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Students sit on the steps of the Bayreuth Canal downtown.

Bayreuther Stadtgespräche: City Talks

Bayreuther Stadtgespräche (Bayreuth City Talks) have been taking place regularly at Iwalewahaus since July 2014. On the first Wednesday of each month from 6 to about 7.30 p.m., changing speakers offer insights into exciting and current topics. The lectures are open to all interested parties without registration – admission is free.

The basic idea of Bayreuther Stadtgespräche is to strengthen the connection between the City and the University. That is why the series of events is aimed at all Bayreuth citizens.

The venue is the Iwalewahaus (Wölfelstraße) in the heart of Bayreuth – right next to the Margravial Opera House. The speakers come from the University of Bayreuth, other universities or research institutes, or from (university) politics. (Higher education) policy issues are taken up and questions are discussed that are currently of concern to academia or citizens. This is done in an understandable way for people who are not familiar with the subject, and for non-academics.

The lectures are organised by the University of Bayreuth together with Universitätsverein Bayreuth e. V. and with the support of Universitäts-Forum Bayreuth – Kollegium Bayreuther Univ.-Professoren i. R.

Bayreuth City Talks: Upcoming events

In August and September, the “Bayreuther Stadtgespräche” will be taking a short summer break.  We look forward to welcoming you back to the Iwalewahaus on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. If you would like to stay in direct contact with representatives of the University of Bayreuth on exciting topics in the meantime, we would be delighted if you would also take advantage of our offers in the Neuseum.

01. Oktober 2025, 6 p.m.: “Does artificial intelligence have a gender? How AI is shaping our idea of gender roles.”

Speakers: Doreen Schick (FIM Research Institute for Information Management, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, University of Bayreuth), Kristina Hall (University of Bayreuth), Dr. Astrid Schomäcker (Professorship for Philosophy, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Bayreuth)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming an integral part of our lives. At least since the release and public access to ChatGPT, AI seems to be ubiquitous. Its use can have a number of benefits, such as in relation to scientific breakthroughs, economic growth, environmental sustainability, education, employment and human well-being. However, AI also brings disadvantages: for example, AI-based chatbots, such as the chatbot Tay, showed racist tendencies in their responses and the AI used by Amazon to evaluate job applications discriminated against female applicants. There is therefore growing concern about the negative consequences of the use of AI, particularly with regard to the protection of minorities from discrimination and gender equality. As part of a research project, the speakers investigated whether AI is related to gender attributions and can thus influence attitudes and behavior based on the behavior and attitudes of users. You can look forward to the results!

Past highlights of the event series (partly in German language)

For further information, please contact

Angela Danner

Angela Danner

Head of Press, Marketing & Communications Office at the University of Bayreuth

Phone: +49 (0)921 / 55-5323
E-mail: angela.danner@uni-bayreuth.de