Research · Education · Dialogue
Email ↗ LinkedIn ↗ ORCID ↗ · DE | EN
Denis
Pijetlovic
explores how AI shapes human judgement.
Research &
Writing
Forthcoming February 2027 · transcript · Open Access
Die Haltung der Maschine
How the behaviour of generative AI shapes our judgement. An essay on the often subtle effects of tone, agreement and apparent certainty. The first title in the series “Horizonte Künstlicher Intelligenz”.
Doctoral thesis · Springer Gabler · 2020
Das Potential der Pflege-Robotik
A systemic exploratory study.
Details & further work
Selected work · Preprint 2025
Vertrautheit als Macht ↗
On the relationship that emerges in conversations with AI, and what it means for thinking, feeling and research.
Software and research data
Prompt Echo Tracking
PET is an observation protocol for behavioural drift: does an AI model change its stance between versions when the question stays the same? Two empirical waves, replication materials and a power simulation are openly available.
Education &
Sustainability
Co-edited volume · oekom · 2025
Klimawandel und Bildung
Concepts, methods and perspectives on transformative climate education.
More on education
Managing Director since 2022 · University of Bremen
Virtual Academy for Sustainability
For 15 years, VAN has made digital sustainability education accessible to students and universities, since 2021 as an institute of the University of Bremen. Its open online courses connect academic knowledge with questions of societal change.
Dialogue &
Change
Working together
Talks & workshops
Systemic practice
Facilitation
Systemic constellations
With Georg Müller-Christ · Springer Gabler · 2018
Komplexe Systeme lesen
The potential of systemic constellations in research and practice.
Consulting
Organisational consulting
Supporting teams and departments through change: dialogue workshops, team development and closing formats that make shared achievements visible.
Workshops and support
AI in everyday work
For teams introducing or already using generative AI: where does it change judgements and decisions, and how can human judgement remain central? Workshops and ongoing support, rather than technical training.
Projects
Erasmus+ · European cooperation
RADAR-AIM ↗
Modular learning opportunities on AI and sustainability for higher education and professional development. The focus is on micro-credentials and applying AI to concrete sustainability challenges.
My role: Securing funding and project leadership at the University of Bremen; leading WP4 “Adopt & Reflect”.
WP4: introducing, piloting and evaluating the learning opportunities. Overall coordination: VUB-FARI (Belgium).
Fokus Netzwerke 2026 · Higher education networks
BNE-Coop: Community of Practice for Digital ESD Teaching ↗
An exchange on digital education for sustainable development (ESD) across VAN’s network of partner universities. The focus is on good teaching practice and a self-organised community of practice.
My role: Securing funding and project leadership.
Funding: €220,000 from Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre (StIL). The project runs until December 2029.
Volkswagen AG · Sustainability and AI
SDG-Bot ↗
A virtual learning space in which students jointly explore the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. An AI conversation assistant and immersive learning formats connect sustainability with digital teaching.
My role: Securing funding and project leadership.
Project funding: €1 million over five years from Volkswagen AG. University of Bremen · Sustainable Management and HumanRoboLab.
State of Bremen · Cross-university certificate
BRENA ↗
The Bremen Sustainability Certificate combines foundations, in-depth study and practical experience. Students from all higher education institutions in the state of Bremen develop competences for a sustainable societal transformation through an 18-ECTS programme alongside their studies.
My role: Securing funding and project leadership.
Funding: €770,000 from the Senator for Environment, Climate and Science of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.
Freiraum 2022 · 1 Sep 2022–30 Sep 2024
ImmerNa ↗
Immersive spaces for sustainability transformations: a digital course combines virtual reality with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Students explore sustainability through first-hand experience and practise systems thinking.
My role: Securing funding and project leadership.
Funding: €444,527 from Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre.
