On 29 May 2026, CERTAIN, together with Algoright e.V., the Landeszentrale für politische Bildung Saarland and Dock 11, hosted a public evening event in Saarbrücken.

Artificial intelligence is transforming political systems worldwide – from state surveillance to the targeted manipulation of public opinion. In authoritarian contexts, AI is deliberately used to consolidate power, suppress opposition and undermine democratic processes. But even in democratic societies, urgent questions arise: How do algorithms shape political opinion? Who controls the systems that increasingly determine visibility and reach? And what does it mean when the line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred?

Katharina Nocun opened the evening with a keynote address. The publicist and digital rights activist provided a compelling look at how AI is used to spread disinformation and deliberately shape public discourse. The subsequent panel discussion brought together Dr. Kevin Baum (AI ethicist, CERTAIN / DFKI) and Dr. Sebastian Hemesath (political scientist, SOCIUM, University of Bremen) alongside Katharina Nocun, moderated by Lisa Dargarz, to examine the current state of affairs, concrete case studies and possible responses to one of the defining societal challenges of our time.