Dr Felix M. Simon

About

Dr Felix M. Simon is a political communication scholar and Research Fellow in AI and News at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and a Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford.

His empirical and conceptual research broadly looks at the implications of a changing news and information environment for democratic discourse and the functioning of democracy. Since 2019, his research has focused on various aspects of AI in news and the public sphere, with a special emphasis on its use and reception by news organisations and news audiences, the shifting power dynamics between the news and the technology sector, and AI’s role in misinformation and democracy.

Dr Simon has published and presented widely in top-tier academic journals and conferences. His research and commentary has appeared, among others, in The New York Times, The Guardian, Politico, and the Financial Times. He regularly writes and comments on technology, media, and politics for various international outlets, including as a monthly columnist for Nikkei, and frequently advises media organisations on AI. In May 2023, he was awarded the Hans Bausch Media Prize by German public broadcaster SWR and the University of Tübingen for his work on AI, news, and technological dependency.

He holds a DPhil in Communication from the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute (with distinction), an MSc in Social Science of the Internet from the OII, and a BA in Film and Media Studies from Goethe-University Frankfurt. He is affiliated with Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism and the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a fellow at the Salzburg Global Seminar, an Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy, and sits on the Advisory Committee of the Center for News, Technology & Innovation.