For many, democracy had been a distant promise – something spoken of in speeches, printed in newspapers and instructed in classrooms, yet rarely felt in daily life. Corruption had seeped into offices, fear had lived in the hearts of citizens and justice had only been served to a privileged few. To others, those twenty years had been a fragile chance to dream; an imperfect system, yes, but still a space where women studied, young people hoped and families imagined a better future. Now, as the gunfire faded and the Taliban took their places, all those memories returned like a painful echo.

With LAP Coffee, a fast-growing Berlin chain backed by venture capital, facing vandalism in multiple branches, a wider debate is emerging on the impact of rapid expansion on local businesses. While some see it as a startup success story, others see it as a threat to the city’s traditional coffee culture.

In this interview, Simon Munzert reflects on how computational methods have reshaped social research. He discusses the promises and limits of data-driven approaches, the rise of machine learning and online behavioral data, and the risks of technical solutionism. Munzert also examines the societal role of political forecasting, the challenges of communicating uncertainty, and the feedback effects of models on democratic behavior. Looking ahead, he outlines key research and policy priorities – from climate change and democratic backsliding to AI regulation – and argues for why deep technical skills and critical thinking remain essential in the age of generative AI.