Urs Gasser

rector munich school for politics and public policy

Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser is Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology and serves as Rector of the Hochschule für Politik (HfP) and Dean of the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. His research focuses on the societal and regulatory implications of new technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. Before joining TUM, he was Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University from 2009 to 2021 and Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School since 2013. Previously he held a SNF Professorship at the University of St. Gallen while also serving as Director of the Research Center for Information Law. With a Landon H. Gammon Fellowship, Prof. Gasser graduated with an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. In addition to his responsibilities at TUM, Prof. Gasser serves as an advisor, among others, to the OECD, and UNICEF. Furthermore, he is currently a member of the Colombian President's Commission of Experts on AI. He was also a Visiting Professor, among others, at KEIO University Japan, and Singapore Management University.​

Related Projects

The Government Innovation & Technology Lab is Munich’s catalyst for public sector innovation, bridging government, academia, and industry to build future-ready institutions.

Lab

Engaging today with the ethical, legal, societal and political implications of tomorrow’s quantum technologies.

Lab

Generative AI Taskforce

Educating decision-makers and offering an open discussion forum on the risks and benefits of generative AI.

Lab

Frontiers in Digital Child Safety

The Frontiers in Digital Child Safety initiative seeks to contribute to ongoing debates about novel ways to advance child safety through a series of open-source materials, including research briefs, issue spotters, or technical descriptions. It is complementary to existing and emerging child protection efforts. The transatlantic multi-stakeholder initiative at the TUM Think Tank is made possible by financial support from Apple. It invites collaboration among scholars at TUM, Harvard University, and the University of Zurich, and facilitates contributions by a global research community. The initiative will explore a range of innovative technological, educational, and other approaches to prevent and respond to digital child safety issues.

Project

Related News

Noteworthy

Frontiers in Digital Child Safety Project Launched

The Technical University of Munich collaborates with Apple to advance child safety in the digital space. A new interdisciplinary initiative at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) will explore frontier issues in digital child safety following $500’000 dollar commitment from Apple.

10. Apr 2024
Noteworthy

Meet the Young Quantum Social Scientists

We are pleased to introduce our first cohort of Young Quantum Social Scientists, originating from six different nations and pursuing studies in various fields from Psychology, Politics, and Technology to Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics.

03. Jun 2024
Publication

Advancing Responsible Quantum Technology

In a commenary titled "A call for responsible quantum technology," published today in Nature Physics, Urs Gasser of the Quantum Social Lab at the TUM Think Tank, along with co-authors Eline De Jong and Mauritz Kop, advocate for the responsible handling of quantum technologies and the establishment of guidelines. Based on an international interdisciplinary effort led by the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, the authors introduce a framework for responsible quantum technologies that integrates ethical, legal, socio-ecological, and policy implications into the research and development of quantum technologies.

09. Apr 2024
In the Media

Wo Technologie und Gesellschaft sich treffen: Staatsminister Blume besucht den TUM Think Tank

Künstliche Intelligenz und Quantentechnologien - disruptive Technologien, die die Welt verändern können. Am 6. Februar besuchte Staatsminister Markus Blume den TUM Think Tank. Anlässlich des Starts des vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) mit 1,9 Millionen Euro geförderten Projekts QuantWorld, präsentierte der TUM Think Tank dem Staatsminister zwei seiner Projekte: das Quantum Social Lab und die Generative AI Taskforce. Ein tiefgreifender Einblick in die Projekte des TUM Think Tanks, der nicht nur Innovationen vorantreibt, sondern selbst eine innovative Entität verkörpert.

08. Feb 2024
Noteworthy

Insights on the EU AI Act

After an intense three-day negotiation marathon, negotiators from the Council presidency and the European Parliament have successfully reached a provisional agreement on the proposal concerning standardized regulations for artificial intelligence (AI), known as the Artificial Intelligence Act. The objective of the draft regulation is to guarantee the safety of AI systems introduced to the European market and employed within the EU, with a commitment to upholding fundamental rights and EU values. This groundbreaking proposal additionally seeks to foster increased investment and innovation in the field of AI within Europe.Following this provisional agreement, efforts will persist at a technical level in the upcoming weeks to conclude the specifics of the new regulation. Once this work is completed, the presidency will present the compromise text to the representatives of the member states for endorsement. The comprehensive text will require confirmation from both institutions and undergo legal-linguistic revision before formal adoption by the co-legislators.

12. Dec 2023
Noteworthy

Show & Tell: AI models and training data for journalism use cases

Join us in exploring the intersection of technology and journalism. This workshop centers getting to know the projects and methods being used and exploring possible collaborations on use cases and methods. We look forward to connecting researchers in foundations, applications, and data!

23. Nov 2025
In the Media

A Quantum Leap in Socially Responsible Technology

The rapid progress in the area of quantum technologies (QT) promises an economic boost, new breakthroughs in science, and novel solutions to global challenges. For years, TUM and the Munich region have been a hub for innovation and research in quantum technologies. This research is now complemented by a flagship project hosted by the newly established Quantum Social Lab at the TUM Think Tank. Supported by the BMBF with a grant totaling 1.9 million euros, the project "QuantWorld" focuses on the future of responsible technology development by making quantum technologies understandable to people where they will impact their daily work. The project integrates social aspects into the world of quantum technologies and takes new methodological approaches by involving artists in knowledge dissemination, making quantum technologies perceptible.

31. Oct 2023
Noteworthy

Generative AI Taskforce Member launches internal AI chatbot

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, in collaboration with Microsoft, is one of the first research organizations in Europe to launch an internal AI chatbot that works similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The FhGenie generative AI solution lets employees securely create, edit or modify texts on the basis of non-public data. The GDPR-compliant service was introduced for Fraunhofer employees in line with guidelines drawn up by the Chatbot taskforce at the Fraunhofer ICT Group, under the supervision of Ingo Weber, member of our Generative AI Taskforce at the TUM Think Tank.

06. Sep 2023

Related Outputs

  • Publication

    Of Pioneers and Potentials

    Transformation of the Public Sector with GenAI

    16. Oct 2024
  • Publication

    Frontiers in Digital Child Safety

    Designing a child-centered digital environment that supports rights, agency, and well-being

    26. Jun 2025
  • Publication

    Quantum Technology: Why standards should come before regulation

    Quantum technologies could be even more transformative than AI. But instead of rushing to regulate, experts including Urs Gasser (TUM), Mateo Aboy (University of Cambridge), I. Glenn Cohen (Harvard), and Mauritz Kop (Stanford) argue in Science that international standards should come before laws to ensure responsible development.

    07. Aug 2025