Timo Speith

Background

About Timo Speith

I work at the intersection of philosophy and computer science, with a focus on the ethical, epistemological, and societal dimensions of artificial intelligence. My research explores how we can make intelligent systems transparent, trustworthy, and aligned with human values—especially through explainability and responsible design. I’m particularly interested in how explainability functions across different system levels—from hardware to algorithms to human interaction—and how it can contribute to the satisfaction of societal desiderata such as fairness, autonomy, and responsibility. I have worked and published on topics including conditions for allocating responsibility to humans in the loop, trust in generative models, evaluation of saliency maps, and explainable hardware (see for my Google. Scholar). My work draws from both philosophical theory and empirical methods, and I prefer collaborating in interdisciplinary teams. I teach seminars on AI ethics, explainable AI, the future of work, and AI in science and society, often integrating digital tools and didactic strategies. I also mentor students toward academic careers. As a former ethics advisor for EU research projects, I bring applied perspectives to theoretical debates. Let’s connect if you’re interested in: • Explainability & AI trustworthiness • Ethical & social implications of intelligent systems • Responsible innovation in AI & software engineering • Interdisciplinary and/or international collaboration