List of publications and talks
As of November 2026. Books, texts, talks, formats and awards since 2005. Where available, links lead to the text, the recording or the programme.
Books and studies
- 2022The Planetary Stacking Order of Multilayered Crowd-AI Systems
Book chapter, Digital Work in the Planetary Market, ed. Mark Graham and Fabian Ferrari, MIT Press, pp. 137–155 · PDF - 2019Crowdproduktion von Trainingsdaten: Zur Rolle von Online-Arbeit beim Trainieren autonomer Fahrzeuge
Study, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Study № 417 · PDF - 2019Crowdsourced Production of AI Training Data: How Human Workers Teach Self-Driving Cars How to See
Working Paper № 155, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, condensed English version · PDF - 2017Crowd Design: From Tools for Empowerment to Platform Capitalism
Book, Birkhäuser, Board of International Research in Design · birkhauser.com - 2017Digital Labour Markets in the Platform Economy: Mapping the Political Challenges of Crowd Work and Gig Work
Study, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, revised English edition, Spanish 2021 · PDF - 2017Der Job als Gig: Digital vermittelte Dienstleistungen in Berlin with Ute Kathmann
Expert report for the Berlin Senate Administration, ArbeitGestalten · PDF - 2016Arbeitsmärkte in der Plattformökonomie: Zu den Herausforderungen von Crowdwork und Gigwork
Study, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung · PDF - 2015The Design of Creative Crowdwork: From Tools for Empowerment to Platform Capitalism
Doctoral thesis, Royal College of Art, London · PDF - 2010Kritische Masse: Von Profis und Amateuren im Design
Book, form+zweck, includes “Volksdesign” · formundzweck.de · PDF - 2006Parallel Realitäten
Book, Niggli, Wilhelm Braun-Feldweg Prize for critical writing on design · PDF
Editing
- 2015–2017agenda design
Editor-in-chief, responsible for the five issues “Sichtbarkeit”, “Grenzen”, “Identität”, “Experiment” and “Antrieb”, magazine of the Allianz deutscher Designer, design Jan-Hendrik Schmidt (Buntesamt); the lead essays are listed under articles - 2012The Edge of Our Thinking: Research in Art & Design
Editor-in-chief, anthology on design research at the Royal College of Art, London · archived copy - 2010Volkssport Design: Nachspiel with Herbert Grüner
Proceedings of the 2009 symposium, co-editor · PDF
Articles and book chapters
- 2026Wahrscheinlichkeit und Eigensinn
Essay, catalogue “Experiment und Eigensinn”, Mart Stam Gesellschaft · PDF · mart-stam.de - 2021Uncanny Home Working with Sebastian Schmieg
Conversation, in: How Do We Want to Work Together, ed. Jesko Fezer, Sternberg Press · PDF - 2020Unevenly Distributed
Essay, unthinking.photography, The Photographers’ Gallery, print edition in “A Cat, a Dog, a Microwave” · unthinking.photography - 2017Formen der Autonomie
Lead essay, agenda design № 5 “Antrieb” · PDF - 2017Speculative Design
Lead essay, agenda design № 4 “Experiment” · PDF - 2016Einzigartigkeit am Fließband
Lead essay, agenda design № 3 “Identität” · PDF - 2016#Neuland
Lead essay, agenda design № 2 “Grenzen” · PDF - 2015Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst
Lead essay, agenda design № 1 “Sichtbarkeit” · PDF - 2014The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Warum Crowdsourcing eine Frage der Ethik ist
Book chapter, in: Crowdwork – zurück in die Zukunft?, ed. Christiane Benner, Bund-Verlag, pp. 367–385 - 2013The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Why Crowdsourcing Needs Ethics
Conference paper, CrowdWork and Social Computing, University of Karlsruhe, IEEE, pp. 531–535 · PDF - 2013For a Few Dollars More: Class Action Against Crowdsourcing
APRJA 2(1), pp. 60–73, Aarhus University and transmediale, Core77 Design Award for Writing & Commentary · PDF - 2013Die Revolution wird nicht 3D gedruckt
Conference paper, DGTF “Politik der Maker”, Hamburg · PDF - 2011Gamer als Designer: Nutzergenerierte Inhalte in Computerspielen with Danny Pannicke
