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01.06.
Keynote
Keynote: The Durkheim Test: How Close Are Artificial Intelligence Algorithms to Us?
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Vita
Professor Dirk Baecker served as a senior professor of organizational and social theory at Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance until 2025. After studying sociology and economics in Cologne and Paris, he earned his doctorate and habilitation at Bielefeld University. Since 1996, he has taught sociology at Witten/Herdecke University and Zeppelin University. His research focuses on sociological theory, cultural theory, and the “next society” of electronic media. Publications on this topic include: Studies on the Next Society (Suhrkamp, 2007), 4.0 or the Gap Left by the Computer (Merve, 2018), and Digitalization (Suhrkamp, 2026). Website: dirkbaecker.de.
In his keynote address at Data Week, Professor Dirk Baecker offers a fundamental perspective on the relationship between humans and machines in the age of digitalization. The focus is not on the oft-discussed question of whether technology will replace hard labor or human fallibility, but rather on the growing ability of digital systems to integrate cooperatively and communicatively into human interactions. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence act as a mirror of our society—and at the same time reveal how difficult it is for us to recognize ourselves in them. How do we communicate meaningfully with machines? How much closeness is productive, and how much distance is necessary? And how much interconnection between humans and digital systems can a digital city tolerate? The keynote explores these questions and highlights which patterns of human interaction—particularly in urban spaces—are becoming visible through digitalization. It invites us to rethink what form of digitalization our society needs.
About the Data Week Leipzig
Data Week Leipzig is a networking event that highlights the scientific, economic and social perspectives of data and its use. Representatives from authorities, industry, science and business will enter into a dialog.
We welcome the participants to Leipzig to get exciting insights in a week of events with numerous sessions. The latest trends and developments relating to the digital city and the use of artificial intelligence will be presented. There will be a special focus on climate and energy. There will also be the opportunity to take part in training sessions and workshops. One day will be dedicated to semantics and AI, and speakers will provide insights into how these technologies can contribute to a sustainable and resilient future.
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The organizers would also like to invite students, trainees and interested citizens to take a look behind the scenes or take part in the various training courses offered during Data Week Leipzig. You can look forward to a week of events with an inspiring program that also includes practical use cases.
Impressions of Data Week Leipzig 2025
An exciting week of events (June 10-13, 2025) for start-ups, students and representatives from business, science and administration lies behind us. Over 550 participants networked at the New Leipzig City Hall and exchanged ideas on topics such as AI, digitalization and data. Among the more than 90 program items were 27 workshops, 5 training sessions and 75 lectures - supplemented by exciting keynotes, including from Prof. Dr. Miguel D. Mahecha on environmental research and Renate Mitterhuber on the smart city. New formats such as the two-day Thin[gk]athon, the Civic Coding and AIAMO roadshows, the “Gamechanger Data” innovation forum, the start-up consulting service and the “Art of Data” visualization were also a hit. The KMI Transfer Day and the Leipzig Semantic Web Day also took place again in 2025.
