The idea of human autonomy predates the Enlightenment and has long shaped our self-understanding. It is deeply embedded in the moral practice of attributing responsibility and the legal practice of determining criminal culpability. These concepts are coming under pressure in the face of digital transformations. A prime example of this is the growing tendency to speak of non-human forms of agency: of “digital agents”, “human-machine interactions”, “artificial general intelligence”, empathetic and trustworthy AI, and even the dystopian scenario of AI taking over global power. How should we assess this anthropomorphisation of digital technology? Is this a misguided form of AI animism, or does it pose a genuine threat to human autonomy?

While machines are supposedly being equipped with the capacities for perception and thought, mechanistic interpretations of precisely these human capacities are gaining ground. This revives the debate about the relationship between human freedom and causal explanation, which has been ongoing in philosophy since antiquity. In light of this, the Research Group explores the relationship between autonomy and causality under the conditions of digital transformation.

The goal of the Interdisciplinary Research Group is to provide philosophical and scientific clarification by building bridges across the humanities, natural sciences, and computer science.