Team

We are a young and diverse team working on a broad range of topics. An inclusive working atmosphere, gender equality, and consideration of the needs of young scholars with children are particularly important to us. We sincerely welcome requests for collaborations and invite interested people to reach out and join us , for instance, in our  colloquium

Rainer Mühlhoff's research on artificial intelligence views machine learning systems as socio-technical systems (see  Human-Aided AI). In order to develop the ethical and social implications of AI technology, he examines the interplay between technology, power and subjectivity, drawing on various sub-disciplines and philosophical schools. In particular, he integrates ethics with contributions from social philosophy and critical theories in order to analyze the effects of AI in terms of discrimination, social selection and inequality (see  Automated Inequality).

A particular research interest is data protection and data ethics in the context of AI and big data. These technologies make it possible in a new way to predict sensitive information about individuals based on the anonymized data of many other people. This results in a new type of collective violation of the privacy of those affected. Under the term  predictive privacy, Rainer Mühlhoff develops an ethical and regulatory approach that responds to the potential for misuse of predictive analytics.

Nora is a research assistant and PhD student in the Ethics and Critical Theories of AI research group at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück. Working with critical theories of the digital, feminist science and technology studies, and post-anthropocentric theory, her research focuses on the individual and collective implications of social chatbots and language technologies. In her dissertation, she develops a post-anthropocentric, power-aware ethics of chatbots. Trained in Cognitive Science and Liberal Arts and Sciences, she has a highly interdisciplinary background in critical theories, gender and critical race studies, science and technology studies, as well as neuro and data ethics.

Paul is a PostDoc in the "Ethics and Critical Theories of Artificial Intelligence" group. In his research and teaching, he works in Political and Social Philosophy as well as Ethics. Currently, he works on the topic of AI & Democracy with particular focus on the societal, political and legal implications of digital technologies in the context of the climate crisis, including questions of political responsibility and (global) justice.

Annemarie Witschas is a research associate in the research group _Ethics and Critical Theories of AI_. Her work critically examines power and agency in the context of AI, with a particular focus on feminist, emancipatory, and ecological perspectives. She is currently investigating the role of AI in the reproduction of growth paradigms as part of the BMFTR-funded project “AI and Democracy.” She has an interdisciplinary academic background in cognitive science, critical philosophy, political economy, policy, and ecology. 

Peter is a research assistant (PostDoc) in the DFG project “Predictive Knowledge is Power” in the research group Ethics and Critical Theories of AI. In his research, he examines the philosophical and ethical foundations of digital technologies by connecting critical perspectives with philosophical traditions such as phenomenology, (post-)analytic philosophy, and media theory. Within the project, he investigates ethical aspects of AI technologies that predict personal information, particularly in light of possible legal regulatory frameworks. Peter completed his PhD in 2018 with a dissertation on the epistemology of film and subsequently worked in various interdisciplinary projects on the ethics and philosophy of human–robot interaction.

Sean Quägwer is a research assistant in the Ethics of AI research group at the Institute of Cognitive Science at Osnabrück University. He holds a Master's degree in Philosophy and is currently studying Cognitive Science. He is interested in feminist ontology, science and technology studies and postmodern theories of (digital) societies. Due to his background in philosophy, English and cognitive science, he has a broad background in critical social philosophy. In the context of the aforementioned work, he is currently primarily concerned with digital fascism and the complex of topics AI and school.

Lay is a student assistant in the research group Ethics and Critical Theories of AI at the Institute of Cognitive Science at Osnabrück University, where Lay also completed a bachelor’s degree. Lay’s bachelor’s thesis explored processes of subjectivation within the context of generative AI designed and used for artistic purposes. In the master’s program in Cognitive Science, Lay critically examines ethical and philosophical questions concerning digital media and AI from a feminist perspective.

Ronja is a doctoral researcher in the research group Ethics and Critical Theories of AI at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück. In her work, she investigates personal autonomy in the context of artificial intelligence. Her focus lies on relational conceptions of autonomy, 4E approaches, and postphenomenology. She has a background in philosophy, German studies, and applied ethics. Alongside her PhD, she works at PD – Public Sector Consultants, where she advises public administration on AI regulation.

Andrea works in the secretariat of the Ethics and Critical Theories of AI research group. She originally trained in the banking sector and has been working as an administrative assistant at Osnabrück University since 2019.