes, and genuine videos put in a false context 👇
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Beyond Credibility: The Effects of Different Forms of Visual Disinformation - Teresa Weikmann, Jana Laura Egelhofer, Sophie Lecheler, 2025
Deepfakes dominate discussions about manipulated videos, but other forms of visual disinformation are more prevalent and less understood. Moreover, deception is...
journals.sagepub.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Successful workshop takeaways!🧵
Led by @laurensnaudts.bsky.social, @natalihelberger.bsky.social, and @claesdevreese.bsky.social, we consulted with stakeholders to ensure their needs and expertise are well represented in our recommendations to the Council of Europe in an upcoming report on GenAI.
December 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM
@hannescools.bsky.social wrote an opinion piece about the new National AI plan for @volkskrant.nl, highlighting concerns around its industry-oriented competitive focus, rather than open infrastructures and reducing dependence on US tech.
👉 Read in full: tinyurl.com/3w2mzcc5
See the plan: aiplan.nl
Opinie: Het Nationaal AI Deltaplan komt vooral de industrie ten goede, en niet de mens
Het nieuwe deltaplan dat oproept om te investeren in AI-infrastructuur is vooral een verlanglijstje van de tech-elite. Nederland verdient een breder debat. Niet: hoe snel kunnen we AI invoeren? Maar:…
www.volkskrant.nl
December 9, 2025 at 12:02 PM
✨ New preprint: The facets of data in news organizations

Our researcher @ferraribraun.bsky.social co-authored this study looking at the role of data as the intermediary layer between journalists and AI technologies, and unpacking how it's embedded in practices.

Read here: osf.io/preprints/so...
OSF
What is Data? A Conceptual and Empirical Inquiry of the Facets of Data in News Organizations
osf.io
December 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
📰 Join our researchers Teresa Weikmann and Sophie Morosoli for a workshop on fake news resilience! Hosted by @waag.bsky.social, this event aims to educate & foster discussion around mis- and disinformation.

📅 4 December | 19:30
📍 Waag Futurelab

Schedule & tickets: www.waag.org/en/event/waa...
Waag | Waag Open: fake news, no thanks
At the State of the Internet 2024 conference, Kim van Sparrentak stated that you have to learn how to create fake news in order to recognise it.
www.waag.org
December 3, 2025 at 9:30 AM
📚 New publication: the evolving role of journalists as gatekeepers in the age of (gen)AI

Lab member @hannescools.bsky.social has a chapter in the upcoming Wiley Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism discussing changes in journalists' roles!

Full handbook: www.wiley.com/en-us/The+Ha...
The Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Journalism
www.wiley.com
December 2, 2025 at 12:03 PM
📜 What message is the EU sending in hesitating to implement the AI Act?

In this @politico.com article, @natalihelberger.bsky.social gives her input on the dilemma faced by the European Commission in choosing between AI innovation and protecting public interests.

Full piece: tinyurl.com/4wb78tbc
The EU promised to lead on regulating artificial intelligence. Now it’s hitting pause.
Under pressure from the U.S. and tech companies, the EU is backing away from plans to rein in highly risky technologies.
www.politico.eu
November 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM
👉 Turns out: Dutch people are not that skilled at dealing with (gen)AI.

An ASCoR research report co-authored by @claesdevreese.bsky.social on the digital skills of Dutch people found that the population has quite low confidence in their AI abilities — and unfortunately, they're right to think so. 🧵
November 25, 2025 at 12:01 PM
📩 Missed our newsletter?

It's how you can stay up to date about the lab's latest research, join upcoming events, and more.

👉 Sign up here to receive the upcoming November edition: www.aim4dem.nl/newsletter/

Here's the previous edition so you can know what to expect: tinyurl.com/ys757fhd
Newsletter – AI, Media & Democracy Lab
AI, Media & Democracy Lab
www.aim4dem.nl
November 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
📖 New OSCE manual: Safeguarding Media Freedom in the Age of Big Tech Platforms and AI
With expertise by @natalihelberger.bsky.social and @maxvandrunen.bsky.social, it gives actionable policy advice for protecting media from overdependence on big tech.
Read here: www.osce.org/representati...
Safeguarding Media Freedom in the Age of Big Tech Platforms and AI
OSCE
www.osce.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Reposted by AI, Media & Democracy Lab
Europe’s AI Act defines a values-based path for innovation. Natali Helberger, José van Dijck and Claes de Vreese argue that if Europe wants to deliver on its ambitions of technological sovereignty, it must resist pressure to deregulate.
Europe Wrote the AI Rulebook. Can it Deliver on its Ambitions? | TechPolicy.Press
Europe needs a complementary Continental AI Democracy Action plan to enforce existing frameworks, write Natali Helberger, José van Dijck and Claes de Vreese.
www.techpolicy.press
October 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Our member @laurensnaudts.bsky.social gives a word of warning about extremely realistic AI-generated videos and how they can undermine democracy — also available in English: www.folia.nl/en/wetenscha...
Steeds vaker duiken er online levensechte nepvideo’s op gemaakt door AI, die zich ook in Nederland lijken af te spelen. ‘In sommige gevallen is nep niet meer van echt te onderscheiden,’ zegt UvA-onderzoeker Laurens Naudts. www.folia.nl/nl/wetenscha...
Realistische AI-video’s bedreiging voor democratie, waarschuwt UvA-onderzoeker
www.folia.nl
November 6, 2025 at 10:12 AM
🎟️ New event!
Join @natalihelberger.bsky.social for her panel at Media van Morgen, organized by @svdj.bsky.social, to discuss the trade-offs news organizations need to make when adapting their presence for online platforms.

📅 06.11 | 13:30-18:00
📍 Leiden

Info & tickets: www.svdj.nl/evenement/me...
Media van Morgen: De keuze is reuze
Wil jij kennismaken met vernieuwing in de journalistiek? Kom dan naar de Media van Morgen!
www.svdj.nl
November 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
🌎 Are media publishers too reliant on AI from US tech giants? Listen to this podcast episode featuring @natalihelberger.bsky.social for her predictions on the future of the tech & media landscape, and how we can achieve balance.

Full episode: shows.acast.com/ignite-publi...
The Netflix of AI: Why publishers are sleepwalking into tech giant dependency – Natali Helberger | IGNITE! Publishing
Innovative Impulse für die Verlagsbranche
shows.acast.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:31 PM