Prof. Dr. Judith Simon

• Computer Ethics & Philosophy of Computing
• Critical Big Data Studies
• Philosophy of Technology & Philosophy of Science
• Socio-Technical Epistemology
• Science and Technology Studies & Technology Assessment
• Values in Design & Responsible Research and Innovation

Since February 2017 Judith Simon holds the chair for Ethics in Information Technologies at the University of Hamburg. Furthermore, since 2018 she is member of the German Ethics Council, the the Commission on Data Ethics of the Federal Government of Germany, and the Joint Committee of Leopoldina and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) on the Handling of Security-Relevant Research. Before joining the University of Hamburg, Judith Simon was associate professor for philosophy of science and technology at the IT University Copenhagen as well as principal investigator of the project “Epistemic Trust in Socio-Technical Epistemic Systems” (FWF-P23770) at the University of Vienna.

She holds a MA in psychology from the Free University Berlin and a PhD in philosophy from the University of Vienna. After completing her Master in 2002 she has worked as a freelance worker in usability testing of software applications. From 2003 to 2005 she has been research assistant in the research group on “Bioethics and Science Communication” (cooperation of RC Juelich & MDC Berlin). From 2005 to 2009 she has been research assistant in the research group “Philosophy of Science: Cultures and Technologies of Knowledge” at the University of Vienna. From 2009 to 2011 she has been post-doctoral fellow at the Institute Jean Nicod (Ecole Normale Supérieure) in Paris, analyzing changes in research and scientific publishing due to Web2.0 technologies (EU FET-Open project LiquidPublications). From 2011 till 2014 she was employed as senior researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis focusing on technology assessment of ICT. She was a visiting scholar at Stanford University and has been a guest researcher at the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science at University of Trento as well as the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (CSIC-IIIA) in Barcelona.

In 2013 Judith Simon received the Herbert A. Simon Award of the International Association of Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) for outstanding research in philosophy & computing. Also in 2013 she gave a TEDx-talk in Zurich.

SoSe 22
64-207 Vorlesung Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 5. Apr. 2022 - Di, 5. Jul. 2022
64-208 Seminar Philosophie - Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 5. Apr. 2022 - Di, 5. Jul. 2022
64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines – Data Practices and Design Culture, Mi, 6. Apr. 2022 - Mi, 15. Jun. 2022
64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines, Di, 5. Apr. 2022 - Mi, 15. Jun. 2022
24-900.20 Ringvorlesung Datenwelten II: Reflexion der Datenwelten [digital] , Mo, 4. Apr. 2022 - Mo, 11. Jul. 2022

WS 21/22
64-030 Vorlesung Informatik im Kontext, Mo, 11. Okt. 2021 - Mo, 27. Jan. 2021
64-456 Vorlesung Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung, Di, 19. Okt. 2021 - Die, 25. Jan. 2022
64-457 Seminar Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung, Di, 19. Okt. 2021 - Die, 25. Jan. 2022
64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines, Mi, 13. Okt. 2021 - Mi, 19. Jan. 2022
64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines, Mi, 13. Okt. 2021 - Mi, 19. Jan. 2022

SoSe 21
64-207 Vorlesung Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 6. Apr. 2021 - Di, 6. Jul. 2021
64-208 Seminar Philosophie - Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 6. Apr. 2021 - Di, 6. Jul. 2021  
64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines: Ethics, Law & IT – From Theory to Practice, Mi, 7. Apr. 2021 - Mi, 7. Jul. 2021 
64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines, Mi, 7. Apr. 2021 - Mi, 7. Jul. 2021  
 
WS  20/21
64-030  Vorlesung Informatik im Kontext, Mo, 2. Nov. 2020 - Do, 18. Feb. 2021
64-456  Vorlesung Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung,  Di, 3. Nov. 2020 - Die, 16. Feb. 2021
64-457  Seminar Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung,  Di, 3. Nov. 2020 - Die, 16. Feb. 2021
64-639  Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines,  Do, 5. Nov. 2020 - Do, 18. Feb. 2021
64-690  Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines,  Do, 5. Nov. 2020 - Do, 18. Feb. 2021

SoSe 20

• 64-207 Vorlesung Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 21. Apr. 2020 - Di, 14. Jul. 2020 
• 64-208 Seminar Philosophie - Gesellschaft und IT, Di, 21. Apr. 2020 - Di, 14. Jul. 2020   
• 22-40.120  Interdisciplinary Seminar in Politics and Philosophy: Ethics, Politics and Epistemology of Big Data, Mi, 15. Apr. 2020 - Mi, 1. Jul. 2020

cancelled due to Coronavirus pandemic:

• 64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines - The Governance and Regulatory Challenges
• 64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines
   

WS 19/20

• 64-030  Vorlesung Informatik im Kontext, Mo, 14. Okt. 2019 - Do, 30. Jan. 2020
• 64-456  Vorlesung Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung,  Mo, 14. Okt. 2019 - Mo, 27. Jan. 2020
• 64-457  Seminar Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung,  Mo, 14. Okt. 2019 - Mo, 27. Jan. 2020
• 64-639  Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines,  Di, 15. Okt. 2019 - Di, 21. Jan. 2020
• 64-643  Advanced Topics in Ethics and IT,  Mo, 14. Okt. 2019 - Mo, 27. Jan. 2020
• 64-653  Glauben, Wetten, Vorhersagen: Zur Philosophie und Geschichte der Wahrscheinlichkeitstheorie,  Di, 15. Okt. 2019 - Di, 28. Jan. 2020
• 64-690  Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines,  Do, 17. Okt. 2019 - Do, 16. Jan. 2020

SoSe 19

• 64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Ethics in IT, Mi, 3. Apr. 2019 - Mi, 3. Jul. 2019
• 64-640 Vorlesung Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Mo, 8. Apr. 2019 - Mo, 8. Jul. 2019  
• 64-641 Seminar Philosophie - Gesellschaft und IT, Mo, 8. Apr. 2019 - Mo, 8. Jul. 2019    
• 64-648 Seminar Big Data: Erkenntnistheorie, Ethik und Politik, Di, 2. Apr. 2019 - Di, 9. Jul. 2019
• 64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines - Securing Knowledge

WS 18/19

• 55-01.191.500 Forschungskolloquium: Normative Theory Group (P), Do, 1. Nov. 2018 - Di, 29. Jan. 2019
• 64-031 Vorlesung IKON: Informatiksysteme in Organisationen, Mo, 3. Dez. 2018 - Do, 31. Jan. 2019
• 64-456 Vorlesung Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung, Mo, 15. Okt. 2018 - Mo, 28. Jan. 2019
• 64-457 Informatik: Zwischen Wissenschaft und Technikgestaltung-Seminar, Mo, 15. Okt. 2018 - Mo, 28. Jan. 2019
•  64-639 Seminar zur Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines, Di, 30. Okt. 2018 - Di, 29. Jan. 2019
• 64-690 Ringvorlesung Taming the Machines , Mi, 14. Nov. 2018 - Mi, 23. Jan. 2019

SoSe 18

• 10-05-504 Forschungskolloquium Normative Theory, Do, 5. Apr. 2018 - Do, 12. Jul. 2018
• 64-482 Oberseminar Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Do, 5. Apr. 2018 - Do, 12. Jul. 2018
• 64-640 Vorlesung Philosophie, Gesellschaft und IT, Fr, 6. Apr. 2018 - Fr, 13. Jul. 2018

WS 17/18

• 10-05-504/55-01.181.62 Forschungskolloquium Normative Theory, Di, 24. Okt. 2017 - Di, 6. Feb. 2018
• 22-40.110 Interdisciplinary Seminar: Ethics, Politics and Epistemology of Big Data, Di, 17. Okt. 2017 - Di, 23. Jan. 2018
• 64-031 Vorlesung IKON: Informatiksysteme in Organisationen, Do, 19. Okt. 2017 - Do, 1. Feb. 2018
• 64-489 Oberseminar Ethik in der Informationstechnologie

Jacobs, M. & Simon, J. (2022). Reexamining computer ethics in light of AI systems and AI regulation. AI and Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00229-6

Kraft, A., Zorn, H.-P., Fecht, P., Simon, J., Biemann, Ch. & Usbeck, R. (2022). Measuring Gender Bias in German Language Generation. In: Demmler, D., Krupka, D. & Federrath, H. (eds.), INFORMATIK 2022.Gesellschaft für Informatik, Bonn. (pp. 1257-1274). DOI: 10.18420/inf2022_108

Jacobs, M. & Simon, J. (2022). Assigning Obligations in AI Regulation: A Discussion of Two Frameworks Proposed By the European Commission. Digital Society, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-022-00009-z

Asghari, H.; Birner, N.; Burchardt, A.; Dicks, D.; Faßbender, J.; Feldhus, N.; Hewett, F.; Hofmann, V.; Kettemann, Matthias C.; Schulz, W.; Simon, Judith; Stolberg-Larsen, J.; and Züger, T. (2021). What to explain when explaining is difficult? An interdisciplinary primer on XAI and meaningful information in automated decision-making. Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6375784.

Jacobs, M., Kurtz, C., Simon, J. and Böhmann, T. (2021). Value Sensitive Design and power in socio-technical ecosystems. Internet Policy Review, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.14763/2021.3.1580

Simon, J. and Rieder, G. (2021). Trusting the Corona-Warn-App? Contemplations on trust and trustworthiness at the intersection of technology, politics, and public debate. European Journal of Communication, 36(4), 334–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231211028377

Rudschies, C., Schneider, I. & Simon, J. (2021). Value Pluralism in the AI Ethics Debate – Different Actors, Different Priorities. The International Review of Information Ethics, 29. https://informationethics.ca/index.php/irie/article/view/419

Rieder, G., Simon, J., and Wong, P.-H. (2020) Mapping the Stony Road toward Trustworthy AI: Expectations, Problems, Conundrums. In: Marcello Pelillo and Teresa Scantamburlo (Eds.). Machines We Trust: Perspectives on Dependable AI. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3717451 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3717451

Simon, J. (ed.) (2020), The Routledge Handbook of Trust and Philosophy (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy) (1st ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.

Wong, P.-H. & Simon, J. (2020): Thinking about 'ethics' in the ethics of AI. In: IDEES, revistaidees.cat/en/thinking-about-ethics-in-the-ethics-of-ai/

Rieder, G. & Simon, J. (2017), “Big Data: A New Empiricism and its Epistemic and Socio-Political Consequences” (joint with G. Rieder), in: Ott, M., Pietsch, W., Wernecke, J. (eds.) Berechenbarkeit der Welt? Philosophie und Wissenschaft im Zeitalter von Big Data. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2017.

Simon, J. (2017), “Values in Design and Responsible Innovation,” in: Hansson, S.-O. (ed.), Methods for the Ethics of Technology, London: Rowman & Littlefield International, 2017.

Simon, J. (2017),“Values in Design,“ in: Heesen, J. (ed.), Handbuch Medien- und Informationsethik, Stuttgart: Metzler, 2016.

Rieder, G. & Simon, J. (2017): Big data and technology assessment: research topic or competitor? In: Journal of Responsible Innovation, 4 (2), 234-253.

Rieder, G. & Simon, J. (2016), “Datatrust: Or, The Political Quest for Numerical Evidence and the Epistemologies of Big Data” (joint with G. Rieder), Big Data & Society, 3, 2016.

Simon, J. (2014), “Distributed Epistemic Responsibility in a Hyperconnected Era,” in: Floridi, L. (ed.) The Onlife Manifesto – Being Human in a Hyperconnected Era, Dordrecht: Springer, 2014.

Simon, J. (2013), “Trust,” in: Pritchard, D. (ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy, New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Mayer, K. & Simon, J. (2013), “Desired Becomings” (joint with K. Mayer), Journal of Peer Production, 3: The Critical Power of Free Software: from Intellectual Property to Epistemologies?, 2013.

Simon, J. (2012), “E-democracy and values in information systems design,” 25th IVR World Congress: Law, Science and Technology, Frankfurt am Main, Goethe-University, 2012.

Simon, J. (2010), “The Entanglement of Trust and Knowledge on the Web,” Ethics and Information Technology, 12, 2010, 343-355.

Simon, J. (2010), “A Socio-Epistemological Framework for Web-Based Scientific Publishing,” Social Epistemology, 24, 2010, 203-220.

• Member of the German Ethics Council (since 2018), Co-Chair of the Working Group "Humans and Machines"
• Member of the Selection Committee for the Allocation of the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship - International Award for Research in Germany (2021-2024)
• Member of the Advisory Board on Employee Data Protection of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (2020-2022)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the non-profit association and think tank D64 – Zentrum für digitalen Fortschritt e.V. (since 2020)
• Member of The Science of Intelligence (ScIoI) Ethics Advisory Board (since 2020)
• Member of the Standing Committee "Digital Society", Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften (since 2019)
• Member of the Working Group "Digitization & Democracy", Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften (since 2018), Spokesperson of the Working Group
• Member of the Working Group 3 “IT Security, Privacy, Ethical and Legal Frameworks” for the Plattform “Lernende Systeme – Germany’s Platform for Artificial Intelligence (2017-2022), German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (since 2018)
• Member of the Joint Committee on the Ethics of Security-Relevant Research, Leopoldina & Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) (since 2018)
• Member of the Data Ethics Commission of the German Federal Government (2018-2019)
• Chair of the Ethics Review Board at the Department of Informatics (Universität Hamburg)
• Member of the Advisory Group on Societal Challenge 6, Development of the Work Program 2018-2020, European Commission (2016)
• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Expert Commission on the “Sciences and Humanities in the Digital Age” (2018-2019)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of various institutes, such as the Munich Center for Technology in Society, TU Munich, the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf , and the Institute for Digital Ethics at the Stuttgart Media University (since 2017)
• Member of the Onlife Initiative, DG Connect, European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/onlife-initiative (2011-2012)

• Associate Editor for Epistemology and Technology of the Journal “Philosophy and Technology” (Springer)
• Founding Co-Editor and Member of the Advisory Board of the Journal “Big Data & Society: Critical Interdisciplinary Inquiries” (Sage)
• Review Editor of the Book Series “Philosophy, Technology and Society” (Rowman & Littlefield International)
• Section Editor for Philosophy of the German Editorial Team of the Open Library of Humanities (OLH)

Member of the Executive Board of INSEIT, the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology (inseit.net)

Member of the Executive Board of IACAP, the International Society for Computing and Philosophy (iacap.org)

I have served as a reviewer for various funding agencies such as European Commission (H2020), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Ministry of Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Moreover, I have also reviewed for the following journals, conferences and book series:

Journals:

Philosophy & Technology; Big Data & Society; Ethics and Information Technology; Science and Engineering Ethics; Science, Technology & Human Values; Synthese; Social Epistemology; New Media & Society; Minerva; Interdisciplinary Science Review; Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology; Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory; International Journal of Human-Computer Studies; Evaluation Reviews; ACM Transactions on Intelligent Systems and Technology

Books:

Routledge Philosophy; Princeton University Press

Conferences:

CATAC (Cultural Attitudes towards Technology and Communication), IACAP (International Association for Computing and Philosophy), AISB (The Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour), EASST (European Association for the Study of Science and Technology), Webscience, INFORMATIK, CEPE (Computer Ethics, Philosophical Enquiry), PDC (Participatory Design Conference), IEEE Ethics & numerous symposia at different venues

• STEAM. Regulatory Reasoning on Algorithmic Systems in Societal Communication, Co-Applicant, Funded by VolkswagenStiftung
• ZiF Research Group. Economic and Legal Challenges in the Advent of Smart Products
• DFG Graduate Program Collective Decision-Making
• GOAL. Governance von und durch Algorithmen
• Information Governance Technologies, Co-Applicant. Funded by Behörde für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Gleichstellung, Landesforschungsförderung Hamburg.
• CIBS - Center for Information and Bubble Studies (PI: V.F. Hendricks), Co-Applicant & Core Faculty. Funded by the Carlsberg Foundation (2015-2020). http://bubblestudies.ku.dk

Completed Projects

• FWF-P23770 - Epistemic Trust in Socio-Technical Epistemic Systems (Principal Investigator). Funded by the Austrian Science Fund (2011-2016)
• COST Action TD1306 PEERE – New Frontiers in Peer Review (PI: F. Sqazzoni), Co-Applicant & Substitute Member of Management Committee. Funded by the European Commission. http://www.peere.org

INSEIT, the International Society for Ethics and Information Technology: https://inseit.net
IACAP, the International Society for Computing and Philosophy: http://www.iacap.org
Netzwerk Technikfolgenabschätzung: https://www.openta.net/netzwerk-ta