Overview

• A Hochschule München study titled “Saxony-Anhalt is the Worst” tested widely used language models and found consistent downgrades of East German groups across evaluated traits.
• The models repeatedly applied a learned pattern that rated items from Saxony-Anhalt especially low even when instructed to ignore regional origin.
• Outputs included contradictory and false judgments, such as low scores for both diligence and laziness and claims that East Germans have a lower body temperature.
• The researchers warn that such entrenched biases could drive discrimination if AI assists decisions in hiring, credit approval, or property transactions.
• Germany’s Interior Ministry issued fundamental-rights guidelines for AI use earlier in 2025, and experts are pressing for stronger auditing and dataset scrutiny to prevent real-world harm.