Research

Explore our collection of articles on the leading megatrends in technology, politics, and society.

Filter: Technology

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min

Human sensors will feed the global mega machine

Intelligent systems will increasingly solicit our ‘help’ to gather data

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The return of the incumbent?

A reflection on the demise of Big Tech and the return of industrial incumbents

1

min

Is AI still artificial?

Definitions are becoming obsolete as tech and science blur the boundaries between the natural and the artificial

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Will generative AI favor the underdog?

The implications of generative AI for tech and talent

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The future of crypto is coming: what will it look like?

Regulation, decentralization and combined approaches battle for the crypto throne

16

min

EU's digital strategy: where are we now and where do we go from here?

We should be strategic as we make strides toward digital sovereignty.

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min

Is artificial intelligence smart enough to create a sustainable future?

Despite a hefty ecological footprint of its own, digital technology has the potential to contribute to a more sustainable future.

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"Creative" AI is recreating the creative industry

In the past few months, creative AI systems such as DALL-E and Midjourney have taken the internet by storm with their “artistic” creations.

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How will the metaverse and web3 influence social media?

Brace yourself, the 2D newsfeeds gracing our screens might soon be part of internet history.

16

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The early days of cyberpunk

As man becomes machine and machine becomes man.

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AI regulations may see a Beijing effect

Is Europe too late to cause a Brussels effect on AI technology?

11

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When the selfie becomes an avatar

How Instagram is preparing itself for the metaverse

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Is Texas becoming too self-confident?

Texan rebellion is likely to shake up federal politics in the U.S.

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Picking up the crypto pieces

Companies are on the lookout for opportunities during the crypto crash

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Gen Z chooses anonymity over fame

Why are Gen Zers more likely to prefer online anonymity compared to millennials?

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From labor to exploitation: the dark side of blockchain games

What does it take to create a flourishing virtual economy?

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Resurrecting the dead in the digital era

Will deepfake videos, the latest and most versatile medium to eternalize the dead, impel us to regulate digital immortality?

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Extending the self with Instagram's augmented-reality face filters

Are we moving towards a culture in which our digitally positioned self is more important than our actual self?

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Technology on a leash

By sharing ownership and control with producers and governments, our smart devices are no longer what they seem

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The rise of CBDCs

Pim Korsten gives a rundown on the opportunities and risks of the rise of central bank digital currencies.

11

min

An introduction to the Stack

Learn more about our framework that helps us understand the anatomy of digital systems.

16

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A beginner's guide to the metaverse

Both praised and feared by many, the 'promises' of the metaverse are highly contentious. Sebastiaan Crul aims to separate the wheat from the chaff.

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How will the pandemic affect the future of edtech?

The pandemic has ensured the implementation of edtech in school systems. Will pedagogical or technological aspects be prioritized?

16

min

How the cyborg deconstructed the modern worldview

The evolution of the cyborg in science and popular culture

9

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Can digital technology save humanity?

How the Digital Revolution will change the rules of the game

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Will the metaverse be a “pornoverse”?

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What to think of the Corona Pass?

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The traffic light turns green for German digitalization

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China’s CBDC-as-a-standard?

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India’s rise as a digital superpower

Digital facts and objectivity in the 'TrustTech Stack' and network ontology

How can the Stack and Bruno Latour's network ontology help to give a more positive conception of the construction of digital facts and objectivity?

Perspectives on the post-truth era

The 'enshittification' of society

FreedomLab commemorates its 500th article with a retrospective of its publication history

The narratives struggling to define the impact of AI on the labor market

High expectations, disillusionment, and realism—the usual players in AI predictions are all present

Forget about the (human) parents

Meet the cyborgs

The enhanced human: stronger, better, happier

Why we might all become centaurs according to transhumanists

The deficient animal: artificial by nature

And why the idea of helpful AI agents might be a misleading, anthropocentric notion

Genuine writing in the digital age

An inconvenient effort worth pursuing

The AI chips race (part II)

Chips are at the heart of the generative AI Stack

The AI chips race (part I)

How AI chips will determine future geopolitical events