CFP: Autonomy & Algorithms (11-12 June 2026, Karlsruhe)

Call for Papers (Karlsruhe, Deadline: 31.01.2026)

Workshop: Autonomy & Algorithms 

As algorithms shape the choices we make, traditional assumptions about autonomy and deliberation come under pressure. By curating what is visible, relevant, or recommended, algorithmic outputs play a formative role in human deliberation and action. These developments raise well-known yet unresolved philosophical questions: What does it mean to act and think autonomously in contexts mediated by algorithms? How do algorithmic environments affect inquiry or deliberation? What are the implications for democratic autonomy? Furthermore, how are we to assess all this normatively?

This workshop aims to examine these issues within the frameworks of philosophy of autonomy, ethics of AI, social epistemology, and political philosophy. We welcome contributions that address conceptual foundations, engage in normative evaluation, analyze epistemic dynamics in algorithmic environments, and reflect on their institutional or societal implications.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Conceptual analysis of autonomy under algorithmic influence
• Epistemic autonomy and algorithmic recommendation systems
• Responsibility gaps and distributed agency
• Algorithmic nudging, manipulation, and consent
• Autonomy in surveillance and data-intensive environments

We welcome submissions from analytic philosophy broadly construed (ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of technology, epistemology, AI ethics), as well as adjacent disciplines with strong philosophical engagement.We invite submissions from researchers at all career levels, especially from early-career scholars and doctoral candidates. Funding is available to cover travel and accommodation costs for those whose abstract is accepted. 

Submission details

Please submit an extended abstract (800–1000 words) as a PDF suitable for anonymous review to [email protected] by 31.01.2026. Notification of acceptance will be sent by 16.02.2026.

Practical Information

The workshop will take place from 11.06.2026 to 12.06.2026 at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and is organized within the DFG project "The Ethics of State Mass Surveillance". Invited speakers who have confirmed their participation include Simona Chiodo, Keith Harris, Nicola Mößner, Carina Prunkl, and Otto Sahlgren.

Organizers: Alina Jacobs & Christian Seidel 

For inquiries, please contact the organizers via [email protected].

Modus: Präsenzveranstaltung

Veranstaltungszeitraum: 11.06.2026-12.06.2026

Kontaktadresse: [email protected]

Bewerbungsfrist: 31.01.2026