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< Back Join ALGEPI's workshop on Epistemic Welfare! 21 Mar 2024 What are the conditions under which the use of algorithms can contribute to, or threaten, epistemic welfare? “Epistemic Welfare“ stands as a cornerstone concept for understanding how individuals and groups interact with knowledge in today’s digital society. How do we define it? What is the conceptual and methodological framework for the concept? ALGEPI is organising its first annual workshop on the 12th of April 2024 from 10:00h to 13:00h CET to discuss what are the conditions under which the use of algorithms can contribute to, or threaten, epistemic welfare and how can we translate this into actionable parameters or metrics. Join us in the discussion! 🕙 Time: 10:00h to 13:00h CET. 🗓️ Date: 12th of April 2024 📍 Venue: Collegium Veteranorum (109-20) – Sint-Michielsstraat 2-4 , 3000 Leuven ( 02.10 – MGR. O. ROMEROZAAL ). Are you planning to attend? Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis so please let us know by sending us an email ! Registrations will close on the 5th April 2024. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more, have a look at our concept note dissecting the concept of epistemic welfare ! ➡︎ Read the full programme here . Previous Next

< Back Exploring Ethical and Regulatory Challenges of AI Integration in European Union Newsrooms Lefèvre, B., Errando, A., Afilipoaie, A., Ranaivoson, H., & Wiart, L. (2025). Exploring ethical and regulatory challenges of AI integration in European Union newsrooms. Media Studies , 16 (31), 31-55. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly reshaped the news media landscape in the fast-evolving digital ecosystem. While recent legislative measures and industry self-regulation initiatives have emerged to address AI’s implications, the ethical challenges associated with its adoption in European Union (EU) newsrooms and the ways news media organisations navigate regulatory frameworks and internal initiatives remain underexplored. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the conditions under which AI tools are integrated into media organisations from both organisational and regulatory perspectives. Drawing on an analysis of 30 key documents and 41 in-depth interviews with media professionals and regulatory experts across three EU markets, the study uncovers key findings: a limited discourse on AI use in media organisations, significant disparities in AI implementation practices, and an absence of clear, actionable regulatory guidelines for addressing considerations in AI-driven news content. Platforms Previous Read the article Next

< Back Lien Michiels Postdoctoral Researcher lien.michiels@vub.be Lien Michiels is a Postdoctoral Researcher at imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Adrem Data Lab in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on diversity, discovery and filter bubbles in recommender systems. Previously, she combined her PhD research with her work as a Machine Learning Engineer at Froomle , who provide their recommendation platform as a service to media companies around the globe. She obtained a master's degree in Mathematical Engineering at the KULeuven in 2017. Visit my research profile

< Back AI Summer School 2025 21 Jul 2025 Aina's recap of the AI Summer School at KU Leuven Aina Errando started the summer of 2025 with the AI Summer School at KU Leuven , organised by the Centre for IT & IP Law (CiTiP). As a PhD researcher within the ALGEPI project, she was selected to join the 5th edition of this summer school. The programme brought together an interdisciplinary and international cohort of researchers, legal scholars, and professionals to explore some of the most pressing regulatory and ethical challenges in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Over two intensive weeks , participants engaged with a broad spectrum of topics, including: The EU AI Act, Digital Services Act (DSA), and Digital Markets Act (DMA) The Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law The OECD AI Principles and UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI Critical discussions on AI auditing, transparency, fairness, and accountability The sessions were led by renowned scholars and practitioners , and their contributions created an intellectually rich and challenging environment that encouraged participants to critically reflect on the intersections between law, ethics, and AI innovation . During the programme, Aina had the opportunity to present her work-in-progress titled “Regulating the News(rooms): Between AI Policies and Editorial Realities in Europe” , developed as part of the ALGEPI project . Furthermore, one of the programme’s highlights was a gamified group challenge , where participants were assigned roles in a fictional regulatory debate. Aina and her team were tasked with unconditionally defending regulatory sandboxes under the AI Act. The AI Summer School came at a particularly relevant time, as institutions across Europe are working on implementing the AI Act, as well as other digital regulations and policies. The programme offered an opportunity to gain practical insights into how regulation is interpreted, contested, and applied across different sectors and jurisdictions. Previous Next

