Janina Loh: Robots on the ethics test bench

On June 6, Prof. Dr. Janina Loh, Ethics Officer at the Liebenau Foundation in Meckenbeuren on Lake Constance, will be a guest at the TUE lecture series at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg.

The title of the lecture is "What do ethics and morality have to do with robots?" In it, Loh addresses the complex questions of morality and ethics in relation to robotics and artificial intelligence.

Robots and AI can be found in practically every area of our everyday lives, whether in the household, medicine, industry, education, transport, military and defense, or even as toys. The same question of ethics and morality arises everywhere. What tasks should a robot be allowed to perform? Is safety guaranteed? Can we trust a medical robot to make the right decisions, or should an autonomous vehicle be allowed to drive on public roads? Can an AI learn completely independently? These questions also underline Loh's quote: "Technology is never neutral. We must be able to form our own ethical judgment."

In addition to her work at the Liebenau Foundation, Prof. Dr. Janina Loh also holds an honorary professorship at the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg at the Center for Ethics and Responsibility (ZEV) for the ethics of technology and its social contexts. In addition to responsibility, trans- and posthumanism and robot ethics, Janina Loh's research interests include Hannah Arendt, feminist philosophy of technology, theories of judgement, sustainability (especially in connection with Loh's concept of critical posthumanist ethics and with regard to artificial intelligence, digitalization and robotics), polyamory and ethics in the sciences.

In the summer semester 2024, artificial intelligence will be the focus of the lecture series on technology and environmental ethics at H-BRS. AI is now part of our lives, is changing our work and is developing rapidly. Nine experts will give lectures on AI in various scientific disciplines and professions and then discuss opportunities, risks and ethical issues with students and the audience.