AI Lifecycle Ethics: Socio-Technical Insights and Solutions for a Sustainable and Equitable AI Future
The Civic Machines Lab explores AI as a socio-technical system, shaping democratic and inclusive technologies from chip to code.
The Civic Machines Lab explores the full lifecycle of artificial intelligence, from the semiconductors powering computation to the algorithms shaping human experience.
Situated within the TUM Think Tank, the lab views AI as a socio-technical system rather than a purely technical challenge.
By integrating perspectives from computer science, social sciences, and public policy, the Civic Machines Lab aims to shape technologies that are democratic, sustainable, and globally inclusive.
Why
At the heart of the Civic Machines Lab’s work lies a fundamental question: how can socio-technical insights foster a sustainable and equitable future shaped by algorithms?
In response to this, the lab aims to illuminate often-overlooked ethical, political, and cultural dimensions of AI and semiconductor technologies.
This inquiry spans both Western and non-Western contexts, focusing on aligning technological development with public values and environmental priorities.
How we work
The Civic Machines Lab adopts an interdisciplinary and globally conscious approach to AI, engaging with all stages of the AI lifecycle. This includes research into semiconductor ethics, machine learning foundations, and the societal effects of algorithmic systems.
Through collaborations with academic institutions, industry partners, civil society, and policymakers, the lab generates actionable frameworks, international studies, tangible results, prototypes and tools and capacity-building initiatives.
The lab’s work aims to ensure that innovation ecosystems are inclusive, human-centered, and grounded in real-world needs.
What we do
Several flagship projects demonstrate the Civic Machines Lab’s commitment to socially responsible technology.
The Audio Deep Fakes project explores how synthetic media could disrupt democratic processes by simulating manipulative political scenarios and testing global responses to such content.
The AuditEU initiative supports startups in meeting ethical and legal requirements under the EU AI Act, with an emphasis on algorithmic transparency.
Additionally, the lab produces thought leadership on Semiconductor Ethics, convening researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore sustainability and equity in chip production.
Through our collaboration with the Innovation for Impact network—which includes leading organizations such as WWF, the UN, IRC, and Oxfam, the civic machines lab is contributing to a range of projects, including research on how AI is transforming NGO structures, operations, and ways of working.
Together, these and further efforts shape a cohesive vision: one where technological progress is inseparable from the values of democracy, transparency, and global inclusivity.
How to get engaged
The Civic Machines Lab welcomes collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and regions. Those interested in engaging with the lab’s work, whether through joint research projects, EU funding opportunities, policy initiatives, or public events, are encouraged to get in touch.
Researchers, industry practitioners, and institutions can explore opportunities to co-develop studies, contribute to ongoing projects, or participate in future workshops and grant applications.
For inquiries, please contact Orestis Papakyriakopoulos at orestis.p@tum.de and Philip Pfaller at philip.pfaller@hfp.tum.de.