< Back Publishing public service media on demand: A comparative study of public service media companies’ editorial practices on their VoD services in the age of platformization Bruun, H., Johnson, C., Lassen, J. M., Nucci, A., Raats, T., & Świtkowski, F. (2025). Publishing public service media on demand: A comparative study of public service media companies’ editorial practices on their VoD services in the age of platformization. Journal of Digital Media & Policy . This article contributes to the emerging empirical research on the editorial practices of video-on-demand (VoD) publishing in European public service media (PSM). It presents results from a comparative study of the editorial practices visible on the VoDs from ten PSM companies across six countries: United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Canada and Denmark. The aim of the article is to map and compare the editorial practices in the ‘prime space’ of the VoD services and the ‘prime time’ of the companies’ main linear channels. The analysis is based on data from a sample week of 13–19 November 2023. The article contributes to research addressing the key issue of universality in terms of content and discusses the conceptualizations of the audience that seem to be at work in the transition towards an online PSM identity. Public Service Media, Platforms Previous Read the article Next

< Back Pieter Ballon Full Professor pieter.ballon@vub.be Professor Pieter Ballon is Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences, director of imec-SMIT and Vice-Rector of Research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He is also co-founder of the European Network of Living Labs and of the Hannah Arendt Institute. Prof. Ballon holds a PhD in Communication Sciences and an MA in Modern History. He is the co-founder of the European Network of Living Labs, the Open Agile Smart Cities network and the Hannah Arendt Institute. From 2017 to 2021, he was the VUB Academic Chair on Smart Cities. His expertise lies in Digital Platforms, Business Model Innovation and Smart Cities, on the subject of which he has a.o. published the popular book “Smart Cities : hoe technologie onze steden leefbaar houdt en slimmer maakt” . Visit my research profile

< Back Heritiana Ranaivoson Research Professor heritiana.renaud.ranaivoson@vub.be While digital technologies have been here for quite some time already, I am still amazed by the changes they keep triggering in the cultural and media industries and how they allow (or constrain) these industries to innovate. I am particularly interested in the impact these changes have on the diversity of the content these industries produce and recommend. And eventually the policies that are needed in this new environment. I analyse these changes using my background in industrial economics, business modelling and media policy, with a peculiar interest in combining quantitative and qualitative research. I obtained my PhD in Economics (Université Paris 1, Panthéon-Sorbonne) in 2008 on cultural diversity in the recording industry. I also studied Economics and Management at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan (France). Since then, and notably since I joined imec-SMIT-VUB in 2010, I have led several research projects at international and national levels for the European Commission ( H2020 , study contracts ), the Unesco , Google , etc. I have published extensively in the fields of cultural and media diversity , media innovation , media policy, audiovisual platforms , and the economic impact of digital technologies on creative industries . Visit my research profile

< Back Join us at DBWRS 2023 15 Aug 2023 Get inspired at the first Dutch-Belgian Workshop on Recommender Systems Get ready for the first Dutch-Belgian Workshop on Recommender Systems (DBWRS)! On 14 and 15 December 2023, researchers and practitioners gather in the beautiful city of Antwerp for a two-day workshop to to explore and discuss the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the field of recommender systems. DBWRS is a collaborative event bridging diverse field such as computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, psychology, communication, and more! Together we spark innovative and interdisciplanary approaches that enhance user experiences, empower perzonalization and contribute to the growing field of recomemnder systems. We invite you to join us at DBWRS 2023! Share your insights, connect with other researchers and practitioners and get inspired by experts. See you in Antwerp on 14 & 15 December 2023. www.dbwrs23.be Previous Next

< Back LLMs and Recommenders Ulysse Maes PhD Researcher My four-year PhD program embarks on an insightful journey to explore the influence of foundational models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), on recommender interfaces. This research aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and user-centric design, focusing on how AI can enhance the user experience in recommender systems, thereby contributing to the rapidly evolving field of intelligent user interfaces, The first phase of my research delves into the transformative role of LLMs in shaping more interactive and engaging recommender user experiences. Here, I map out how these advanced models can redefine user interaction, making it more intuitive and appealing. Central to this phase is not only the exploration of the potential of LLMs but also a critical examination of the risks involved. Ensuring the ethical application of these technologies in real-world scenarios is a cornerstone of my study, as it balances innovation with responsibility. Shifting gears in the second phase, the research will pivot towards the creation and evaluation of user interfaces. This phase is dedicated to experimenting with novel layout and presentation patterns, rigorously assessing them both quantitatively and qualitatively. The goal is to uncover design strategies that align with the diverse objectives of various stakeholders in the recommender system domain. By intertwining state-of-the-art AI research with the underexplored realm of user interaction in recommender systems, my project aims to make significant contributions to the discourse on ethical AI applications. The insights gained are expected to fuel discussions around AI ethics in recommender systems and inspire professionals to adopt more user-friendly and effective design patterns. Ultimately, this research seeks to set a new benchmark in how we integrate generative AI technologies into user interfaces, ensuring they are not only advanced but also ethical and user-centric. Publications Not One News Recommender To Fit Them All: How Different Recommender Strategies Serve Various User Segments 22/09/2025 GenUI(ne) CRS: UI Elements and Retrieval-Augmented Generation in Conversational Recommender Systems with LLMs 08/10/2024 Supervisors Annelien Smets Research Professor Tim Raats Associate Professor Related news 2 Impressions of IBC 2025 Ulysse’s Impressions of the International Broadcasting Convention 2025: Shaping The Future. 2 Looking back at IUI 2025 Ulysse attended the conference and presented at the AXAI workshop 2 Looking back at RecSys 2024 Sharing our reflections on the ACM RecSys Conference 2024 Previous Next

