The content and functionality of our service will be continuously changed, expanded and improved. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) systems based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is essential to provide contemporary and flexible online services and information in understandable, cross-media formats with up-to-date data. Hereinafter, all of these will be referred to collectively as ‘AI’.
Below, you will find information on where and for what purposes we use our own AI systems or external AI services to further develop our online services, provide content, and offer user functions. This includes the research, collection, analysis, synthesis, compilation, and preparation of data and information that we make available to our users. It also includes the processing of data users actively provide when accessing the online service or which is collected during registration and ongoing use of our service.
Further information on data protection when using our online services can be found in our Privacy Policy.
1. AI-generated content
The content accessible on this service (including its web pages, texts and documents, sounds, graphics, images, videos, layout) may have been partially or entirely processed, modified or created using Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems based on machine learning (ML) and data processing with so-called neural networks.
2. AI-processed data and text
Information, numerical data, and text from websites, research papers, media reports, etc. may have been processed by AI. This may include data search and collection, evaluation and analysis, extraction of citations and summaries, translation or transcription of information using machine learning models and probabilistic software systems. AI may also be used to manipulate the tone and format of expressions in text and speech.
In general, the goal of this use of AI is to generate and deliver affordable, high-quality content and information across multiple communication channels to diverse audiences with varying interest and different levels of education. AI helps to do this in a fast, flexible and cost-effective way beyond what would be currently possible without it.
3. AI-generated visuals and audio
Charts, graphical descriptions, illustrative images, photographs, sound, speech, 2D or 3D animations, and video sequences may have been enhanced, modified, or created entirely by AI. This includes images and video of people, which may or may not represent real people. Similarly, human speech in audio data may have been modified or created entirely synthetically by AI.
4. Use of real people’s images and voices
Images, audio and video of real people, especially celebrities and public figures, will always be used and published in accordance with applicable privacy laws. Voice data and realistic images of individuals will only be used with their explicit consent or within the general usage rights granted by law (e.g., publications, press releases, personal interviews, advertising, etc.).
When such material is used to document events, factual information and real-world scenarios, it may be manipulated only in technical parameters necessary for error-free and secure access (e.g., denoising, contrast adjustment, cropping). These adjustments may or may not be made using AI.
Where possible and appropriate, or where required by law, we will store and identify the names of people depicted in images, videos or audio recordings, together with the date and place of the recording. However, the absence of such information does not automatically imply that the content is artificial or generated by AI.
Users of our service may upload or otherwise provide images of themselves or others and audio data containing their own voice or the voice of others to our online service. In such cases, the user must be aware that such images/audio data may be processed by AI and stored on our own or third party servers.
Users who provide images of other people in the form of photos, illustrations or videos, with or without audio data containing speech of these people, must always make sure that they are allowed to do so in accordance with all personal and other rights of the respective persons. In case of doubt, users uploading such data to our online service must first obtain the explicit permission of the persons concerned. Liability for the uploading, provision and use of personal image and voice data via our online service shall lie solely with the users who provide such data.
5. Third-party AI content
The above statements apply to data, information, images, videos and sound that we create and publish ourselves, including content produced by employees, partner companies and contractors.
However, our services may also provide access to content and information materials created, produced, published or licensed by third parties, e.g. via links or direct representations of social media content or YouTube videos. In most cases, we have no influence on such third-party content. Usually, we also do not have reliable information on whether such external content has been manipulated, modified or synthetically generated using AI.
Therefore, we can not accept any responsibility for any third-party content that is accessible via our services. Unless otherwise required by law, the responsible and lawful use of AI is the sole responsibility of the providers and producers of such external content.
6. Data provided by users
If users provide text, graphics, illustrations, sound, image and video material or music via our online service, they must ensure that they have the necessary rights of use for the respective material. This applies in general, also including material that was generated by AI or manipulated with AI. For example, ownership rights may exist and usage rights may be restricted for music clips, sound recordings and image templates used to generate new material with AI.
Liability for upload and provision of text, graphics, immage, sound, voice, and video data as well as for the resulting access by other users and the distribution to third parties via our online service lies exclusively with the users who originally provide this data via our service.
Our users may also upload or provide images of themselves or other persons as well as audio data with their own voice or the voice of other persons to our online service (for example in their own posts, in chats, with comments m, and the like). In such cases, users must always take into account that the corresponding images/audio data may be stored on our own or third-party servers and processed by AI. If any persons depicted or otherwise represented in such material do not agree to this or the transfer of the relevant material to us or to third-party providers is not permitted by law or due to third-party rights (e.g. trademark rights to a logo), the material shall not be uploaded to our online service.
