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Amsterdam School of Communication Research / ASCoR ASCoR

Vidi grants awarded to ASCoR’s Theo Araujo and Susanne Baumgartner

24 October 2024

Seventeen researchers from the University of Amsterdam have been awarded prestigious Vidi grants, enabling them to expand their research groups and develop innovative projects over the next five years. Among the recipients are two researchers from the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), Prof. Theo Araujo and Dr. Susanne Baumgartner, whose projects explore pressing issues in AI and media effects.

With up to €850,000 per project, these grants will support groundbreaking work across a wide array of fields  Prof. Theo Araujo’s project focuses on how individuals interact with Generative AI conversational agents, such as ChatGPT, and how trust in these technologies can be calibrated. Dr. Susanne Baumgartner’s project tackles the elusive nature of media effects, proposing a new way to understand how digital media influences youth. 

Prof. Theo Araujo: Interactions and trust calibration on generative AI conversational agents

A growing number of individuals increasingly integrate Generative AI conversational agents such as ChatGPT in their daily lives, asking for recommendations, as productivity tools for work or school, or even as companions for emotional support. While useful, these agents also bring several risks, as they often provide inaccurate or biased answers, and individuals can overestimate their capabilities. This project investigates how individuals interact with these agents, and tests strategies to empower them to adequately calibrate their trust in this technology.

Photo of Theo Araujo
It is exciting to be able to research how citizens use Generative AI such as ChatGPT, and how this impacts their daily lives. The project will also test how we can help individuals become more resilient in their use of Generative AI, which hopefully can help individuals, organizations, and policymakers as this technology continues to develop. Theo Araujo

Dr. Susanne Baumgartner: Why we see media effects but do not find them

Understanding how digital media affect youth is crucial in today's digital society. Yet, clear empirical evidence remains elusive—why? This project challenges the status quo in media effects research, questioning the prevalent assumption that media effects are linear and cumulative. This project proposes a completely new idea: media effects stabilize over time, rendering them difficult to detect with existing analytical techniques. This project will deploy cutting-edge methods to test this theory, revolutionizing our understanding of digital media's influence. The outcomes will offer tangible insights for parents, educators, and policymakers, illuminating the real effects of digital media on youth.

Photo of Susanne Baumgartner
As media effects researchers, we have been wondering for a long time why our studies typically find only very minimal effects, while at the same time we perceive the dramatic impact of media all around us. With this project, I want to add a piece to this puzzle and propose new ways to study the effects of media, particularly on youth. Susanne Baumgartner

These projects, backed by Vidi grants, promise to advance our understanding of AI technology and digital media's role in society, setting new directions for future research at ASCoR.