Article, Informatik-Spektrum 34(6), Springer, pp. 598–606 · PDF - 2011Monster Soup: Making the Invisible Visible
Essay, Unmaking Things, Victoria and Albert Museum and RCA, Core77 Design Award notable 2012 · PDF - 2007Semantische Tektonik
Competition entry, first prize “Reinventing the Virtual City”, Shrinking Cities, published in Arch+, 2009 · PDF - 2007Use Your Illusion
Book chapter, Space Time Play, Birkhäuser, ed. Friedrich von Borries, Steffen P. Walz, Matthias Böttger · PDF
Journalism and interviews
- 2018Programme mit Bewusstsein sind Fiktion
Interview with Ralf Herbrich, Amazon, t3n № 54 · archived copy - 2018Aus Darwins Sicht sind wir alle Pfauen
Interview with Hartmut Böhme, designreport 2/2018 · hartmutboehme.de - 2017Hardware is Hard
Joint interview with Kickstarter and Lofelt, designreport 5/2017 - 2016Dieser Mann will Facebook zerschlagen
Interview with Jaron Lanier, t3n № 45 · archived copy - 2016Gehirne in die Cloud laden? Absurd!
Interview with Raúl Rojas, t3n № 46 · archived copy - 2015Wie Büroarchitektur Innovation fördert
Article, t3n № 42 · archived copy - 2012Schwarm / Hive
bauhaus № 3 “Dinge”, Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, German and English · PDF - 2012Futuristische Pixelnostalgie: Die Gestaltung des Morgens am Beispiel der New Aesthetic
Article, FROH! № 9 - 2012London Calling: Experiment mit Tradition
Article, designreport 2/2012 “Design forscht!” - 2010Rolle von Profis und Amateuren im Design
Radio interview, Deutschlandfunk · deutschlandfunk.de - 2009Web der Extreme: Flickering vs. Frugal
Cover story, form № 227 · PDF - 2009Volkssport design: live and let live?
Opinion, eye № 74 · PDF - 2007Design in Second Life
Cover story, form № 215 · PDF
Talks
- 2023Transcendent Beauty as a Service
Keynote, ARTificial – The Art of Neuroscience, Amsterdam - 2023Prompt, click, and hope for the best: Über Wert und Halbwertszeit von Sprache als Interface für Gestaltungswerkzeuge with Sebastian Schmieg
Talk, Everyday AI – Künstliche Intelligenz in gegenwärtigen Interface-Kulturen, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar · uni-weimar.de - 2023Erobert künstliche Intelligenz die Kunst?
Panel, Science Café, Schaufler Lab at TU Dresden and Barkhausen Institut, COSMO science forum, Kulturpalast Dresden · tu-dresden.de - 2023Prompt Battle with Sebastian Schmieg
Online talk, Click and Collect: Show Me Your Dataset, Somerset House, London · somersethouse.org.uk - 2023Screen Walk with The Prompt Battle Team with Sebastian Schmieg
Video, Screen Walks series, The Photographers’ Gallery and Fotomuseum Winterthur · Video - 2023/imagine an overheated debate:: #AIart, trending on Twitter, 4K render
Talk, transmediale, Akademie der Künste Berlin · Video - 2020CAPTCHA! Schwarzmarkt für nützliches Wissen und Nicht-Wissen
Expert on AI, Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden · archived copy - 2019Why Microwork Matters? Artificial Intelligence, Science and Markets
Talk in session 1 and closing keynote, conference “Microwork platforms”, France Stratégie, MSH Paris-Saclay and INDL, Paris · ens-paris-saclay.fr - 2019Nachhaltigkeitsziele und die globale Einbettung von Arbeit
Workshop, Science Platform Sustainability 2030, Munich · archived copy - 2019The Design of Crowdwork
Talk, Reshaping Work Conference, Amsterdam · pe.reshapingwork.net - 2019The Influencing Machine – Von Bots, Arbeit und Politik
Talk, neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst (nGbK), Berlin · archiv.ngbk.de - 2019Who Does What? Work Performed, Delegated, Outsourced …
Talk for the exhibition curated by Silvio Lorusso, Drugo More, Rijeka · drugo-more.hr - 2018Plattformökonomie und soziale personenbezogene Dienstleistungen
Expert discussion, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and AWO, Berlin · archived copy - 2017Foodora, Helpling, MyHammer – welche Rahmenbedingungen braucht die Plattformökonomie?
