The Department of Values, Technology and Innovation (VTI) studies sociotechnical systems from a values perspective. It focuses on the overarching research themes of design for values, management of responsible innovation and responsible risk management, bringing together expertise from the fields of economics, safety science and philosophy.
Lack of public support for an innovation often means that it is not implemented, even though it has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. At other occasions, the innovation is pushed through despite lack of public support, which sometimes means that public concerns have been ignored. But the choice should not be between pushing through an innovation despite justified concerns or foregoing its potential benefits.
Fortunately, the responsible innovation approach provides for an alternative paradigm. It pays attention to important values during both the design and implementation phase, and to the institutions that embed and govern innovation. In our view, the value dimension and system perspective are both essential for the further development, social acceptance and moral acceptability of new technologies.
News & in the media
21 March 2023
Olya Kudina op NOS.nl over ChatGPT
Technologie-ethicus Olya Kudina maakt zich daarnaast zorgen over de snelheid waarmee de ontwikkelingen momenteel plaatsvinden van tekstgeneratoren. "Mensen moeten nog leren om te gaan met deze technologie. Dit creëert een situatie waarbij er onterecht urgentie ontstaat om dit nú te integreren in je eigen producten, anders ben je te laat."
20 March 2023
Jeroen van de Hoven member of Analytics Advisory Commission at Finance
The Council of Ministers last week approved the formation of the Analytics Advisory Committee. This committee will advise the Tax Administration, the Customs Administration, the Benefits Agency and the Ministry of Finance on how to deal with risk models and algorithms. The advisory committee is tasked with considering current analytics issues within the services, both on request and on its own initiative. Jeroen van den Hoven, professor of Ethics and Technology, has been appointed a member of the committee.
08 March 2023
Stefan Buijsman op haaretz.com over Math education
Stefan Buijsman is convinced that kids would be more interested in mathematics if instead of studying random equations, they were taught problems applicable in the real world.
Events
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19 April 2023 09:00 till 21 April 2023 18:00
2023 Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology (fPET 2023)
The fPET2023 conference at Delft University of Technology will bring together engineers and philosophers to address the challenges of engineering in a changing world. fPET 2023 will provide the opportunity to meet like-minded researchers and present and discuss research on the intersection of engineering and philosophy, addressing the broad theme of technology and engineering in a changing world.
07 June 2023 08:00 till 09 June 2023 17:00
PhD course ‘Safe by Design’
Open for PhD candidates from all universities and universities of applied science in the Netherlands. Organized by TU Delft Safety and Security Institute, together with RIVM and VU. Safety is becoming increasingly relevant in various fields, particularly in designing products and processes. The renewed focus on Safe by Design tries to identify and include safety (along with other important values such as sustainability, security and circularity) at an early stage of design. This course offers an excellent overview of the extensiveness and importance of the integral approach of Safe by Design. The team of lecturers together represent both the broad academic as the more practice-oriented approach and represent TU Delft and VU, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in Safe by Design.
Internal events
The VTI department and its three sections regularly organize research and teaching seminars for department members. Check the calendar for upcoming events.