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Prof. Dr. Bert Heinrichs

Bert Heinrichs
© Forschungszentrum Jülich

Professor for Ethics and Applied Ethics

Institute for Science and Ethics (IWE), University of Bonn

Group Leader "Neureothics and Ethics of AI"

Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine: Brain and Behaviour (INM-7), Forschungszentrum Jülich

News

November 2025: Edited Volume on "Decision Making. Fundamentals and Applications" (eds. U. Ettinger, B. Heinrichs, C. Murawski)

This book offers a comprehensive review of current topics in decision making. It covers new findings relating to foundations, mechanisms, and consequences of decisions, shedding light on the cognitive processes from different disciplinary perspectives. Chapters report on psychological studies of the cognitive mechanisms of decision making, neuroimaging studies on the neural correlates, studies of patient populations to characterize alterations in decision making in specific diseases, as well as discussions concerning philosophical and ethical issues. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00880-0 

October 2025: Podcast on philosophical and ethical questions of AI

The 140th episode of the “Philosophical-Psychological Podcast (Fipsi)” by Hannes Wendler and Alexander Wendt deals with philosophical and ethical questions raised by artificial intelligence. The episode of Fipsi is available online: https://www.phi-psy.de/fipsi-der-philosophisch-psychologische-podcast/

August 2025: Podcast on the topic of “Die Moral von Maschinen und Menschen”

In the podcast “Forschungsquartett” (Research Quartet), researchers from various institutions present their work. This episode deals with ethical issues surrounding AI: https://detektor.fm/wissen/forschungsquartett-ki-und-ethik?highlight=heinrichs

Research Projects

RHUNE. Research Hub Neuroethik. https://www.research-hub-neuroethics.net/

The aim of the Research Hub Neuroethics (RHUNE) is to improve the networking of research in the field of neuroethics in Germany, stimulate exchange, promote young scientists, increase the international visibility of German research and create a contact point for non-academic actors interested in neuroethical topics.

InVirtuo 4.0. Gaining knowledge in virtual spaces. https://invirtuo.org/

InVirtuo 4.0 is the new interdisciplinary research profile of in-virtuo research in intensive cooperation between computer science, media science, cognitive neuroscience and clinical psychology researchers. In addition to in-vivo, in-vitro and in-silico methods, in-virtuo experiments in which people interact with virtual environments will enable decisive breakthroughs in experimental research. InVirtuo 4.0 will address the media, social, and ethical problems associated with this intended paradigm shift from a media science perspective and, through collaboration between the participating disciplines, will have a productive effect on their work on central disciplinary challenges.

KI-basierte Gesundheitsvorsorge bei Kindern und Jugendlichen (AI-PHCA). https://www.ai-phca.de/

The AI-PHCA project aims to investigate ways to improve preventive healthcare for children and adolescents through artificial intelligence (AI)-based approaches (smartphone apps, web-based applications) from an ethical, legal and social perspective.

Beyond mere performance: an ethical framework for the use of AI in neuromedicine. www.fraim-projekt.de

The aim of the research network is to provide a framework for the evaluation of AI procedures that are used in medical diagnostics and decision-making. To this end, detailed ethical and legal analyses are carried out on the acceptance of and trust in AI-based procedures in the field of neuromedicine.

Recent Publications

  • Heinrichs, B. (2025). Varieties of Decision-Making. In: Ettinger, U., Heinrichs, B., Murawski, C. (eds) Decision Making. Studies in Neuroscience, Psychology and Behavioral Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-00880-0_1
  • Bruni, T., Heinrichs, B. (2025). Künstliche Intelligenz in der Behandlung von Diabetes bei minderjährigen Patienten – Ethische Aspekte. In: Pfannstiel, M.A. (eds) Künstliche Intelligenz im Einsatz für die erfolgreiche Patientenreise. Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-48573-3_28  
  • Kerth, JL., Hagemeister, M., Bischops, A.C. et al. Artificial intelligence in the care of children and adolescents with chronic diseases: a systematic review. Eur J Pediatr 184, 83 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-024-05846-3
  • Wagner, R., & Heinrichs, B. (2024). Four notions of autonomy. Pitfalls of conceptual pluralism in contemporary debates. Human-Machine Communication, 9, 37–50. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.9.3
  • Raz, A., Heinrichs, B., Avnoon, N., Eyal, G., & Inbar, Y. (2024). Prediction and explainability in AI: Striking a new balance? Big Data & Society, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517241235871.
  • Reinhart, L., Bischops, AC., Kerth, JL et. al. (2024). Artificial intelligence in child development monitoring: A systematic review on usage, outcomes and acceptance. Intelligence-Based Medicine 9, 100134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmed.2024.100134.
  • Heinrichs, B. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and Rational Discourse. In: Sturma, Dieter (ed.): Mind and Time. Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives. Freiburg: Alber, 2023, 45-54.
  • Steckmann, U., Heinrichs, B. (2023). Künstliche Intelligenz und menschliches Maß. In: Loh, J., Grote, T. (eds) Medizin – Technik – Ethik. Berlin: J.B. Metzler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-65868-0_2.
  • Heinrichs, B., Karger, C., Heyl, K. et al. (2023). Künstliche Intelligenz in der Medizin. MedR 41, 259–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00350-023-6432-x.
  • Rathkopf C, Heinrichs B. (2023). Learning to Live with Strange Error: Beyond Trustworthiness in Artificial Intelligence Ethics. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. https://doi:10.1017/S0963180122000688.
  • Halsband, A., Heinrichs, B. (2022). AI, Suicide Prevention and the Limits of Beneficence. Philos. Technol. 35, 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-022-00599-z.
  • Heinrichs, B., Ergin Aslan, S. (2022). Is the Current Informed Consent Model Flawed?. In: Faintuch, J., Faintuch, S. (eds) Integrity of Scientific Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99680-2_55.