Technical choices are ethical choices

Innovation moves faster than the law, often leaving regulation silent or unclear on crucial decisions. The judgment then falls to the teams building the technology. These decisions are often ethical in nature.

I'm a Moral Technologist: I apply theories and reasoning methods from moral philosophy to the decisions technology teams face. I operate in the zone where legislation has not yet caught up with technology. This is where ethical judgment, along with technical and legal understanding, is crucial.

My work builds on five years inside Google's AI teams, a DPhil (PhD) from Oxford in engineering and research ethics, a postdoc at Princeton across computer science and philosophy, and a current Stanford fellowship on AI's role in scientific discovery.

→ The Services page sets out some ways I have worked with teams.

→ The Collaborate page covers how we can start an engagement.

What am I up to now?

• At Stanford University, I'm working on a project investigating the ethics of using AI in the pursuit of science.
• At Leiden University, I'm pursuing a master's in moral and political philosophy, deepening the intellectual foundations of the reasoning methods I use.
• I'm continuing to advise with several teams at Google on the ethics of their work.
• And I'm working with consultancies like Considerati to support their clients who have tech ethics questions.

What did I do before this?

• I spent five years at Google working as a Research Scientist and an Ethics Advisor in the Responsible Innovation team.
• Prior to that I did a postdoc at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy and Center for Human Values, focusing on the ethics of AI.
• At Oxford University, I completed a DPhil (PhD) at the Oxford Internet Institute on the intersection of law, ethics, and computer science.
• Previously, I worked as a policy advisor at the European Parliament, and practiced information law as an attorney in Amsterdam.