Prof. Dr. phil.
Judith Simon
University of Hamburg
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Focus of the Commitment in the German Ethics Council
- Ethical, epistemological and political aspects of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence
- Trust, trustworthiness, knowledge and technology
- Values in design & responsible research and innovation
Contact for Press Enquiries on the Following Topics
- Ethical, epistemological and political aspects of digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence
- Trust, trustworthiness, knowledge and technology
- Values in design & responsible research and innovation
Professional Background
Born in 1977
- Since 2017 Full Professor for Ethics in Information Technologies, University of Hamburg
- 2019-2020 Visiting Professor at the Bauhaus University Weimar
- Positions as visiting scientist at Cornell Tech (2023), University of Toronto (2023), University of Edinburgh (2023), Spanish Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CSIC-IIIA) in Barcelona (2010-2013), University of Trento (2010+2011), Stanford University (2008), University of Ljubljana (2007)
- 2014-2017 Associate Professor (tenured) for Philosophy of Science and Technology at the IT University of Copenhagen
- 2011-2016 Principal Investigator of the Austrian Science Fund Project “Epistemic Trust in Socio-Technical Epistemic Systems” at the Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna
- 2011-2014 Research Assistant at the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 2009-2011 Research Assistant at the Jean Nicod Institute, École Normale Supérieure in Paris
- 2010 PhD in Philosophy at the University of Vienna
- 2005-2009 Research Assistant at the Research Group “Philosophy of Science: Cultures and Technologies of Knowledge”, Department of Philosophy at the University of Vienna
- 2003-2005 Research Assistant of the Research Center Juelich at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Research Group Bioethics & Science Communication in Berlin
- 1996-2002 Studies in Psychology, Philosophy, English and German Language and Literature as well as Media Studies in Berlin, Marburg and Waterloo, Canada; Master in Psychology at the Free University of Berlin
Memberships
- Since 2021 Member of the selection committee for the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- Since 2019 Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina's focus group "Digitalisation"(previously Scientific Commission "Digitalised Society")
- Since 2018 Member of the German Ethics Council
- Since 2018 Member of the Joint Committee of German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the German Research Foundation on the Handling of Security-Relevant Research
- Since 2018 Member of the Working Group “IT Security, Privacy, Ethical and Legal Frameworks” of the Plattform Learning Systems
- 2023 Member of the jury for the Nayef Al-Rodhan International Book Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy of the Royal Institute of Philosophy
- 2020-2021 Member of the Advisory Board on Employee Data Protection of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs
- 2019-2020 Co-speaker of the Leopoldina's "Digitalisation and Democracy" working group
- 2018-2019 Member of the Commission on Data Ethics of the Federal Government of Germany
- 2018-2019 Member of the Expert Commission “Science in the Digital Age” of the German Research Foundation
- 2016 Member of the “Advisory Group on Societal Challenge 6” of the European Commission, development of the work programme 2018-2020 for Horizon 2020
- 2014-2022 Member of the Executive Board of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy
- 2014-2022 Member of the Executive Board of the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology
- 2011-2012 Member of the Onlife Initiative of the European Commission (DG CONNECT)
- Member of the Editorial Executive Board of the journal Philosophy & Technology and founding co-editor as well as Member of the Advisory Board of Big Data & Society journal
Awards
- 2013 Herbert A. Simon Award for outstanding research in the field of Philosophy and Computing, awarded by the International Association for Computing and Philosophy
Publications (Selection)
- Simon, J.; Rieder, G.; Branford, J. (2024): The philosophy and ethics of AI: Conceptual, empirical, and technological investigations into values. CEPE/IACAP 2021: Introduction to topical collection. In: Digital Society, 3: 10.
- Jacobs, M.; Simon, J. (2023): Reexamining computer ethics in light of AI systems and AI regulation. In: AI and Ethics, 3 (4), 1203-1213.
- Jacobs, M.; Simon, J. (2022): Assigning obligations in AI regulation: A discussion of two frameworks proposed by the European Commission. In: Digital Society, 1: 6.
- Rudschies, C.; Schneider, I.; Simon, J. (2022): The heterogeneity of AI ethics guidelines examined: Varying natures, actors, and perceptions. In: Hoeren, T.; Pinelli, S. (eds.): Künstliche Intelligenz – Ethik und Recht. München, 67-92.
- Simon, J.; Rieder, G. (2021): Trusting the Corona-Warn-App? Contemplations on trust and trustworthiness at the intersection of technology, politics and public debate. In: European Journal of Communication, 36 (4), 334-348.
- Rieder, G.; Simon, J.; Wong, P.-H. (2021): Mapping the stony road toward trustworthy AI: Expectations, problems, conundrums. In: Pelillo, M.; Scantamburlo, T. (eds.): Machines We Trust. Perspectives on Dependable AI. Cambridge (MA), 27-40.
- Simon, J. (ed.) (2020): The Routledge Handbook of Trust and Philosophy. New York.
- Simon, J.; Wong, P.-H.; Rieder, G. (2020): Algorithmic bias and the Value Sensitive Design approach. In: Internet Policy Review, 9 (4), 1-16.
- Simon, J. (2017): Values in design and responsible innovation. In: Hansson, S. O. (ed.): Methods for the Ethics of Technology. London.
- Simon, J.; Rieder, G. (2017): Big data: A new empiricism and its epistemic and socio-political consequences. In: Ott, M.; Pietsch, W.; Wernecke, J. (eds.): Berechenbarkeit der Welt? Philosophie und Wissenschaft im Zeitalter von Big Data. Wiesbaden.
- Rieder, G.; Simon, J. (2017): Big data and technology assessment: Research topic or competitor? In: Journal of Responsible Innovation, 4 (2), 234-253.
- Rieder, G.; Simon, J. (2016): Datatrust: Or, the political quest for numerical evidence and the epistemologies of big data. In: Big Data & Society, 3 (1), 1-6.