Panel, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Munich · archived copy - 2017Dienstleistung via Plattform: Gute Arbeit in der Gig Economy?!
Expert dialogue, Berlin Senate Administration and ArbeitGestalten · arbeitgestaltengmbh.de - 2015The Design of Creative Crowdwork
Talk, Circuits of Struggle, University of Toronto · archived copy - 2014Crowdwork – The Future of Design?
Talk and chair of the session “Freelancers and Unions in the Creative Industries”, Digital Labor: Sweatshops, Picket Lines, Barricades, The New School, New York · platform.coop - 2014Zurück in die Zukunft
Talk, 6th Engineering and IT conference of IG Metall, Rüsselsheim - 2014Die Revolution wird nicht 3D gedruckt
Talk, session “Die Zukunft des Produzierens”, 23rd annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Technikgeschichte, Stuttgart - 2014Crowdsourcing Design: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Talk, re:publica, Berlin · Video - 2013Die Revolution wird nicht 3D gedruckt
Talk, DGTF annual conference, Hamburg · PDF - 2013The Outsourced / Outsourcing User
Talk and panel, transmediale, Berlin · archive.transmediale.de - 2010Quo Vadis Designprofession
Programme concept, keynote and moderation, TYPO Berlin · archived copy - 2007Tools for Conviviality
Talk, FMX conference on animation, effects, games and interactive media, Stuttgart · archived copy
Formats and events
- 2025Deep Fried Design
Initiator, AI week at the Faculty of Design, HTW Dresden · fakultaet-design.de - 2025–2026Slop Night
Initiator, evening format, three editions, HTW Dresden - 2022–2024Prompt Battle with Sebastian Schmieg
Format, 36 editions in 10 countries · promptbattle.com - 2009Volkssport Design with Herbert Grüner
Initiator, concept and keynote, symposium, Museum für Kommunikation Berlin - 2008Kreative Existenzen
Talk and concept, symposium at weißensee kunsthochschule berlin, with Prof. Stefan Koppelkamm
Hearings and expert panels
- 2020Enquete-Kommission Künstliche Intelligenz
Expert witness, German Bundestag · archived copy - 2018Werkstattgespräch zur Zukunft der Arbeit
Expert, International Labour Organization (ILO) and Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Berlin · ilo.org - 2018Measuring the Platform Economy: Size and Impact
Expert, expert workshop, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels · archived copy - 2015Öffentliches Fachgespräch „Digitale Arbeit“
Expert witness, Committee on the Digital Agenda, German Bundestag · bundestag.de · bundestag.de
Awards
- 2013Core77 Design Award, Writing & Commentary
Student winner, for “For a Few Dollars More” · designawards.core77.com - 2012Core77 Design Award, Writing & Commentary
Notable, for “Monster Soup” - 2009Einstein Stiftung Berlin, „Berlin der Begegnungen“
Excellence scholarship - 2007Reinventing the Virtual City
First prize, for “Semantische Tektonik”, Shrinking Cities and Arch+, German Federal Cultural Foundation · shrinkingcities.com - 2006Wilhelm-Braun-Feldweg-Förderpreis für designkritische Texte
for “Parallel Realitäten” - 2005100 beste Plakate Deutschland, Österreich, Schweiz
among the winners