Research Profile
Current topics and output
Predictive Privacy and Purpose Limitation for Models: A new approach in data protection that reacts to the risks of predictive analytics and unaccounted secondary use of trained AI models. Standing research collaboration with Prof. Dr. Hannah Ruschemeier. Read more: https://purposelimitation.ai
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Mühlhoff, Rainer. 2023. „Predictive Privacy: Collective Data Protection in the Context of AI and Big Data“. Big Data & Society, 1–14. doi:10.1177/20539517231166886.×@article{Mü2023:BDS, author = {Mühlhoff, Rainer}, title = {Predictive Privacy: Collective Data Protection in the Context of AI and Big Data}, journal = {Big Data & Society}, year = {2023}, doi = {10.1177/20539517231166886}, pages = {1–14}, web_group = {papers}, web_thumbnail = {/assets/images/publications/Mü2023:BDS.jpg}, web_fulltext = {/media/publications/mühlhoff_2023_predictive_privacy.pdf} }
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Mühlhoff, Rainer, und Hannah Ruschemeier. 2024. „Updating Purpose Limitation for AI: A Normative Approach from Law and Philosophy“. SSRN Preprint, Januar. https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4711621.×@article{Mü-Ru2024:UPL, type = {SSRN Preprint}, title = {Updating {{Purpose Limitation}} for {{AI}}: {{A}} Normative Approach from Law and Philosophy}, shorttitle = {Updating {{Purpose Limitation}} for {{AI}}}, author = {Mühlhoff, Rainer and Ruschemeier, Hannah}, date = {2024-01-22}, url = {https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=4711621}, langid = {english}, pubstate = {preprint}, keywords = {AI Act,AI Governance,AI regulation,collective privacy,data ethics,data protection,Ethics,EU regulation,GDPR,general purpose AI systems,LLMSs,Open Source,power asymmetries,secondary data use}, web_thumbnail = {/assets/images/publications/Mü-Ru2024:UPL.jpg}, web_fulltext = {/media/publications/mühlhoff_ruschemeier_2024_updating_purpose_limitation_for_ai.pdf}, web_preprint = {https://ssrn.com/abstract=4711621}, web_group = {preprint} }
Ethics of AI as critical social philosophy: An effective ethical debate of AI needs to analyse the power of AI systems.
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Mühlhoff, Rainer. 30 May 2025 (forthcoming). The Ethics of AI: Power, Critique, Responsibility. Bristol University Press.×@book{Mü2025:EoAI, title = {The Ethics of AI: Power, Critique, Responsibility}, author = {Mühlhoff, Rainer}, isbn = {10.14220/9783737015523}, publisher = {Bristol University Press}, year = {30 May 2025 (forthcoming)}, web_group = {books}, web_thumbnail = {/assets/images/publications/Mü2025:EoAI.jpg}, web_publisher = {https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-ethics-of-ai} }
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Mühlhoff, Rainer. 2020. „Automatisierte Ungleichheit: Ethik der Künstlichen Intelligenz in der biopolitische Wende des Digitalen Kapitalismus“. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 68 (6): 867–90. doi:10.1515/dzph-2020-0059.Full text Full text pre-print academia.edu bibtex
×@article{Mü2020:DZPhil, author = {Mühlhoff, Rainer}, title = {Automatisierte Ungleichheit: Ethik der Künstlichen Intelligenz in der biopolitische Wende des Digitalen Kapitalismus}, journal = {Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie}, year = {2020}, volume = {68}, issue = {6}, pages = {867–890}, doi = {10.1515/dzph-2020-0059}, web_group = {papers}, web_academia = {https://www.academia.edu/43614887/Automatisierte_Ungleichheit_Ethik_der_K%C3%BCnstlichen_Intelligenz_in_der_biopolitischen_Wende_des_Digitalen_Kapitalismus}, web_preprint = {https://ssrn.com/abstract=3666727}, web_fulltext_pay = {https://www.degruyter.com/view/journals/dzph/68/6/article-p867.xml}, web_fulltext = {/media/publications/mühlhoff_2020_automatisierte-ungleichheit_DZPhil2.pdf} }
Human-Aided AI: Machine Learning systemes are based on human labour and must be analysed as networked socio-technical systems.
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Mühlhoff, Rainer. 2020. „Human-Aided Artificial Intelligence: Or, How to Run Large Computations in Human Brains?“ New Media & Society 22 (10): 1868–84. doi:10.1177/1461444819885334.×@article{Mü2020:NMS, author = {Mühlhoff, Rainer}, title = {Human-Aided Artificial Intelligence: Or, How to Run Large Computations in Human Brains?}, subtitle = {Towards a Media Sociology of Machine Learning}, journal = {New Media \& Society}, year = {2020}, volume = {22}, number = {10}, pages = {1868–1884}, doi = {10.1177/1461444819885334}, web_group = {papers}, web_academia = {https://www.academia.edu/40263575/Human-Aided_Artificial_Intelligence_Towards_a_Media_Sociology_of_Machine_Learning._Or_How_to_Run_Large_Computations_in_Human_Brains}, web_fulltext = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461444819885334} }
Research profile
Rainer’s work focuses on ethics, social philosophy, philosophy of technology and media studies of the digital society. Current topics include
- ethics and social philosophy of artificial intelligence,
- ethics and critique with regard to structural effects,
- privacy and data protection in the context of Big Data,
- intersectionality and anti-discrimination in digital technology,
- critical media philosophy of Human-Machine interaction.
Rainer’s research on Artificial Intelligence starts from the assumption that Machine Learning Systems are sociotechnical systems (see “Human-Aided AI”). To map out the ethical and societal implications AI technology, Rainer uses different philosophical schools and perspectives to analyze the interplay of technology, power and subjectivation. In particular, Rainer brings together ethics with social philosophy and critical theories to analyse the effects of AI in terms of discrimination, social selection and inequality (see “Automatisierte Ungleicheit”).
A particular research interest is data ethics in the Context of AI and Big Data. These technologies make it possible to predict sensitive information about individuals based on the anonymized data of many other data subjects. This results in a novel, collectively induced invasion of privacy of the individuals concerned, raising new questions of collective responsibility in the digital society. Under the title Predictive Privacy Rainer works on an ethical and regulatory approach to restricting negative impact of predictive analytics.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
In cooperation with applied sciences and industrial partners, Rainer is involved in the development of Ethics by Design approaches in human-computer interaction (see the SIMPORT project). This includes research on the ethics of usability and User Experience Design (see “digitale Entmündigung”).
In previous work, Rainer has worked on the connection of digital media and affectivity, including an affect theory of the new authoritarianism.
In many of his projects, Rainer draws on his interdisciplinary education, seeking to enter into a dialogue between the humanities and mathematics, computer science and natural sciences.
Third-party funds
Rainer Mühlhoff is involved in several third-party funded projects: As philosophical PI, Rainer leads the ethics component of the interdisciplinary project SIMPORT (BMBF, 2020-2023). Since 2019, Rainer is a member of the Executive Board of the Excellence Cluster Science of Intelligence at the Technische Universität Berlin.