With LAP Coffee, a fast-growing Berlin chain backed by venture capital, facing vandalism in multiple branches, a wider debate is emerging on the impact of rapid expansion on local businesses. While some see it as a startup success story, others see it as a threat to the city’s traditional coffee culture.

In this interview, Simon Munzert reflects on how computational methods have reshaped social research. He discusses the promises and limits of data-driven approaches, the rise of machine learning and online behavioral data, and the risks of technical solutionism. Munzert also examines the societal role of political forecasting, the challenges of communicating uncertainty, and the feedback effects of models on democratic behavior. Looking ahead, he outlines key research and policy priorities – from climate change and democratic backsliding to AI regulation – and argues for why deep technical skills and critical thinking remain essential in the age of generative AI.

For Israel, accusations of war crimes like genocide–and the legal consequences that could result–pose a major threat to what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls ‘The War of Redemption’. The best strategy to circumvent international law during wartime? Prevent evidence of such crimes from being documented in the first place. In the wake of dead journalists, military censorship and newsroom rubble lies room for interpretation. With only a small stream of reporting leaving the Gaza Strip, Israel has drafted its own wartime accounts, while the rest of the world must decide whether or not to believe them.