Hey Chat GPT, can you tell me what the Wannsee Conference was?

“Hello Person, I am a GPT-driven AI-Chatbot. Ask me anything!” 

“Hey, Chat GPT, can you tell me what the Wannsee Conference was?” 

“Hi. The Wannsee Conference was a conference held in Berlin on 20 January 1942. It was a meeting of high-ranking Nazi officials during which they discussed the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Question’ and decided how to carry out the systematic extermination of the Jews in Europe. It was a defining moment in the history of the Holocaust and a sad chapter in human history.” 

During a conversation with Chat GPT, it becomes quickly evident that AI (artificial intelligence) reproduces existing misconceptions, such as the “Resolution on the Holocaust at the Wannsee Conference.” 

During another conversation with the chatbot, it listed the names of the conference participants, but one person was missing and another name was incorrect. AI is able to recognize its mistakes when they are pointed out. When asked if a woman was also present, AI responded in the negative. The algorithm probably has not yet absorbed the current research on the female secretary who attended the conference. 

Since last year, many people have been using the digital tool Chat GPT as a source of information. How should we, as a memorial and educational institution, respond to this development? Do we have a responsibility to adapt to these digitalization processes?  

To explore these questions, in May we invited guests to Wannsee to attend the symposium, titled “Mit Algorithmen (ge)denken.” Around 100 educators from the fields of culture, education, administration and police participated and engaged in a discussion with us. 

After our director Deborah Hartmann welcomed the guests, our first panel with Dr. Mykola Makhortykh (University of Bern), Steffen Jost (Alfred Landecker Foundation) and Swantje Bahnsen (SPUR.lab, Brandenburg Memorials Foundation) addressed the first topic, “Digital Discomfort.” Dr. Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) served as moderator. Bahnsen defended her statement here: 

“Digital applications will not displace traditional educational programs. They can instead be integrated into the existing media ensemble, opening up new spaces for information and experience.”  

Several different workshops took place in the morning:  Ebbrecht-Hartmann and our colleague Bernd Körte-Braun addressed the role of AI and Chat GPT in the field of history. Malte Grünkorn (#LastSeen) answered questions about using video games to teach history. Dr. Simon Strick (Brandenburg Center for Media Studies) spoke about “right-wing feelings” and digital hate. Katja Pratschke and Gusztáv Hámos (SPUR.lab) demonstrated a VR application for a research-based exploration of Nazi history. 

Following the workshop on digital hate, the following statement was submitted: “The Internet is a highly emotional space!”  In addition, a participant asked on our Padlet: “Affective or reflexive action towards racism on the Internet?" 

The second part of the conference began with the panel “Antisemitism (Not at All) Virtual.” Winfrid Wenzel (Antisemitism Commissioner for the Berlin Police), Anna-Lena von Hodenberg (HateAid) and Prof. Dr. Özen Odağ (RESPOND! - Touro University Berlin) were on the panel. Dr. Tanja Kinzel (Bundesverband RIAS e.V.) served as moderator. Odağ’s statement here provides insight into the discussion and illustrates the many different aspects that must be considered when dealing with this topic: 

"Social media are public spaces with special characteristics, such as interactivity, anonymity and networking. In these spaces, acts of communication often allow users to form an identity and feel part of a group or to exclude and foreignize. Antisemitic codes and narratives also serve strategic identity construction in social media.”  

The afternoon workshops presented projects that were actively involved in the prevention of (online) antisemitism. Monika Hübscher (University of Duisburg-Essen) spoke about how social media literacy can prevent antisemitism. Rosa Jellinek (Keshet Deutschland e.V.) shared her experiences of queer Jewish life on Tiktok. Eva Petersen (Commissioner for Group-Related Misanthropy - Berlin Police) discussed with the participants the (online) exhibition “Jewish Life and the Police.” Prof. Martin Heger and Dipl. Jur. Laura Schwarz (both from the Faculty of Law at Humboldt University Berlin) addressed the topic of (online) antisemitism and the justice system. 

Following the exchanges around Jellinek‘s experiences on TikTok, a participant wrote on our Padlet:  

"When will the dominant society finally accept its responsibility to create a platform and use its power to give a (louder) voice to those affected by discrimination?!" 

The reactions to the workshop on antisemitism and the justice system showed how multifaceted an exchange about responsibility and allyship needs to be:  

“The inductive approach to discussing case studies was vivid and made the challenging legal material for prosecuting antisemitic hate crimes accessible. At the same time, it became clear that there is a great need for understandable explanations of judicial work and that direct exchanges are very helpful, not only to offer constructive criticism, but also to counter reservations and regain lost trust.” 

In conclusion, it can be maintained that, although the program was very dense, the symposium succeeded in promoting an intensive and interdisciplinary exchange. Like digitization itself, the question of how to deal with this issue remains an ongoing process. Thus, afterward, there was a call to continue the discussion, since AI and its algorithms, such as that of Chat GPT, cannot yet be fully understood. It is our responsibility to train users of digital programs to ask the right questions. Then perhaps the chatbot will eventually learn that there was no “resolution on the Holocaust at the Wannsee Conference.” The meeting was more about expanding its bureaucracy and organization.  

Are you interested in learning more about the workshops, projects and findings? If so, take a look at our Padlet! (https://padlet.com/tobiasebbrechthartmann/mit-algorithmen-ge-denken-5ln58la6v7nfwows)