< Back Our work-in-progress at DBWRS 2023 18 Dec 2023 Explore our work-in-progress presentations at DBWRS2023 Last week our team attended the first edition of the Dutch-Belgian Workshop on Recommender Systems. DBWRS 2023 proved to be a dynamic event for the exchange of ideas, insights, and ongoing research. Among the highlights were the six compelling work-in-progress posters presented by our researchers. In this blog post, we are excited to share a glimpse into these projects, providing a brief overview of the groundbreaking work our team is currently undertaking. 1. What Will We Be Streaming Tonight? And Why? This project delves into the fascinating world of streaming preferences. The Living Lab project explores the affordances that influence users' choices in content consumption. From binge-worthy series to thought-provoking documentaries, we're unraveling the intricate tapestry of streaming behaviors. 2. Newsroom Realities: An Exploration of Changing Dynamics in News Organizations in Relation to Recommender Systems In a rapidly evolving media landscape, Hanne's PhD-journey investigates the impact of implementing recommender systems on newsroom dynamics. How do different stakeholders wihtin news organizations look at the potential opportunities and risks of recommendations and personalization? 3. Assessing the Potential of Large Language Models for Personalized Explainable Recommendations in Media Large language models have revolutionized natural language processing. In his PhD, Ulysse will explore their potential for personalized and explainable recommendations in the media domain. Uncover the methodologies and insights that pave the way for a more transparent and user-centric recommender system. 4. Intention and Behavior: A Systematic Review of Literature on Users Preferences in Recommendation Systems Understanding users is at the heart of designing effective recommendation systems. Through an systematic literature review, Dongxiao sheds light on the intricate interplay between user intentions and actual behavior. 5. Discovering the Rhythm: The Impact of Online Platform Recommender Systems on Music Discoverability Music is a universal language, and our researchers in the FairMuse project are exploring how online platform recommender systems influence the discoverability of music. From algorithmic playlists to tailored suggestions, we're uncovering the rhythm that shapes users' musical exploration. 6. Gatekeeping in the Digital Age: Newsroom Resistance to News Personalization As news personalization becomes more prevalent, Aina investigates the resistance to recommender systems in newsrooms in Spain as a part of the Algepi-project . These work-in-progress posters showcase the diversity and depth of ongoing research of the SRP Media team. Together, we navigate the ever-changing landscape of recommender systems, digital platforms and streaming services. Previous Next

