Last week I had the incredible honour to attend the Technical University of Munich Global Technology Forum (GTF) 2025 in Heilbronn, Germany as the inaugural Oxford-Dieter Schwarz-OII-Scholar in Technology and Society. It was a truly inspiring experience to witness first-hand how a global academic network brings together brilliant minds from across the world — all engaging with the most urgent questions at the intersections of AI, innovation, knowledge, and society. 

As a social science student, I was particularly fascinated by how meaningfully interdisciplinary collaboration shapes our understanding of AI — not merely as a technological advancement, but as a social force transforming the ways we live, learn, and relate to one another.  

The conversations and insights shared at the forum reminded me that, at this critical juncture — as AI evolves at a pace that often outstrips our existing social and ethical frameworks — we face pressing social, epistemic, and ecological challenges. Meeting these challenges demands reflection, dialogue, and shared responsibility across disciplines and institutions. I am deeply grateful to the Dieter Schwarz Foundation for its generosity and vision in supporting researchers (including myself) who seek to address these complex questions. 

Heilbronn itself was truly delightful: a picturesque city where vineyards meet hubs of cutting-edge technology, seamlessly blending tradition with innovation. I was also deeply touched by the warmth and hospitality we received from the GTF team and other hosting organizations, and remain sincerely grateful to the Dieter Schwarz Foundation for making this experience — and the research it continues to inspire — possible. 

Yi-Ting Lien is the OII’s inaugural Dieter Schwarz Scholar in Technology and Society, wholly funded by a Scholarship from the Dieter Schwarz Foundation. This scholarship forms part of a wider gift to the OII helping to deliver a programme of global research and activity in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich Heilbronn. 

Find out more about the Dieter Schwarz Foundation gift and their research collaboration with the OII.