6 March 2026, 9am-4:30pm

Institute of Philosophy, Jilská 1, Seminar Room 124a

Participants are welcome to join only for part of the program, as well.

We have reached a point in the hype cycle and the technological diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in society, where we can no longer hold on to the idea that AI is a neutral tool. AI is not a technology without problems as the field of Ethics of AI and reporting on various problematic use cases, such as the childcare benefit scandal in the Netherlands, has made apparent. There are issues related to transparency, bias, human autonomy, and responsibility, just to name a few major themes in the field.  But beyond ethics, it is apparent that AI has a political dimension: it is deeply entangled in societal relations, impacts planetary health, and disproportionally affects already marginalised communities. Some, such as Louise Amoore, go so far as to say it reconfigures the political order. There are more and more researchers like Shoshana Zuboff, Nick Couldry and Ulises A. Mejias, and Dan McQuillan who highlight AI's entanglement with capitalism, colonialism, and authoritarianism. 

As AI is increasingly used in more areas of our societies, including public institutions and healthcare, we believe it is necessary to take time for a critical examination of the promises of the AI hype. A critique, in the theoretical sense of the word, implies uncovering assumptions and testing whether they are sound. This workshop peels back the layers of the AI hype with tools from philosophy, sociology, and history. Beyond critique, we examine ways to reclaim our agency. 

Programme

9:00 - 9:15
Welcome

9:15 - 10:15
Lars Lindblom & Erik Gustavsson
“A critique of moral AI”

10:15 - 11:15
Hana Porkertova & Sabina Vassileva
“Attending to Risky Attachments: Enacting Processual Bioethics in Patient‑Led Innovations in Diabetes Care”

11:15 - 11:30
Short break

11:30 - 12:30
Lucy Císař Brown
"Beyond Weber's disenchantment: artificial intelligence and the emergence of technological re‑enchantment"

12:30 - 14:00
Lunch break

14:00 - 15:00 Talk:
Paula Gürtler & Jose Luis Guerrero Quiñones
“(In)direct control, freedom and the democratic imperative to refuse AI”

15:00 - 15:45
Discussion panel

15:45 - 16:45
Future collaboration (closed door)

Participants are welcome to join only for part of the program. 

Organised in cooperation with The Interdisciplinary Research Lab for Bioethics (IRLaB).