Maike Martina Heinrich

Detecting the Pattern of Collapse

Is machine learning able to predict the downfall of societies? Throughout human history, great empires have repeatedly risen and fallen. The Maya, Rome, Byzantium. What makes these cases so fascinating is the question of how civilizations that achieved extraordinary levels of advancement could nevertheless fragment, collapse, or even disappear entirely. This topic has long been…

Prisoners of Our Social Norms

Are humans ever truly free or are we living in a perpetual illusion? What does freedom really mean? A look back just a few decades immediately reveals many things that, from today’s perspective, appear as infringements on personal liberty. For instance, women did not have the right to vote. Until the 1970s in Germany, they…

When Villains Become Visionary and Heroes Grow Tired

What Luke Skywalker, Batman and Thanos Teach Us About the Manipulative Power of Modern Rhetoric Most people would probably claim that they are able to distinguish between “good” and “evil.” Yet, when looking at today’s public discourse in politics and economics, this seemingly simple distinction has become increasingly difficult. Of course, everything has become more…

Politik ohne Parteien

Wie eine aufgeklärte Demokratie funktionieren könnte Demokratie basiert auf einer einfachen Idee. Die Bürger entscheiden, in welche Richtung sich ihr Land entwickeln soll. In der Praxis ist dieser Anspruch jedoch schwer umzusetzen. Politische Entscheidungen betreffen heute hochkomplexe Fragen, von Energieversorgung und Klimapolitik bis zu globalen Lieferketten oder geopolitischen Konflikten. Gleichzeitig werden viele dieser Entscheidungen in…

When Conflicts Begin to Glow

Detecting Pre-Escalation Patterns in Open-Source Conflict Data Wars, coups, and political ruptures often appear sudden. One day the situation seems tense but manageable, and the next day the world wakes up to a major escalation. Tanks cross borders. Governments fall. Constitutional orders are overturned. But conflicts rarely erupt out of nowhere. Long before the decisive…

Zu teuer, zu komplex, zu wenig Zeit.

Wie Deutschlands Pflegesystem effizienter werden könnte Was steht für Opa Reinhard heute auf dem Tourenplan? Medikamentengabe, Teilkörperwaschen, Mund- und Zahnpflege, Versorgung der Wunde an seinem Bein, Hilfe bei Blasen-/Darmentleerung. Jede einzelne Leistung hat einen Wert in der speziellen Währung der ambulanten Pflegebrache. Punkte. Wieviel ein Punkt in Euro wert ist, handeln Pflegedienste und Pflegeverbände selbst…

„Süchtige Spieler sind gute Kunden“

Das Geschäft mit dem Glücksspiel. Jung, männlich, Migrationshintergrund. Wie eine Industrie an versäumter Integration verdient. Es gibt diesen Moment, in dem die Maske der staatlichen Fürsorge fällt und der nackte Pragmatismus des Fiskus sichtbar wird. Er findet jeden Abend tausendfach in deutschen Hinterhof-Bars und neon-beleuchteten Spielhallen statt. Ich habe diesen Moment eineinhalb Jahre lang zu…

Does AI Have Prejudices?

Why GPT Thought I Don’t Like Classical Music Who likes being put into a box? That happened to me recently from an unexpected source while I was planning a trip to Rome. The AI’s suggestions on what I should definitely see were excellent. And then it said:“Even if you are not fans of opera or…

How AI Predicts Crime

And Why It’s No Longer Science Fiction Predicting crimes before they happen? For many, this immediately evokes the early-2000s film Minority Report. In the movie, so-called “precogs” foresee who will commit a crime next, allowing the police to intervene just in time. The story is set in the 2050s, yet even today machine-learning algorithms and…

Is Climate Change Real?

And Is It Really Man-Made? Few topics divide public debate as sharply as climate change. Some warn of a global catastrophe, while others dismiss the issue as exaggerated or even as a political invention. Between headlines, social media posts, and heated talk shows, it’s not always easy to tell fact from opinion. So whom can…

Author: Maike Martina Heinrich