Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE)

The IWE is a central research unit of the University of Bonn. Core objective is to contribute to an ethical reflection of current developments in medicine, science, and technology in order to facilitate the responsible use of new potentials emerging in these fields of human activity.

The AI Queens* of Bonn

The Sustainable AI Lab at the University of Bonn is starting a new series of events: The AI Queens* of Bonn. These events are meant to offer anyone from Bonn area, who feels underrepresented in AI practice, research, or education, a space to connect and share their experience.

The first event will take place on January 20th, 2025 at the IWE.
Registration is now open.

A Structural Turn in AI Ethics

In this IWE in 2 min Larissa Bolte presents her new publication with Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe entitled "Sustainable AI and the third wave of AI ethics: a structural turn”.

Project_Wrapup_RTN
© Rupert Griffiths

Project Wrap-Up for Rewilding the Night

After two years, the Rewilding the Night research project coordinated by the IWE comes to an end in November 2024. The project will conclude with a public night walk from the institute building to the University of Bonn's Botanical Gardens. During the walk, visualisations of the research results will be presented and information will be provided about the consequences of light pollution.

The event will take place on the evening of 28 November 2024 and will be held in English. On request, the content can be translated into German in a reduced form.

If you are interested in the event, please fill out the registration form!

Sustainable AI Conference 2025 - Call for abstracts

The Bonn Sustainable AI Lab and the Institute for Science and Ethics are pleased to announce the Sustainable AI Conference 2025 - Shaping Sustainable AI and its Futures!

It will take place from September 16 - 18, 2025 in Bonn.

AI Labor

In this IWE in 2 min, Rosalie Waelen introduces us to her research about the labor involved in the development and use of Artificial intelligence (AI). She explains how this topic relates to previous research done on the topic of ‘Sustainable AI’.

An African Ethical Approach to the Sustainability of AI

In this IWE in 2 min, Jahaziel Osei Mensah explores Sustainable AI from an African perspective. He highlights Africa's pivotal role in AI development, and notes the underrepresentation of African views in the Sustainable AI debate.

IWE Short Talk Bert Heinrichs
© Markus Franke

Learning to Live with Strange Errors:
Beyond Trustworthiness in AI Ethics

In this IWE short talk video, Prof. Bert Heinrichs, senior researcher at IWE, presents some thoughts on the notion of "trustworthy AI". While this notion is now widely used in AI ethics, he explains why he thinks it is misleading and provides no good foundation for AI ethics.

Workshop: AI ETHICS FROM THE MAJORITY WORLD: Reconstructing the Global Debate through Decolonial Lenses

Speakers:

  • Samuel Segun, Stellenbosch University, South Africa [YouTube]
  • Deivison Faustino, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil [YouTube]
  • Modestha Mensah, University of Ghana, Ghana [YouTube]
  • Husein Inusah, University of Cape Coast, Ghana [YouTube]
  • Dodzi Koku Hattoh, University of Ghana, Ghana [YouTube]
  • Dylan Merrick, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
  • Melanie Cheung, Indigenous AI, New Zealand
  • Wakanyi Hoffman, The New Institute, Germany
  • Erick Tambo, United Nations University, Cameroon/Germany

Dodzi Koku Hattah

University of Ghana, Ghana

On Responsible AI: An Indigenous African Perspective

Husein Inusah

University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Indigenous Epistemologies: Decolonising AI and Shaping Sustainable Futures

Aimee van Wynsberghe

University of Bonn, Germany

Introduction:
AI Ethics from the Majority World

IWE in 2 minutes &
IWE short talks

The IWE has created a series of videos in which we introduce ourselves, present our projects and promote our events.
New videos are published on our YouTube channel frequently.

Playlist: IWE in 2 minutes
Playlist: IWE short talks

An African Ethical Approach to the Sustainability of AI

IWE in 2 min with Jahaziel Osei Mensah

Learning to Live with Strange Errors: Beyond Trustworthiness in AI Ethics

IWE short talk with Bert Heinrichs

AI, Politics and Power

IWE in 2 min with Şebnem Yardımcı Geyikçi

Symbolbild - zur Gehirn-Computer-Schnittstelle
© KI-generiert mit Copilot & Photoshop

Networking the German neuroethics community

Great progress has been made in the neurosciences. But to what extent should such new technologies or therapies intervene in the human brain? Neuroethics is investigating and discussing this question. The Research Hub Neuroethics (RHUNE) is now being set up under the project management of Prof. Dr. Bert Heinrichs.

Women in AI & Robotics Launch
© Women in AI & Robotics / IWE

A Network for Women Active in AI and Robotics

IWE and “Women in AI & Robotics” are jointly forming a local chapter

Human-robot interaction and sustainable artificial intelligence (AI) were the topics of discussion on 9 November 2023 at an event organized jointly by the IWE and the "Women in AI and Robotics" network.

The event date marked the start of partnership between the two organizations.

Click the button below for a recap and pictures.

The event was recorded and is available on our YouTube channel.

Philosophy of the City Journal
© Jesse Colin Jackson / Photoshop AI

Philosophy of the City Journal

The inaugural issue of the Philosophy of the City Journal (POTCJ) is was recently published, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Philosophy of the City Research Group. POTCJ is fully open-access, and the first issue features 12 contributions covering a range of theoretical and practical topics related to urbanism and city life.

