Project state
closed
Project start
March 2024
Funding duration
18 months
Universities involved
UZH, ZHAW, ZHdK
Practice partners
Comedian Frank Richter, Catta
Funding amount DIZH
CHF 37'300
The digital transformation, particularly in relation to artificial intelligence (AI), is a complex and often polarizing topic that poses significant challenges for science communication. This project combined science and comedy to make these subjects accessible in an entertaining way. While science relies on analytical and detailed approaches, the public often prefers communication that is emotionally engaging and concise. To bridge this gap, an exploratory video format was developed that brings together both worlds — without resorting to unsatisfying compromises.
At the core of the video series was comedian Frank Richter, who humorously presented AI-related research projects from DIZH. In addition to the three published videos, a comprehensive communication concept was created: entertainment takes center stage while audiences are encouraged to explore in-depth scientific information on the DIZH website. Supplementary social media clips were distributed to increase reach and engagement.
The impact of the videos was thoroughly evaluated in terms of interest, understanding, and attitudes, and tested in a representative survey experiment. The results of this impact study will be presented at a conference on science communication research in Munich in September 2025 and published in a peer-reviewed academic journal (article currently under review). The entire project will also be featured at two practice-oriented conferences: ScienceComm25 in St. Gallen (September) and Forum Wissenschaft im Dialog in Stuttgart (December 2025).
The publication on the impact analysis will also be linked on the DIZH project page once released.
Video 1: When computers make decisions for you | Re:Digital 01
Comedian Frank Richter has a mission. He wants to find out whether humans or machines make “better” decisions and what this actually means. To do so, he interviews passers-by on the street, a computer with a funny hat and researcher Alice Aubert from the ZHAW. Alice’s research focuses, among other things, on decision-making processes at the interface between environmental sciences and society. For her, one thing is clear: there is no “better” decision. She explains why not in the video.
Video 2: How machines are changing our lives | Re:Digital 02
In his second mission, comedian Frank Richter embarks on a journey of discovery to find out which machines are having a lasting impact on our everyday lives and how digitalization is influencing analogue activities. To find answers, he interviews visitors to Technorama, meets a dystopian robot and talks to researcher Thomas Schmalfeldt from the PHZH. Thomas is working on the DIZH project ‘Partners in a Trading Zone’ together with the University of Zurich at the interface of ethnology and computer science. He is getting to the bottom of exciting questions: For example, what is lost in the analog activity of knitting when a knitting machine takes over the work? What impact does digitalization have on our lives and our society?
Video 3: Fake or not? AI in journalism | Re:Digital 03
What does artificial intelligence (AI) mean for journalism, media use and media literacy? This time, comedian Frank Richter goes on the trail of fake news. He interviews passers-by in Oerlikon, a robot in love and researcher Dr. Silke Fürst from the University of Zurich. Silke Fürst provides insights into an ongoing DIZH project on ‘AI literacy in Swiss journalism’. Together with her team, she is investigating how the digital resilience of journalism and audiences can be strengthened. Do the opportunities or dangers of AI outweigh the risks for the media and public opinion-forming?
Team
Dr. Sabrina Heike Kessler, University of Zürich, Department of Communication and Media Research, Lead
Valery Wyss, ZHAW, School of Applied Linguistics, Co-Lead
Ricardo Farina Mora, ZHAW, School of Applied Linguistics
Johanna Seiwald, ZHAW, School of Applied Linguistics
Practical partners
Call type: Outreach Call