Torsten Stiller
Kill Switch or Moral Compass: Who Programs AI’s Conscience?
#1about 5 minutes
Learning from science fiction and early AI failures
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics and an early e-commerce failure illustrate the long-standing challenge of embedding a moral compass in AI.
#2about 2 minutes
Why developers are the programmers of AI's conscience
Every design choice, from data selection to objective functions, embeds human values and biases into AI systems, making developers ethically responsible.
#3about 7 minutes
Real-world examples of AI causing unintended harm
Case studies from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft demonstrate how AI can amplify bias, generate hate speech, and create privacy nightmares without ethical guardrails.
#4about 7 minutes
Seven core principles for building responsible AI systems
A framework for ethical AI development includes fairness, transparency, accountability, privacy, safety, societal benefit, and maintaining human control.
#5about 4 minutes
A practical playbook for integrating ethics into development
Use techniques like pre-mortems, ethical user stories, red teaming, and the 'veil of ignorance' to proactively identify and mitigate ethical risks.
#6about 2 minutes
How the EU AI Act makes ethics a compliance issue
Upcoming regulations like the EU AI Act are transforming ethical AI from an ideal into a legal requirement, especially for high-risk systems.
#7about 3 minutes
Balancing the kill switch with a built-in moral compass
The ultimate goal is to build AI with an inherent moral compass so that the emergency kill switch is a last resort, not the primary safety strategy.
Related jobs
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
Matching moments
11:59 MIN
Embracing developer responsibility in the age of AI
Official Opening of WeAreDevelopers World Congress
29:53 MIN
Considering the ethical responsibility of building AI systems
Bringing the power of AI to your application.
22:23 MIN
Implementing responsible AI principles by design
The State of GenAI & Machine Learning in 2025
14:10 MIN
Managing the fear, accountability, and risks of AI
Collaborative Intelligence: The Human & AI Partnership
03:36 MIN
Integrating responsible AI into product development from day one
Behind the Code: How Women Are Powering the Future of AI
11:51 MIN
Applying ethical principles to AI design
Insight into AI-Driven Design
06:12 MIN
Defining the core principles of responsible AI
Rethinking Recruiting: What you didn’t know about Responsible AI
27:22 MIN
The collective responsibility to build ethical technology
A walkthrough on Responsible AI Frameworks and Case Studies
Featured Partners
Related Videos
28:27AI & Ethics
PJ Hagerty
27:26Staying Safe in the AI Future
Cassie Kozyrkov
28:05A walkthrough on Responsible AI Frameworks and Case Studies
Toju Duke
25:51Trust by Design: Creating Responsible AI-Powered Services
Dr. Marc Fuchs, Christoph Bräunlein, Eva Stepkes & Niklas Harzheim
29:35Responsible AI in Practice: Real-World Examples and Challenges
Steffen Bosse, Mina Saidze, Ray Eitel-Porter & Björn Bringmann
28:07Rethinking Recruiting: What you didn’t know about Responsible AI
Vincent Slot & Jaap Kersten
30:28Behind the Code: How Women Are Powering the Future of AI
Alexandra Wudel, Madalina Florean & Laura Moritz
25:17AI: Superhero or Supervillain? How and Why with Scott Hanselman
Scott Hanselman
Related Articles
View all articles
From learning to earning
Jobs that call for the skills explored in this talk.
AI Governance Consultant
TRUSTEQ GmbH
Munich, Germany
Responsible AI Manager - Emerging Technologies
Information Technology Senior Management Forum
Aviles, Spain
Senior
Continuous Integration
Principal AI Engineer - Focus: Software Engineering
appliedAI
Remote
Senior
Docker
Node.js
TypeScript
Kubernetes
+2
Principal Software Architect - Focus: AI Architecture
appliedAI
Remote
Senior
Docker
Terraform
Kubernetes
Software Architecture
+1