< Back Looking back at RecSys 2024 23 Oct 2024 Sharing our reflections on the ACM RecSys Conference 2024 Some researchers of the SRP Media team recently attended the 18th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys 2024) in Bari, Italy. Known for its stunning coastline and sunny weather, Bari provided the perfect backdrop for a gathering of both academic and industry experts in recommender systems. Beyond indulging in the delicious Italian cuisine and navigating the city’s chaotic traffic, our team traveled to Bari to share our latest research, gain insights from the inspiring talks, and engage with the Recsys community. SRP Media's Contributions at RecSys 2024 A previous blog post already summarizes all of the SRP Media team's contributions to the conference. Annelien and Lien each gave a learning session at the RecSys Summer School, which took place the week before the conference. Ulysse attended the Summer School and then stayed another week in beautiful Bari to present a demo poster at the conference. During the conference, Brett participated in the doctoral symposium, where he presented his initial findings and received valuable feedback from leading experts. In addition, there was also a poster for Hanne and Annelien's paper which got shortlisted for the Best Short Paper Award! The RecSys Summer School: Gaining Insights Although RecSys 2024 officially kicked off on October 14th, some of our team members arrived in Bari a week early to attend the ACM Europe School on Recommender Systems. On the program there was Lien Michiels 's lecture on Best Practices for Offline Evaluation and Annelien Smets ' course on Digital Economics and Recommender Systems . Their insights offered a refreshing perspective amidst the buzz around transformer-based algorithms. Ulysse, as a participant in the Summer School, had the chance to connect with fellow researchers from around the world, fostering an environment of collaboration and learning. The Main Conference: Workshops, Presentations, and Keynotes The RecSys conference consists of two parts: on Monday and Friday, a series of workshops and presentations took place at the Politecnico University of Bari. From Tuesday to Thursday, the main track continues with an extensive program of lectures, presentations and posters at the magnificent Teatro Petruzzelli. Some of our highlights: Ulysse's highlights For Ulysse, one of the standout moments was the CARS workshop led by Dr. Rishabh Mehrotra from Sourcegraph. Drawing on his experience at Spotify, Dr. Mehrotra presented a thorough analysis of eight real-world recommendation challenges, offering invaluable insights into the practical applications of recommendation systems. Ulysse also appreciated a keynote from Mounia Lalmas, also from Spotify, as well as events like the Women in RecSys session, the Normalize workshop, and Netflix’s “Raising a Recommender System”—although his duties as a student volunteer required him to follow these online. Brett's reflections Brett's experience at the doctoral symposium was the outstanding highlight of the week. Thanks to valuable feedback from experts such as Julia Neidhardt, Markus Zanger and Bart Knijnenburg, Brett gained new clarity on his PhD project, particularly his development of the "Serendiptionnaire" a tool designed to evaluate how recommender systems promote serendipity. Throughout the main track, Brett found himself both impressed and challenged by the industry presence. While captivated by the venue and delighted by the food, he noted a strong focus on technical issues, which sometimes overshadowed a more human-centered approach. Mark Riedl’s keynote resonated with this perspective, particularly the idea that recommender systems should enhance user agency. Workshops like RecSoGood, AltRec , and the POPROX project emphasizing the importance of considering the societal implications of research on recommender system. Hanne’s first RecSys Attending the RecSys Conference in person for the first time was an exciting and enriching experience. The conference brings together researchers and industry practitioners from a wide range of sectors, creating a vibrant and open-minded community. The empowerment of women in this traditionally male-dominated field, with the Women in RecSys breakfast and session is very valuable to facilitate connections. Her own contribution, a short paper titled “It’s (not) all about that CTR: A Multi-stakeholder Perspective on News Recommender Metrics” was shortlisted for the Best Short Paper award. This nomination, together with the encouraging feedback on the poster, is a testament to the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in recommender system research. The need for bridging the gap between academia and industry echoed throughout the week. Final Thoughts: A Rich Exchange of Ideas and Inspiration RecSys 2024 in Bari offered not only an incredible learning experience but also an opportunity to engage with great minds in the Recsys field. From insightful workshops and keynotes to helpful feedback and new connections, our team left the conference feeling motivated and inspired. As we look ahead, the key takeaway is clear: recommender systems must evolve beyond technical optimization. The importance of fostering user agency, promoting social sciences in the research on recommenders, and bridging the gap between academia and industry applications is more pressing than ever. Previous Next

< Back Integrating discoverability and prominence in video-on-demand consumption choices. A qualitative user study in Belgium Iordache, C., Loisen, J., & Van Audenhove, L. (2023). Integrating discoverability and prominence in video-on-demand consumption choices. A qualitative user study in Belgium. International Communication Gazette . https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485231191898 As video-on-demand services have taken a central position in audiovisual distribution in European markets, over-the-top viewing has become increasingly popular. This shift has heavily impacted consumption patterns and exposure diversity, as they are reshaped by non-linear distribution and technological affordances. This article aims to integrate debates on discoverability and prominence within wider research on video-on-demand consumption. It does so by widening the existing focus on the strategies deployed by video-on-demand services to capture users’ contexts and actions in the consumption decision-making process. The framework is based on exploratory qualitative research conducted in Belgium through a diary study and in-depth interviews and can contribute to future audience research on video-on-demand consumption choices. We find that users discover and choose audiovisual content to consume on demand through a combination of formal and informal factors. These are grouped into four thematic categories, namely technological affordances, perceived offering, external ‘nudges’, and process. Platforms Previous Read the article Next