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Osnabrück University Speeches

University speech 2022 with Prof. Dr. Rainer Mühlhoff

The power of data. Why Artificial Intelligence is a Question of Ethics.

On Thursday, May 19, 2022, Prof. Dr. Rainer Mühlhoff from the University of Osnabrück spoke about "The Power of Data. Why Artificial Intelligence is a Question of Ethics".

That's what it was about:

When we use digital media, we generate data every day. Often, we think it's harmless information - movies we like, our location, or our browser history. But companies that possess such data from many millions of users can use AI algorithms to derive intimate information from it: Do we suffer from mental illness? Do we abuse substances? Are we rich or poor? Such estimated information is used to treat people differently in an automated way: when it comes to the price of insurance, the automatic selection of applicants in hiring processes or entry opportunities. The combination of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence is currently poised to revolutionize not only our industry, but more importantly, to give rise to a new technology of population management. AI technology manifests itself as a new form of power in our societies, to which we all contribute through our data and which we therefore need to discuss critically and ethically.

Archive: Previous university speeches at a glance.