Do Tech Ethics Work? That was the bold and provocative question at the heart of the SHARESPACE.EU project’s one-day workshop held last Wednesday in London. Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of thinkers — including philosophers, psychotherapists, cultural and evolutionary anthropologists, computer scientists, ethicists, industry designers, legal scholars, neuroscientists, and technologists — the workshop invited critical, diverse, and cross-sector perspectives on the role and reality of ethics in the tech world.
Participants joined us from across Europe and beyond — from England, Northern Ireland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Philippines — to explore not just whether ethics are “working” in tech, but for whom, how, and to what end.
From AI therapy to decolonial governance, speakers challenged the notion of ethics as a static checklist. Instead, they emphasized ethics as a deeply human practice: iterative, relational, and often invisible. We are so grateful for a day of frank, generous, and constructive conversation — capped off with an equally rewarding dinner at Mildred’s King Cross.
photo: Kathleen Bryson
A special thank you to our wonderful keynote speakers:
- Dr. Marta Bieńkiewicz – “Ethics in the Age of Optimization”
- Dr. Paula Boddington – “AI Ethics Regulation: Aaron and the Golden Calf, and Other Mishaps”
And to our fabulous presenters (in order of speaking):
- Julia Ayache – The ‘Physics’ of Ethics: A Reflection on the Role of Time, Space and Intersubjectivity in the Ethics by Design Approach
- Kathleen Bryson – Futurecasting Tech Ethics: Anticipating Risk Using the Good Enough Ethics Framework
- Irma Põder – Incorporating Research Ethics into Collaborative Public-Private Sector Research in Horizon Europe Technological Innovation Projects
- Jessica Sutherland – What Are Ethicists Good For? The Use of Internal and External Ethicists in Technology Projects
- Kathleen Richardson – Good Enough Ethics by Design
- Liz Barnes – The Ethics of AI Use in Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Anna Hollis – Empathy in Design: Inclusive Approaches to Emotional AI for Autistic Users
- Anastasia Sergeeva – Privacy Guidelines for Extended Reality Implementations in the Off-Highway Machinery Domain
- Jesse de Jesus de Pinho Pinhal – Against the Double Standard Argument: The Ethics of Tech Automation and Algorithmic Decision-Making Systems
- Oluyinka Oyeniji – Tech Ethics: The Politics and Ever-Changing Power Dynamics
- Sara Wilford – SMIDGE Social Media Narratives: Addressing Extremism in miDdle aGE
- Rano Turaeva – Decolonizing Tech Ethics: Towards a Situated and Pluralistic Approach to Algorithmic Governance
- Mark Anthony Dacela – AI Welfare as Collective Epistemic Trait
With deep appreciation to everyone who shared their work and insights — and to all who attended and contributed to the day’s dialogue.
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Kathleen Bryson (Co-Organiser with Kathleen Richardson)
De Montfort University / SHARESPACE.EU
top photo: Nine of the fifteen presenters at the end of a great day. From L-R: Mark Anthony Dacela, Sara Wilford, Jesse de Jesus de Pinho Pinhal, Rano Turaeva, Kathleen Richardson, Irma Põder, Anastasia Sergeeva, Julia Ayache and Jessica Sutherland; photo: Kathleen Bryson
