Public presentation online on 18 June – free to attend
The transdisciplinary open-access book *Artificial Intelligence and Us* – featuring a chapter by HTWK professor Andreas Both – has been accessed more than 620,000 times since its publication in October 2025. On 18 June 2026, contributors will present the book at a public online event. Anyone interested is warmly invited to attend.
It is rare for an academic textbook to reach such a large audience in such a short space of time: the book, published by Springer Vieweg,‘Artificial Intelligence and Us – The State of the Art, Use and Challenges of AI’ has already recorded over 620,000 views (as of June 2026) and is thus one of the most successful new German-language publications on the subject of artificial intelligence. The work is freely available to everyone as an open-access publication.Prof. Dr Andreas Both, Professor of Software Architecture for Secure Systems at the Faculty of Computer Science and Media at HTWK Leipzig, also contributed to the book.
Understanding AI – even without a degree in computer science
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the world of work, the economy, science and everyday life – yet for many people, how this technology works and the consequences of its use remain difficult to grasp. This is precisely where the book comes in: it aims to help strengthen understanding across society of the current transition towards the AI era – particularly among readers without a background in computer science.
The work was produced by the ‘Technology Assessment of Digitalisation’ study group of the Association of German Scientists (VDW). Edited by Frank Schmiedchen, Alexander von Gernler, Martina Hafner and Klaus Peter Kratzer, 32 authors from the fields of computer science, mathematics, physics, economics, law, philosophy and political science, examine the state of the art, fields of application ranging from business to software development, the relationship between humans and machines, and ethical, legal and security policy issues across some 560 pages in 28 chapters. The book is designed as a transdisciplinary textbook for lecturers and students at German-speaking universities – explicitly extending beyond computer science.
HTWK expertise: How machines process knowledge
Prof. Dr Andreas Both co-authored the chapter ‘Knowledge Representation’ with Dr Stephan Schwinger (genua GmbH). It explains how knowledge is represented and processed in AI systems – from rule-based, symbolic approaches through knowledge graphs to neural networks. The chapter thus provides a key foundation for realistically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of modern AI systems, such as large language models. The topic ties in directly with the research of the HTWK Web & Software Engineering (WSE)research groupled by Prof. Both, which works at the interface between software engineering and artificial intelligence and whose work received several international awards in 2025 alone.
“Artificial intelligence has long since ceased to be a force that merely shapes computer science; it is transforming our entire society. Anyone who wishes to help shape this transformation needs a realistic picture of what artificial intelligence methods can – and cannot – achieve, both now and in the future. This is precisely what our book aims to contribute,” says Prof. Both.
Online book launch on 18 June
Anyone wishing to learn about the book and its topics first-hand will have the opportunity to do so on 18 June from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm: As part of the VDW series ‘Books that move the VDW’, editor Frank Schmiedchen and Prof. Dr Andreas Both will present the book in an online event. They will discuss the current state of artificial intelligence development, both technically and economically, and the societal implications it entails. Afterwards, participants will be able to ask questions and join the discussion.
Participation is free of charge; a brief registration is all that is required.
The VDW was founded in 1959 by Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Werner Heisenberg, Otto Hahn and other renowned scientists, and is the German section of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, which were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995.
Book launch & discussion: ‘Artificial Intelligence and Us’ – part of the ‘Books that Inspire the VDW’ series organised by the Association of German Scientists e. V. Thursday, 18 June 2026, 6.00–7.30 pm, online (Zoom) With Frank Schmiedchen (Editor, VDW) and Prof. Dr Andreas Both (HTWK Leipzig) Free to attend · Register here (to the VDW event page)
Schmiedchen, F., von Gernler, A., Hafner, M. & Kratzer, K. P. (eds.) (2026). Artificial Intelligence and Us: The State of the Art, Use and Challenges of AI. Springer Vieweg, Berlin/Heidelberg. Open Access. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-71567-3
In: Both, A. & Schwinger, S. (2026). Knowledge Representation (Chapter 5, pp. 77–108).
