Prof. Dr. Miriam Meckel holds the position of Professor of Corporate Communication and leads the Institute for Media and Communication Management at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Miriam Meckel pursued studies in journalism and communication science, sinology, political science, and law at the Universities of Münster and Taipei, Taiwan. Following her education, she spent a decade working as a journalist for public and commercial broadcasters such as ARD, VOX, and RTL, serving as a presenter, reporter, and editor in news and magazine programs.
She is the founding publisher of the platform “ada,” which focuses on digital life and the future economy. “ada” functions as an innovation hub promoting organizational change and continuing education beyond traditional organizational limits.
Miriam Meckel Lecture topics
- How artificial intelligence is transforming our world and the benefits it offers
- Disrupting Reality: Understanding reality in an era of technical designability
- Returning to honesty? Political communication and culture in Germany
- The interconnected world: insights into the global information society
- My head belongs to me – Exploring the new frontier of brainhacking
- We are disappearing – The human experience in the digital age
- NEXT – Reflections on a future without us
- Sold and nothing revealed – Communication during shifts in financial markets
Welcome to the era of AI: an introduction to the future world.
We are currently witnessing the “iPhone moment” of artificial intelligence, where this technology becomes accessible to everyone for the first time. This marks a pivotal point in our cultural development, with rapid changes occurring simultaneously across all areas. In her presentations, Miriam Meckel emphasizes the potential benefits of crossing this threshold. There is no need to fear being replaced as humans, since all AI actions depend on how we engage with it. Nonetheless, this also places the responsibility on us to guide its evolution appropriately.
But how can we achieve this, and where do risks, unintended consequences, and ethical challenges arise—whether in the workplace, business, interpersonal relationships, or daily life? Which issues should be addressed now rather than later, such as those involving self-driving cars, virtual medical assistants, or automated misinformation?
Miriam Meckel asserts that to keep pace in an increasingly complex world, we must enhance our human intelligence—and artificial intelligence can assist in this process. Consequently, we too will evolve. What will the future world look like, and how will we navigate it to make sound decisions?
After completing her studies in Münster and Taipei, Miriam Meckel began her distinguished career as a television presenter, reporter, and editor. At 32, she became the youngest professor appointed to the Chair of Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Münster.
Miriam Meckel: Everything everywhere at once: The impact of artificial intelligence on our world and its potential benefits.
Two years later, she was appointed State Secretary and Government Spokesperson for North Rhine-Westphalia by Minister President Wolfgang Clement. In 2005, the taz newspaper described her as “one of the few glamorous political officials in Germany. Her speech is print-ready, her analytical thinking is crystal clear, and Miriam Meckel represents the media state of North Rhine-Westphalia like no other government figure in Düsseldorf.”
Miriam Meckel is a member of the German Society for Journalism and Communication Studies (DGPuK) and the International Communication Association (ICA). She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Tamedia Group in Zurich.
As part of the international jury for the Development Gateway Foundation at the World Bank, she helped develop the Development Gateway Award (“Petersberg Prize in IT for Development”), which is presented annually. Additionally, as a member of the scientific advisory board of ISPRAT e.V., she represents the research focus on “Trust and Transparency” on the Internet.
In 2001, Miriam Meckel was honored with the Cicero Speaker Award in the science category.
From 2006 to 2007, she hosted the business talk show “Miriam Meckel – Standpunkte” on the German news channel n-tv.
Miriam Meckel was a fellow of the Herbert Quandt Foundation’s “European Asian Young Leaders Forum.” In 2008, she received the “Eisenhower Fellowship” from the USA, awarded biennially to a German who is granted the opportunity to travel and conduct research in the USA for two months under this fellowship.
She is a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, a member of the Swiss Federal Media Commission, and a Visiting Professor at Singapore Management University.
Miriam Meckel regularly contributes to media outlets such as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, and writes op-ed pieces for Bloomberg.com.