Before users provide images of persons in photos, illustrations or videos with or without audio data containing speech of these persons, they must ensure that this is done in accordance with all personal rights of the respective persons and other relevant laws. This also applies to AI-generated content that closely resembles or even deliberately imitates the depiction or statements of real people. In case of doubt, before users upload AI-generated or other content they must check that content themselves for similarity to real persons and obtain the express permission of persons concerned.
7. Labeling and verification of AI-generated content
Due to the growing amount of content on our platform, it is not always possible to determine with reasonable effort whether an image shows a real person or whether an audio track containing speech is actually spoken by a known person or even a human being. To ensure more security in this regard, we identify artificially created images or voice recordings as such where necessary. This is done as far as possible and in accordance with the relevant laws of the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany.
We will never knowingly use images or videos created by deepfake algorithms or similar technologies that mimic or simulate the appearance, movements, speech habits or statements of an individual person.
Accordingly, our users are also not permitted to use our online service to disseminate images, voice recordings or videos generated with AI or in any other way that depict, imitate or suggest the appearance, statements or actions of real people without first obtaining the consent of the persons concerned. In addition, users who upload or otherwise disseminate images, videos or audio recordings of other people via our service must ensure that they do not publish any illegal content and do not violate personal rights, copyrights or other rights of the respective persons or third parties.
In case of doubt, we treat violations to the aforementioned rules as administrative or criminal offenses in accordance with the relevant laws. This applies in particular if the material in question appears to be recognizably harmful, misleading, insulting, defamatory, insinuating or suitable for other misuse. It also applies accordingly to texts, illustrations, graphics and the like, whether produced with or without AI, as far as these are recognizable as plagiarism or imitate the intellectual property of third parties and, thereby, infringe copyrights, personal rights or other rights. Users who demonstrably attempt or have attempted to distribute or obtain such material via our online service may be excluded from using our service completely or temporarily.
8. Use of external AI and cloud services
Some content on our services may be created, generated, processed or modified by external AI services provided by third parties. When we use such content, we ensure that it complies with all applicable mandatory licenses, rights of use, and copyrights under the relevant laws applicable at the place of production or publication. We may also provide and support certain functional areas of our online services using external AI services. This may include areas such as database search, text transcription and translation, data research and analysis, web and knowledge base research, etc.
However, for practical reasons, and except in cases involving the depiction of real people as mentioned above, we may not explicitly mark content derived from external AI services as such or name the specific AI service used to process our content.
Currently, we may use AI models and cloud computing services as well as data and network technologies from the providers listed below (European/German branches are mentioned where applicable). The use of such services is currently limited, usually temporary and may only occur at irregular intervals. So far, we use such external AI services primarily to optimize our content and to further develop our own online service.
ChatGPT, API – OpenAI, L.L.C.
Contact: support@openai.com, Web: https://openai.com
Privacy policy: https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy
Google Gemini, Vertex AI, Cognitive Cloud Services API – Google Ireland Limited
Contact: support-de@google.com, Web: https://cloud.google.com
Privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Firefly Generative AI – Adobe Systems Software Ireland Ltd.
Contact: contact@adobe.com, Web https://www.adobe.com
Privacy policy: https://www.adobe.com/privacy/policy.html
Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services / OpenAI Service API – Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited
Contact: support@microsoft.com, Web: https://azure.microsoft.com
Privacy policy: https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement
Claude AI, API – Anthropic PBC
Contact: support@anthropic.com, Web: https://www.anthropic.com
Privacy policy: https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy
Perplexity AI, API – Perplexity AI, Inc.
Contact: hello@perplexity.ai, Web: https://www.perplexity.ai
Privacy policy: https://www.perplexity.ai/privacy
AWS SageMaker, LlaMA AI API Services – Amazon Web Services, Inc.,
Meta AI, AI Studio, LLaMA API – Meta Platforms Ireland Limited
– Use suspended until further notice –
This list of providers is subject to change and is not intended to be exhaustive. We also reserve the unrestricted right to decide whether, to what extent, when and how long we operate our Site with external AI services and various AI models from the listed providers. We also reserve the right to decide whether or not to make such services available to our users.
Some of the AI services listed above may not be currently available or only partially available to end users and/or website operators in Germany or the European Union. We will only deploy such services if they are officially available, provided based on halfway socially acceptable company policies, and permitted for use in compliance with the legal requirements relevant to our online services without incurring excessive functional limitations.
Last modified: 2025-02-20