Conferences

14 May 2025

Location: Hamburg University of Technology, Am Schwarzenberg Campus

The Institute for Ethics in Technology at TUHH, in partnership with the Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI, hosted the conference “Climate and Responsibility: Ethical Perspectives”, bringing together leading voices in philosophy and ethics to explore the moral dimensions of climate change and their implications for action, innovation, and policy.

This event was part of the UNU Hub on Engineering to Face Climate Change at TUHH and played a key role in connecting ethical reflection with engineering innovation. As we confront the urgent challenges posed by the climate crisis, the conference fostered meaningful dialogue between the humanities and technical disciplines—ensuring that solutions are not only effective but also just and responsible.

We were honored to welcome an outstanding lineup of speakers:

• Matthew Braham (University of Hamburg)
• Emma Curran (University of Oxford)
• Alice Evatt (University of Oxford)
• David Storrs-Fox (University of Oxford)

23-24 September 2025

Location: University of Hamburg

In collaboration with the Institute for Media and Communication at the University of Hamburg, our Institute for Ethics in Technology hosted the interdisciplinary conference „Abschied von der Wirklichkeit? KI und die audiovisuellen Medien“ („Farewell to Reality? AI and Audiovisual Media, in German).

We were honored to welcome leading AI experts from film and media studies, literature, technology, cultural studies, and philosophy. Together, we critically examined how AI influences audiovisual media, analysed current developments, and explored both theoretical and practical insights into how AI transforms media practices, perception, and our very understanding of reality.

Speakers included:

• Prof. Dr. Stephanie Catani (Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg)
• Prof. Dr. Julia Eckel (Paderborn University)
• Prof. Dr. Franziska Heller (University of Halle)
• Dr. Jasmin Kermanchi (University of Hamburg)
• Dr. Guido Kirsten (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF)
• Dr. habil. Thomas Klein (University of Hamburg)
• Prof. Dr. Angela Krewani (Philipps-University Marburg)
• Prof. Dr. Catrin Misselhorn (Georg-August-University Göttingen)
• Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rüdel (HTW Berlin, University of Applied Sciences)
• Prof. Dr. Jens Schröter (University of Bonn)
• PD Dr. Andreas Sudmann (University of Bonn)
• Dr. Kathrin Yacavone (Philipps-University Marburg)

Find more information on the conference website.

Funded by The Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg (Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg)

13-14 June 2024

Location: Hamburg University of Technology, Am Schwarzenberg Campus

A relatively new approach in the ethics of technology promises to help build safe and trustworthy AI without hampering innovation – the so-called ethics by design approach. Simply put, ethics by design commonly refers to incorporating ethical principles into all phases of the design and development process of technology. According to this approach to responsible innovation, ethics is an integral part of technological development, not merely an afterthought.

This conference explored the methodological and practical implications of ethics by design and examined its potential and limitations. The conference focused not only on clarifying the theoretical underpinnings of this approach, but also discussed its feasibility and practical value. Since ethics by design demands a diverse set both technical and philosophical competencies, the conference explored the role of collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange in this approach. Lastly, the conference reflected on how ethics by design can complement regulatory efforts and how it relates to other instruments in the responsible innovation toolbox such as usability testing, expert interviews, auditing, red-teaming, socio-technical scenarios, or thought experiments.

Speakers included: 

• Joanna Bryson (Hertie School Berlin)
• David Storrs-Fox (University of Oxford)
• Maximilian Kiener (Hamburg University of Technology)
• Sven Nyholm (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)
• Judith Simon (University of Hamburg)
• Ibo van de Poel (Delft University of Technology)
• Jonas Bozenhard (Hamburg University of Technology)

We thank the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) for their generous support of this conference.