We are happy by the impressive list of presentations and activities involving our Platform Governance, Media, and Technology (PGMT) Lab team at the AoIR 2026 conference. Excellent work, everyone!
What is AoIR 2026?
The annual conference of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) takes place from October 14 to 17, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Mexico City. This year’s theme, “Regenerations,” invites participants to explore profound processes of technological, cultural, political, artistic, and infrastructural renewal.
The conference moves beyond a purely technical understanding of sustainability, approaching regeneration as an ethical and relational process. It also seeks to develop maps and explore political and community-based alternatives to the optimization logics of the tech industry.
PGMT Team Participation Agenda:
Wednesday, October 14:
Doctoral Colloquium
- Luisa Runge: Contested Responsibility in Communicative AI. Between Corporate Private Ordering and Civil Society Intervention
- Kim Ermler: “ChatGPT Is My Best Friend” – ComAI Providers’ Governance of User-Chatbot Relationships
Presentation: Women* in AI Research: A Critical Data Sprint
- Presenters: Vasilisa Kuznetsova, University of Bremen and Nadja Schaetz, University of Hamburg
- Additional Organizers: Sejin Paik, Georgetown University
Friday, October 16
Presentation: Isomorphism in Content Moderation? A Longitudinal Analysis of GenAI Corporate Policies
- Presenter: Kim Ermler, University of Bremen
- Co-authors: Rebecca Scharlach, Luisa Runge, and Christian Katzenbach, University of Bremen
Presentation: “ChatGPT Can Make Mistakes” – The Strategic Responsibility Discourse of GenAI Providers
- Presenter: Luisa Runge, University of Bremen
- Co-authors: Kim Ermler and Christian Katzenbach, University of Bremen
Presentation: Whose AI Rules? Neo-Colonial Power and Public Trust in Global AI Governance
- Presenter: Imane El Qochairi, University of Bremen
- Co-authors: Dennis Redeker and Chiara Spiniello, University of Bremen
Joint Panel: PP0022. The Transformations of Content Moderation
Rebecca Scharlach (University of Bremen) will participate in this joint panel alongside Ivar A. Hartmann (Insper Institute of Education and Research) and Emillie De Keulenaar (University of Copenhagen).
Additional organizers include Christian Katzenbach, Paloma Viejo Otero, Daria Dergacheva, Kim Ermler, Vasilisa Kuznetsova, Dennis Redeker, Vanessa Richter, and Luisa Runge, all from the University of Bremen.
Saturday, October 17
Presentation: “More Speech” For Whom? Auditing Climate Discourse in Facebook Search After the End of Fact-Checking
- Presenter: Vasilisa Kuznetsova, University of Bremen
Presentation: Prompt Governance
- Presenters: Taylor Annabell, Cardiff University, and Rebecca Scharlach, University of Bremen
In addition, Rebecca Scharlach will serve in her role as a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) during the conference.
Looking at this impressive lineup, we are incredibly proud of our team. Well done, everyone! We wish all PGMT participants a successful conference and a wonderful time in Mexico City!