Timo Speith

timo.speith(at)uni-saarland.de
Bldg. A2 3, Room 0.24,
Tel. +49 (0)681 302-3651

Research Interests

My current research focusses on machine ethics and machine explainability with regard to already available (non-sci-fi) AI systems. I am also interested in ancient philosophy and philosophy of science.

In my PhD thesis in philosophy (supervised by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Nortmann), I investigate the connection between machine ethics and machine explainability. I argue that machine explainability is an essential component for making machine ethics as beneficial as possible. On top of that, I also think that machine ethics without machine explainability is empty, as there are effectively no possible means other than explanations in order to detect whether a machine acted according to the right moral constrains imposed on it. In my opinion, machine ethics and machine explainability can be linked effectively. In my thesis I propose a way to do so and evaluate its benefits and drawbacks.

Education

  • 08/2018: M.Sc., Computer Science, Saarland University, Thesis Title: Towards a Framework of Verifiable Machine Ethics and Machine Explainability, Supervisor: Holger Hermanns
  • 09/2016: B.A., Philosophy, Saarland University, Thesis Title: Selbstprädikation bei Platon - Eine Grundlagenuntersuchung ausgehend vom Argument des Dritten Menschen, Supervisor: Ulrich Nortmann
  • 07/2013: Abitur, Gymnasium Brede, Brakel

Employment

  • 08/2019–present: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (Graduate Associate), Saarland University, Computer Science Department
  • 09/2018–present: Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter (Graduate Associate), Saarland University, Chair for Theoretical Philosophy (Ulrich Nortmann)
  • 10/2016–08/2018: Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft (Research Assistant), Saarland University, Chair for Theoretical Philosophy (Ulrich Nortmann)
  • 2014–2018: Studentische Hilfskraft (Student Assistant), Saarland University, Department of Philosophy.

 

Articles

  • »From Machine Ethics to Machine Explainability and Back« (with Kevin Baum and Holger Hermanns). ISAIM 2018 (International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics). Link 1, Link 2
  • »Towards a Framework Combining Machine Ethics and Machine Explainability«(with Kevin Baum and Holger Hermanns). CREST 2018 (Workshop on formal reasoning about Causation, Responsibility, and Explanations in Science and Technology). DOI: 10.4204/EPTCS.286.4
  • »Explainability as a Non-Functional Requirement« (with Maximilian A. Köhl, Dimitri Bohlender, Kevin Baum, Markus Langer, and Daniel Oster). RE'19 (IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference). DOI: 10.1109/RE.2019.00046

 

Conference Talks

  • (Forthcoming) »The promises of XAI: Understanding, Explanations, Discovery«, invited talk for the workshop »Issues in Explainable AI 2: Understanding and Explaining in Healthcare«, March 23, 2020 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.
  • »Why Explainable AI Matters Morally« (work with Kevin Baum and Holger Hermanns) as part of the panel »Explainable Intelligent Systems and the Trustworthiness of Artificial Experts«, 27th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Philosophy and Psychology, September 5, 2019 in Athens, Greece.
  • »Why Explainable AI Matters Morally« (work with Kevin Baum and Holger Hermanns) as part of the panel »Explainable Intelligent Systems and the Trustworthiness of Artificial Experts«, European Conference for Cognitive Science, September 3, 2019 in Bochum, Germany.
  • »Why Explainable AI Matters Morally« (work with Kevin Baum and Holger Hermanns) as part of the panel »Explainable Intelligent Systems and the Trustworthiness of Artificial Experts«, 9th International Conference on Information Law and Ethics, July 12, 2019 in Rome, Italy.

 

Public Talks

  • »Fair Algorithmic Decision-Making: Unrealizable Dream or Actual Possibility?«, Fraunhofer ITWM Deep Learning Seminar, March 5, 2020 in Kaiserslautern
  • »Dimensionen der Maschinenerklärbarkeit«, Saarland University's open day, May 25, 2019 in Saarbrücken
  • »KI Workshop: Wie Maschinen lernen«, Saarland University's open day, May 25, 2019 in Saarbrücken
  • »Kriton«, training for teachers at the Landesinstitut für Pädagogik und Medien, April 16, 2019 in Dudweiler
  • »KI! Aber wie? – Wie Künstliche Intelligenz gestaltet werden sollte«, Lions Club Saar-Ost, April 8, 2019 in Spiessen-Elversberg
  • »Verantwortung und Erklärbarkeit von Künstlicher Intelligenz – Warum KI verständlich sein muss«, Safer Internet Day 2019, Landesmedienanstalt Saarland, February 5, 2019 in Saarbrücken
  • »Ethik für Nerds – Informatik in Zeiten von Filterblasen und Fake News«, Forschungstage Informatik 2018, Saarland University, June 14, 2018 in Saarbrücken

 

Paper Presentations

  • »Explainability as a Non-Functional Requirement« (together with Maximilian A. Köhl, work with Kevin Baum, Dimitri Bohlender, Markus Langer, and Daniel Oster) at the 27th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference (RE'19), September 25, 2019 in Jeju Island, South Korea.
  • »Towards a Framework Combining Machine Ethics and Machine Explainability« (together with Kevin Baum) at the 3rd Workshop on formal reasoning about Causation, Responsibility, and Explanations in Science and Technology (CREST 2018) as part of the 28th European Joint Conferences on Theory and Practice of Software (ETAPS 2018), 20th of April 2018 in Thessaloniki, Greece

 

Memberships

  • Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie (German Society for Analytic Philosophy)
  • Gesellschaft für Informatik (German Informatics Society)
  • European Society for Philosophy and Psychology

 

Committee Work

  • 11/2019-present: Elected alternate member of the Saarland University's commitee for the ethics of security-related research (Kommision der Ethik sicherheitsrelevanter Forschung).
  • 10/2018-present: Elected member of the Saarland University's research committee (Forschungsausschuss).

 

Teaching (Saarland University)

  • (Forthcoming) B.A. Seminar: »Künstliche Intelligenz« (Artificial Intelligence; together with Daniel Oster), Summer Term 2020 
  • (Forthcoming) B.A. Seminar: »Die Säulen der Welt« (The pillars of the world; a seminar about ontological grounding; together with Daniel Oster), Summer Term 2020 
  • B.A. Seminar: »Einführung in die Maschineneethik und Maschinenerklärbarkeit« (Introduction to machine ethics and machine explainability), Winter Term 2020
  • B.A. Seminar: »Digitale Dystopien? - Philosophische Probleme einer technisierten Welt« (Digital dystopias? - Philosophical problems of a technological world), Summer Term 2019
  • B.A. Seminar: »Einführung in die Metaphysik« (Introduction to metaphysics), Winter Term 2019

 

Tutoring (Saarland University)

 

 

Der Header ist ein Ausschnitt von Hermann Waibels Bild "Lichtfarbe" von 1987. Wir danken Herrn Waibel für die freundliche Erlaubnis, sein Bild zu nutzen.