Freiraum 2023 · 1 Apr 2024–31 Mar 2026
KeNobi ↗
Key-feature-based sustainability assessment in higher education: the project investigates online assessments in which students make decisions in realistic sustainability scenarios, applying both factual and practical knowledge.
My role: Securing funding and supporting the project.
Funding: €200,000 from Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre.
About me
Thinking in relationships.
I work at the intersection of business psychology, sustainability and artificial intelligence. I am interested in how people find their bearings: in conversations with a machine, in learning and in complex processes of change.
Since 2022, I have been Managing Director of the Virtual Academy for Sustainability at the University of Bremen. My academic path took me from health sciences through business psychology to a doctorate in business administration. My doctoral research explored the potential of care robotics from a systemic perspective.
For me, research, writing and working with groups belong together. I aim to frame questions in ways that invite reflection and continue to resonate in everyday professional practice.
I have secured around €2.6 million in funding for teaching and research on sustainability and AI.
I teach at bachelor’s and master’s level, including in the Bremen Sustainability Certificate programme BRENA. In the Erasmus+ project RADAR-AIM, I am responsible for the course Decision Making in Sustainability Supported by AI.
For conversations, talks and collaboration
Publications & materials
Work to build on.
A selection of my publications, research data and contributions. The complete list is available on my university profile ↗.
Books
Forthcoming February 2027 · transcript · Open Access
Die Haltung der Maschine
How the behaviour of generative AI shapes our judgement.
Doctoral thesis · Springer Gabler · 2020
Das Potential der Pflege-Robotik
A systemic exploratory study.
With Georg Müller-Christ · Springer Gabler · 2018
Komplexe Systeme lesen
The potential of systemic constellations in research and practice.
Co-edited volume · oekom · 2025
Klimawandel und Bildung
Concepts, methods and perspectives on transformative climate education.
Journal articles
2021 · Sustainability 13(9), 5101 · MDPI · Peer reviewed
Disterheft, A., Pijetlovic, D. & Müller-Christ, G.
Publications
2026 · Preprint
Echoeffekte in generativen KI-Systemen ↗
Prompt Echo Tracking (PET) as an observation protocol: applications in education, governance and sustainability.
2025 · Preprint · University of Bremen
How interaction with AI changes our thinking, feeling and research.
2025 · Contributions to the edited volume Klimawandel und Bildung
“Generative KI als Spiegelraum” and, with Georg Müller-Christ, “Pflichtfach Nachhaltigkeit: Ein bildungspolitisches Update”.
2022 · Working paper · University of Bremen
HumanRoboLab: Experiments with Chatbots in Management Education at Universities ↗
Pijetlovic, D. & Müller-Christ, G. Students develop AI dialogue systems together with companies and explore human–machine interaction.
2022 · Book chapter · Springer Spektrum
Zimmermann, C. L., Müller-Christ, G., Seyfried, L.-M., Bursee, F. & Pijetlovic, D. In: Digitale Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung, pp. 141–152.
Software and research data
2026 · Study / replication data · Zenodo
PET Wave 2 Replication Package (Claude Opus 4.8 vs. Claude Fable 5, Three-Coder Triangulation) ↗
Wave 2: a supplementary comparison of Claude Opus 4.8 and Claude Fable 5 across model tiers.
2026 · Study / replication data · Zenodo
Wave 1: a comparison of Claude Opus 4.7 and Claude Opus 4.8 under identical conditions.
2026 · Replication materials · Zenodo
PET Mini-Pilot Replication Package ↗
Prompt Echo Tracking with Claude Opus 4.7.
2026 · Replication code / dataset · Zenodo
Power simulation of PET detection logic ↗
Replication code accompanying the concept paper Prompt Echo Tracking (PET).
Conference contributions
2020 · With A. Disterheft · IST Conference
Systemic constellations as an approach to individual and collective dynamics in sustainability transformations.
2017 · Conference contribution · Vienna
Reading complex systems: exploring the attitudes of systemic constellation facilitators.
Bremen · University of Bremen