Prof. Dr. Stefanie Wrobel

“The social consequences of a technology cannot be predicted early in the life of the technology. [...] By the time undesirable consequences are discovered, however, the technology is often so much part of the whole economics and social fabric that its control is extremely difficult.” (David Collingridge)

The development and use of new technologies is not only a matter of what is technically feasible, but also of what is socially desirable. Today, managers and engineers alike have to face complex issues which do not only ask "What can be done?" but rather "What should be done?".  This course deals with the complexities and controversies regarding emerging technologies from a social science perspective. Therefore, we will look into different methods of technology assessment as well as corporate compliance (focus: corporate digital responsibility), before we will move on to business and technology ethics. You will learn (and practice) how to discuss controversial emerging technologies from different perspectives and how to develop sound arguments about what is ethically acceptable or not.