Welthandelsplatz 1. The Educational Podcast of WU Vienna.

Artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life for many people. Whether at university, in research, or at work, language models such as ChatGPT can provide answers to complex questions within seconds. But those answers are not always correct.

In the latest episode of Welthandelsplatz 1, Karin Heitzmann talks with Axel Polleres, professor of data and knowledge engineering at WU Vienna, about how modern language models work, why they sometimes hallucinate, and how we can build more reliable AI systems.

For many families, choosing a school is one of the most important decisions they will ever make for their children's future. In a study based on Vienna residency records, WU researcher Anita Zednik from the Institute for Markets and Strategy shows that some parents strategically exploit the rules of the school allocation system to improve their children’s chances of gaining entry to their preferred school. In WU’s Welthandelsplatz 1 podcast, Zednik discusses her findings and reflects on broader questions of fairness and equal opportunities in the education system.

In cooperation with WU Vienna, the podcast Erklär mir die Welt (Explain the world to me) deals with important financial topics: Inflation, loans or interest rates: In the live podcast hosted by Andreas Sator with Prof. Bettina Fuhrmann as part of the Langen Nacht der Forschung at Campus WU, you’ll learn all about saving, investing and everyday financial matters. Episode in German.

Soccer captivates billions of people worldwide. It fosters a sense of belonging, builds community, and stirs emotions. At the same time, it is a multi-billion-dollar economic system that raises questions about leadership, governance, diversity, integration, and social responsibility. WU Professor Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger and Jonas Puck explore precisely this tension from three different perspectives: as a researcher, as vice presidents at SK Rapid and Erster FC 1894, respectively, and—of course—as fans. Episode in German.

Insects have long been considered one of the most promising alternatives to conventional meat. Nevertheless, the willingness of many Europeans to actually consume insect-based products remains rather low. Why is this the case and how can these barriers be overcome?

Does basic income cause people to work less? Or does it instead enhance life satisfaction and individual freedom of choice? New research findings show that many widely held assumptions about the negative effects of an unconditional basic income do not withstand empirical scrutiny. Episode in German.

In the debut episode, WU economist Klaus Prettner and his colleague Karin Heitzmann, director of the INEQ research institute, discuss new findings regarding the economic impact of diabetes on our society. Previous estimates failed to take various types of indirect costs into account, which means that the true extent of the economic consequences has long been underestimated. Episode in German.