IWE Senior Researcher Taylor Stone is a member of the new journal's editorial team. 

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Volker Lannert

Sustainable AI Conference 2023 - Sustainable AI Across Borders

From 30th May to 1st June 2023, the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab organized its second conference dedicated to the topic of Sustainable AI with the theme Sustainable AI Across Borders.

All presentations in the main hall were recorded and will be published successively on our YouTube channel every Monday at noon.

A written review with many conference photos can be found here.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Ahold Delhaize

Podcast with Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe and Wouter Kolk

Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe met with Wouter Kolk, CEO of Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia, to discuss AI ethics in industry. The two of them spoke about the demands of industry leaders to use new technologies and the needs of customers to trust companies. A provocative and insightful talk!

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Pixabay

Many Worlds of AI Conference

The Sustainable AI Lab hosts an interdisciplinary and interactive discussion exploring the multidimensionality of the relationship between AI and sustainability for different communities, both at the global and local levels.

The event will take place as part of the Many Worlds of AI Conference in Cambridge, UK (24.4.-28.4.23) at 10:30 on 28 April 2023.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Aaron Burden, Unsplash

Special issue in Sustainability

The special issue of the Sustainability journal "Towards the Sustainability of AI; Multi-Disciplinary Approaches to Investigate the Hidden Costs of AI" has now been completed.
Prints will be available in the near future.

COP27
© Şebnem Yardımcı Geyikçi

Bonn Sustainable AI Lab at COP 27

The Sustainable AI Lab hosted an interdisciplinary and interactive discussion exploring the ways AI is re-shaping common goods, such as public space and state-society relations.

The discussion took place at COP 27 on 15 November 2022.

Aimee van Wynsberghe
© Behindertenbeauftragter/Anna Spindelndreier, Germany resp. Disability Commissioner Germany/Anna Spindelndreier

Prof. van Wynsberghe speaks about the risks of AI for Persons with Disabilities at the World's first G7 Global Inclusion Summit

The beginning of September saw the first ever G7 Global Inclusion Summit in Berlin, hosted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Matters relating to Persons with Disabilities. The aim of the summit was to work together to enable more participation for people with disabilities in the G7 countries and to tackle global challenges together, also from the perspective of inclusion.

Prof. van Wynsberghe was invited to give a keynote on the impact of artificial intelligence on persons with disabilities. She highlighted how disability studies and scholars are largely excluded from the AI bias debate although the use of AI often exacerbates the marginalisation of persons with disabilities.

Aimee van Wynsberghe
© Humboldt-Stiftung

Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Artificial Intelligence 2021

Aimee van Wynsberghe is the Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Artificial Intelligence (AI). She is sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and its sponsor, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Humboldt Stiftung
© Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung
Sustainable AI Conference 2021
© Christopher Burns - Unsplash

Launch of the Bonn Sustainable AI Lab

The Sustainable AI Lab is a space for excellent researchers from different fields to work, collaborate, and brainstorm about the environmental, social, and economic costs of designing, developing, and using AI across society.

A short clip of the lab launch is available on YouTube.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
© Pixabay - freie Verwendung

Researching Ethical AI

Stiftung Mercator awards €3.8 Million to the Universities of Bonn and Cambridge
 
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming society as algorithms increasingly impact access to jobs and insurance, justice, medical treatments, as well as our daily interactions with friends and family. As these technologies race ahead, we are starting to see unintended social consequences: algorithms that promote everything from racial bias in healthcare to the misinformation eroding faith in democracies. To ensure AI supports core human values, the German philanthropic foundation Stiftung Mercator has awarded a €3.8 million grant to a collaboration between the Universities of Bonn and Cambridge.

Click here for more information.

IWE in 2 minutes

The IWE has created a series of short videos in which we introduce ourselves, present our projects and promote our events.
New episodes are published on our YouTube channel regularly.

Sustainable AI Conference 2023

In June 2023 the second Sustainable AI Conference "Sustainable AI Across Borders" took place.
You can watch in on our YouTube channel.

Interviews, panels and podcasts with Aimee van Wynsberghe

On the following page you will find a selection of interviews with Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe from the last two years.

Art Engagement

The Bonn Sustainable AI Lab regularly collaborates with artists and designers, for example in the framework of the ArtScience Residency.

Data Pollution & Power
© IWE

Data Pollution & Power - Initiative

The Data Pollution & Power (DPP) Initiative explores the power dynamics that shape the data pollution of AI across the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We examine the data of AI as a human and natural resource in data eco-systems of power and consider actions and governance approaches that are intrinsically interrelated in systems of power and interests. The initiative is led by the independent senior researcher Gry Hasselbalch.
It is set up at the Bonn University’s Institute for Science and Ethics’ Sustainable AI Lab.

Contact

Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik 

Contact

+49 228 / 73-8100

iwe@iwe.uni-bonn.de

Address

Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik
Bonner Talweg 57
53113 Bonn
Germany

Sustainable AI Lab

Contact

+49 228 / 73-8120

michler@iwe.uni-bonn.de

Address

Institut für Wissenschaft und Ethik
Sustainable AI Lab
Bonner Talweg 57
53113 Bonn
Germany

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