Ethics for Innovations at ZKM Karlsruhe: Shaping the Future Responsibly
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Ethics for Innovations: How Technology Gains Responsibility
On September 24, 2026, the ZKM Karlsruhe will become the forum for one of the most pressing questions of our time: How can artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, neurotechnologies, and biotechnologies be designed to protect human dignity, democracy, and the environment? The anniversary conference of the German UNESCO Commission connects scientific expertise, political perspectives, art, and social dialogue.
Technological Progress Needs Orientation
New technologies often shape our everyday lives faster than rules and societal debates can emerge. In the media theater of the ZKM, experts will discuss how technical developments can be understood, ethically evaluated, and politically responsibly governed. This discussion will focus not only on opportunities, but also on possible risks and unintended consequences.
The event will look at technology assessment, international cooperation, and how scientific knowledge can effectively reach politics, regulation, and practice. Global data flows, international value chains, and the market power of large technology companies particularly demand communication across national borders.
From Quantum Technologies to the Role of Art
The program opens different accesses to ethical innovation. After a welcome by Dr. Roman Luckscheiter and Karlsruhe's Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup, a public survey on new technologies in daily life will follow. Constanze Scherz from the Institute for Technology Assessment and System Analysis will explain why technology assessment actively shapes the future.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettemann will address new ethical questions surrounding quantum technologies. A coffee break with topic tables will create space for personal exchange and deeper discussions. Afterwards, Margit Rosen from ZKM will show how art can stimulate societal debates about digitalization.
Science, Politics, and Society in Exchange
To conclude, a discussion round with Dr. Lutz Möller, Michaela Evers-Woelk, and Dr. Pauline Riousset will address how ethical consensus can be translated into political and regulatory practice. The event makes it clear that responsible innovation is not solely a technical task. It emerges from the interplay between research, culture, politics, business, and civil society.
The German UNESCO Commission builds on its international recommendations for the ethics of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology. Together with ITAS at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, ZKM, and the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment, a cross-disciplinary event experience is created in the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe.
A Morning for Everyone Interested in Shaping the Future
The audience atmosphere thrives on open questions, focused impulses, and direct exchange with experts. Those interested in AI ethics, digital society, technology assessment, future technologies, or sustainable innovation policy will experience a well-founded and at the same time accessible conference.
Participation is free of charge; prior registration is required. Visitors are expected to have an informative morning with scientific analyses, political perspectives, artistic impulses, and concrete food for thought for dealing with technological change.
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