PhD topics

We are open to PhD applications covering a broad range of topics related to responsible digital futures. Below we have collected a set of project ideas that would fall within the remit of the group and that group members would be interested in supervising.

Implementation of Ethics by Design in AI

A project in this category would develop an AI system with a practical application. This  might cover any AI technique as well as any application, but it will have to take place in an environment where real users are able to interact with the development. 

The unique angle of this project will be to pick an ethics by design methodology  (for example this one, promoted by the EU)  and use it to structure the design and development process. A key research question for this project will be whether such a methodology is applicable, where its limitations are and whether it affects the quality of the resulting system. 

Please contact Bernd Stahl for additional information or discussion.

AI Impact Assessment

AI impact assessments, sometimes also called algorithmic impact assessments, are methods that aim to provide an early warning system that will allow the identification of ethical and social issues.

A project in this category would focus on the early phase of AI systems development and undertake and possibly compare more than one existing AI impact assessment methodologies. The research question will be around the usability and impact of the AI impact assessment, whether it allows for early detection of issues and how it impacts the tech development. 

Please contact Bernd Stahl for additional information or discussion.

Responsible AI Ecosystems

AI has been described as an ecosystem where specific ethical and social consequences arise not so much from individual technologies and applications but from the systems nature of the technology that forms part of broader socio-technical networks. 

MSc projects in this category should identify a relevant AI ecosystem and undertake a maximally comprehensive description of these systems. The question to be researched is whether  and in what way such ecosystems are or would be considered responsible, i.e. how the ecosystem as a whole could be considered capable of identifying and dealing with ethical and broader social concerns. 

Please contact Bernd Stahl for additional information or discussion.