The first press conference of the year in the newly renovated Austrian Parliament was dedicated to announce the continuation of the cooperation between the ITA and Parliament. ITA director Michael Nentwich spoke to press together with Wolfgang Sobotka, president of the Austrian National Council. Much media attention was also given to sociologist Alexander Bogner, who was tasked by the Austrian government with conducting a thorough study on the lessons for crisis management throughout the Corona pandemic. Digitisation in its many forms, such as the effects of ChatGTP on education and the labour market, or the use of AI in unemployment placement or welfare, continued to be another major focus of the ITA’s media presence this year.
Artificial Intelligence front and centre
Topics around AI continued to play a major role in the ITA’s research: Stefan Strauß presented his study on the connections between the digital transformation and the vulnerability of societal infrastructures and revealed considerable areas of tension. He also focused in on Chat GTP’s splash, stressing it would not be mature enough to be a true “job killer”. Doris Allhutter and her team continued their research on the effects of AI on the welfare system with the project AUTO-WELF. How would the health sector, logistics and other crucial infrastructure deal with an internet outage? In September 2022, Jaro Krieger-Lamina and others presented the findings of the multi-disciplinary project ISIDOR, a two-year analysis of what would happen in Austria when the internet dies. The study continued to catch attention, with the media questioning whether Austria’s cash resources would be sufficient in case of such an emergency.
How to manage a crisis
How should governments deal with immediate crises, such as the Covid pandemic? How can there be a balance between scientific expertise, political decision-making and the needs of the electorate? Alexander Bogner has established himself as a major voice in this discourse. As a result, he led a team of experts that was tasked by the ÖAW on behalf of the Austrian government to conduct a major study on the subject. The study, titled “After Corona. Reflections for Future Crisis“, took into account the voices of experts, citizens, and politicians and was presented in December 2023. It received major media attention.
Policy Advice
The ITA’s role as advisor to political decision-makers reached a new high in 2023. The Parliament’s Research Committee Chairman Hafenecker emphasised: “With the help of the expertise from the Institute of Technology Assessment, policymakers have the "state of the art knowledge" in dealing with current challenges. Since 2017, the ITA has provided semi-annual reports on relevant scientific and technological as well as related societal developments. The first two monitoring reports within the new framework contract were published in May and November 2023.
