The workshop "Empirical Ethics and Socio-Technical Entanglement", featuring Tamar Sharon, Simone Natale and Federica Russo, will take a close look at the complex ways in which ethics emerge through the entanglement of humans, technologies and societal values. This interdisciplinary discussion will probe how ethical considerations are shaped in actual socio-technical contexts, where ethical reflection is embedded in the practices and interactions of different actors. Drawing on the expertise of our guests, we will reflect on the dynamism of ethics in areas ranging from digital technologies to cultural practices. We will emphasise the situated and multidisciplinary nature of ethical inquiry.
As part of the IAS research line "Empirical Ethics", this workshop is a continuation of a series that aims to rethink ethical frameworks by bringing together empirical research and normative analysis. Rather than adhering to a priori principles, empirical ethics aims to understand how different actors and communities define desirable practices within their socio-material environments. Through this dialogue, we hope to inspire new methodologies for engaging with ethics as it unfolds through the interplay of human, technological and institutional factors, and to offer new insights into the role of ethics in practice.
| 12:30 | Introduction & Welcome by Huub Dijstelbloem, director of IAS |
| 12:45 | Tamar Sharon: talk + discussion |
| 13:45 | Coffee Break |
| 14:15 | Simone Natale: talk + discussion |
| 15:15 | Federica Russo: talk + discussion |
| 16:15 | Drinks & Bites |
Tamar Sharon (Radboud University) studies the ethical and social implications of new technologies, particularly in the field of health and medicine. She is currently focusing on the 'Googlization of health': the growing role of tech companies in health and medical research.
Simone Natale (University of Turin) is an expert in the history of digital media and in technology's relationship with secular and spiritual beliefs. His current research examines the interactive and communicative dimension of AI, interrogating how humans perceive and react to communications with intelligence agents such as AI voice assistants.
Federica Russo (University of Utrecht) studies the epistemological, methodological, and normative aspects that arise in the health and social sciences, with special attention to policy contexts and to the highly technologized character of these fields.
Selin Gerlek is an assistant professor in philosophy of technology and politics at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on digital citizenship, transformative processes in human-technology relations, mediated cultural practices, empirical ethics & value change, as well as embodied and hermeneutic relations. She is the co-scientific coordinator of the research line “Empirical Ethics” at the IAS and a member of several projects, commissions and groups on digital citizenship, medical ethics, AI and visual technologies.
Paula Helm is an assistant professor in Critical AI Studies and merges disciplines to address AI ethics. With affiliations with institutions like the Technical University Munich and the University of Frankfurt, her work emphasizes embedding ethics within AI development. She is the co-scientific coordinator of the research line "Empirical Ethics" at the IAS. Helm's recognition among the '100 Most Brilliant Women in AI-Ethics' underscores her contributions to fostering an ethically conscious AI landscape.