NSFW (Nikolaus' Song For the Week)

Sometimes I (still) find (or am directed to) things on the internet I didn't believe they could exist. In this case they even fit with the season. Claude Francois, singing about magnolias in 1977. The magnolias are supposed to be in full bloom now, Deutschlandfunk has more on the singer (and his tragic death).

This is him singing his most popular chanson "Comme d'habitude/My Way" in 1967 (Color TV not really invented yet).

Retrospect

Forbidden AI

Anna, Saskia and Theresa from the department invented a completely new course on forbidden AI (and, therefore, in particular art. 5 AI act). Their students were invited to participate in a blog project on the subject that is now available to the public.

Each student wrote a blogpost. I am really thrilled by the quality and diversity and relevance of their works. Here are some examples:

MOOC

Our Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the AI-act has reached more than 500 participants this week.

This is freely available (hopefully) high quality content on AI legislation that friends from Hochschule Campus Wien and I have invested quite some effort into. People even start sharing on LinkedIn that they succeeded in completing the course. :-)

#arsboni

Prof. Dr. Susanne Beck instructed us about the ongoing debate on loopholes in German criminal law on criminal liability for (pornographic) deep fakes.

She recommended a book that I put on my reading list for next week:

Matthias Dusini reviewed this in Falter (Paywall).

More on criminal liability for deep fakes can also be heard in Gerechtigkeit & Loseblatt.

Prospect

#arsboni

On Wednesday 8th, at 20.00 CET I will technically host an episode of "Recht neugierig", run by the Vienna Legal Literacy Project, on (Austrian) torts law.

I will also have second conversation in the laundry with Sven Thorstensen on the case he has at the Austrian Constitutional Court on whether chat files that were retrieved in the operation Sky ECC may legally be used by law enforcement at an Austrian court. Thorstensen has published a press release on the matter, here's our first conversation:

Agentic AI in Hybrid Societies

On Tuesday, April 14th, DEMGES (Commission Democracies in Digital Societies) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW) hosts a workshop on Agentic AI in Hybrid Societies. Power, Conflict and Democratic Futures. I may chair a session with Prof. Ilona Kickbusch at lunchtime.

Here's the full programme.

Look and Feel

Martin Suter

Suter's recent book "Können Sie mich sehen" is a funny persiflage of male (office) work culture, reminding me nicely of things and behaviors I (have to) see almost every week (but fortunately not in Buchhandlung Riedl where I bought the book and not in the department either).

Critics aren't always positive, but I liked it.

Kniefall

Datum produced a very interesting podcast on Austria's former foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, who lives in Russia now and has become a Russia-propagandist.

I listened to the first four episodes so far and the are really worth being heard. I learned a lot, for example, about the role of Margot Kleistil-Löffler that I hadn't known before.

Datum's recent print edition has a noteworthy article on the same topic too.

EPIC

EPIC is a film about Elvis Presley's time in Las Vegas (1969-1976) currently shown in the movies. I watched it in Lugner City (which is an adventure on its own) because Doris Knecht had recommended it so warmly in her recent Falter column (Paywall).

For me, this is in first instance a nice compilation of lots and lots of his songs and performances and a jump into the music and culture of my (early) childhood. In second instance it's, as I see it, a meditation about solitude and exhaustion and too much work and self destruction (although I learned that according to more recent theories he didn't die from drug abuse but due to heart and intestine diseases).

Falter and NDR see the film differently, however, in a much more positive way.

Here's the trailer:

Have a wonderful week and take care of yourself!

Kind regards

Nikolaus (Forgó)