News you didn’t expect: Arjen Lobach receives honorary doctorate from Open University For his contribution to science and society. The honorary doctorate will be awarded on 26 September. The award is explained in more detail on the Open University website:
By awarding an honorary doctorate, the Open University wants to show its appreciation for the outstanding contribution that Arjen Lubach makes to social debate. In particular, in his TV programmes De Avondshow and Zondag Met Lubach, he often addresses complex topics in society in a humorous, clear and easy-to-understand way. In videos, for example, on whether Europe can defend itself, on where all the water should go (due to heavy rainfall) and on artificial intelligence.
University President Prof. Dr. Theo Bastiaans:
“The Open University believes that the way Arjen Laubach discusses major social issues in an open manner and from different perspectives is of great value to society. This is what sets Arjen Laubach apart from other media and television creators. The use of humour makes the videos interesting to a wide audience, and thus enables them to form a deep and accurate picture of these topics. This way of openly informing society about complex issues, and highlighting different perspectives, fits well with the philosophy of the Open University: making knowledge accessible through accessible and fundamentally balanced explanations of social issues.
Lubach responds on Instagram as follows:
On the list: If only my mom could see this 🎓… It’s such an honor and a special moment to drop out of college. I’ll be enrolling in Vindicat later.
Here is an example of a broadcast where AI is discussed:
