Philosophy of Technology and AI. Traditions, Transitions, and Tensions.
Please note that the call for abstracts has closed, and we are no longer able to accept speaker applications.
About this Conference
A conference exploring how different ‘schools’ of philosophy of technology interpret and respond to Artificial Intelligence.
Philosophy of technology has developed through a plurality of traditions that reflect on téchne, technics, technological change, and the role of technology in shaping knowledge, human being and social praxis and relations. Artificial Intelligence has recently become one of the most prominent technological developments engaging these traditions. Rather than constituting an entirely new philosophical field, AI enters an already rich landscape of techno-philosophical thought.
The conference Philosophy of Technology and AI: Traditions, Transitions, and Tensions invites contributions that approach Artificial Intelligence from within the philosophy of technology and reflect on how AI reopens fundamental questions of technics and technology across different traditions, conceptual transitions, and philosophical tensions.
The title highlights three interconnected dimensions of this encounter:
Traditions refer to the diverse schools and lineages within the philosophy of technology that provide conceptual frameworks for interpreting technological developments. These traditions often crystallize around influential authors, methodological approaches, or intellectual constellations within particular philosophical or regional contexts. Whether emerging from phenomenological, ontological, critical, feminist, media-philosophical, pragmatist, or science and technology studies approaches, they offer distinct ways of understanding technology.
Transitions refer to the conceptual and technological shifts associated with AI. Developments such as machine learning, generative models, and large-scale computational infrastructures invite reconsideration of established techno-philosophical concepts and raise questions about how existing philosophical frameworks respond to new technological configurations.
Tensions refer to the conceptual, methodological, and normative disagreements that arise within the philosophy of technology when interpreting AI. Within the philosophy of technology, AI intersects with diverse philosophical problem horizons, including ontological questions of technics and being, theories of human–technology relations, reflections on human activity, labor, and automation as well as approaches that situate technics within broader ecological, natural, or systemic contexts. These differing conceptual starting points shape how AI is interpreted and debated.
The conference aims to bring these techno-philosophical perspectives into dialogue and to explore how AI can be interpreted within, across, and between traditions of the philosophy of technology.
Details:
Date: 4–6 November 2026
Format: 2.5-day in-person conference; the keynotes will be streamed online via Zoom
Venue: Impulse Haus, University of Bonn
Accessibility: The venue is accessible for people with mobility impairments via an elevator at the rear entrance. However, the historic paving at the front entrance may make access difficult for some visitors. Our team is happy to assist participants with entering and leaving the building. If you wish, you can let us know in advance about any accessibility requirements or other support you may need using the contact form below.
Conference chair: Dr. Jurgita Imbrasaite (jurgita.imbrasaite@uni-bonn.de)
Keynote Speakers:
-
David J. Gunkel (PhD Philosophy) is an award-winning educator, researcher, and author, specializing in the philosophy of technology with a focus on the moral and legal challenges of artificial intelligence and robots. He is the author of over 115 scholarly articles and has published nineteen books, including Thinking Otherwise: Philosophy, Communication, Technology (Purdue University Press 2007), The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots, and Ethics (MIT Press 2012), Of Remixology: Ethics and Aesthetics After Remix (MIT Press 2016), Robot Rights (MIT Press 2018), Person, Thing, Robot: A Moral and Legal Ontology for the 21st Century and Beyond (MIT Press 2023), Handbook on the Ethics of AI (Edward Elgar 2024), and Communicative AI: A Critical Introduction to Large Language Models (Polity 2025). He currently holds the position of Department Chair and is Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University (USA) and is professor of applied ethics at Łazarski University in Warsaw, Poland.
-
Toni Loh (née Janina Sombetzki; pronouns: none; they/them) is (since 2024) Professor of Applied Ethics – in particular Ethics and Transformation at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences at the Center for Ethics and Responsibility (ZEV) and the Department of Social Policy and Social Security. They studied at the Humboldt University Berlin and wrote their dissertation (2009-2013) on the issue of responsibility – Verantwortung als Begriff, Fähigkeit, Aufgabe. Eine Drei-Ebenen-Analyse (Springer 2014). Toni Loh published the first German Introduction to Trans- and Posthumanism (Junius 2018) and an Introduction to Robot Ethics in German language (Suhrkamp 2019). In 2025, Loh’s fourth book was published (in German Language), a study book on the subject of Feminist Philosophy of Technology (transcript/utb.). Current book projects include: Critical Posthumanist Ethics (Kritisch- posthumanistische Ethik; transcript 2028), An Introduction to Polyamory (Polyamorie zur Einführung; together with Wulf Loh; Junius 2027), and Critical Posthumanist Togetherness (Kritisch-posthumanistisches Miteinander; transcript 2028).
-
Federica Buongiorno is an Assistant Professor in Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Florence, where she also teaches Phenomenology of Technology and Gender Theories. She obtained her PhD in 2013 from Sapienza University of Rome with a dissertation on the problem of the precategorial in early Husserl, and she has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin, the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Storici (IISS) in Naples, TU Dresden, the Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici (IISF) in Naples, and ICI Berlin. Her research interests include Husserlian and post-Husserlian phenomenology, philosophy of technology (in particular digital self, artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems, self-tracking, and lifelogging), psychoanalysis, and posthuman feminism. She is the author of numerous articles and monographs on these topics and serves as the editor of the international philosophy journal Azimuth as well as the Umweg philosophical book series. She is also a translator of essays from German into Italian.
Conference Program:
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00-09:30 | Arrival and Registration |
| 09:30-10:00 | Opening Remarks |
| 10:00-11:00 | Keynote: Federica Buongiorno The Governance of Technological Uncertainty: Predicting Disasters and the Neoliberal Logic of Anticipation. |
| 11:00-11:15 | Short Break |
| 11:15-12:45 |
Panel 1: What is AI?
|
| 12:45–14:00 | Lunch Break |
| 14:00-15:30 |
Panel 2: Cognition, Consciousness, Meaning
|
| 15:30–15:45 | Short Break |
| 15:45-17:15 |
Panel 3: Phenomenological Perspectives
|
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 10:00–11:00 | Keynote: Toni Loh Feminist Philosophy of Technology and AI: A Critical Overview. |
| 11:00-11:15 | Short Break |
| 11:15-12:45 |
Panel 4: Feminist/Critique
|
| 12:45–14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00–15:30 |
|
| 15:30–15:45 | Short Break |
| 15:45-17:15 |
Panel 6: Signs, Simulacra, Simulation
|
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:30-11:00 |
Panel 7: Along with Simondon, Stiegler, And Pharmakon
|
| 11:00-11:15 | Short Break |
| 11:15-12:45 |
|
| 12:45-14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00-15:30 | Keynote: David J. Gunkel The Différance Engine: Large Language Models and Deconstruction. |
| 15:30 | Outro |
Registration
We kindly ask you to fill out this form to register as a listening participant, even if you can only make it to a few or just one talk.
Getting Here
-
via train
Bonn Hauptbahnhof is the central train station in Bonn. Many regional trains (RB48, RB26, RE5) as well as some high velocity trains connect Bonn to Cologne Central Station. The ride takes about half an hour.
Since lots of construction work is being done on the train tracks this year, you might have to switch to the trams 16 or 18 to get to Bonn from Cologne. The ride is approximately one hour.
via plane
Köln/Bonn (CGN) is the nearest airport to Bonn. Take the bus shuttle SB60 from there to Bonn Hauptbanhof (Main Station).
Frankfurt (FRA) airport might be easiest to reach, depending on from where you are travelling. Check with Deutsche Bahn about your best connection from there. In many cases it is quickest to take the high velocity train (ICE) to Siegburg. From there you can take the tram to Bonn Hauptbahnhof.
-
Our venue Impulse Haus is located at Adenauerallee 131, 53115 Bonn.
You can get there comfortably by tram. Simply ride the 16, 63, 66, 67, or 68 to Bundesrechnungshof. From there it is a 2 minute walk to arrive at the venue.
Some people have difficulty finding the right place. Click here to see Impulse’s facade. There will be Uni Bonn flags flying infront.
Accommodation
coming soon…