👋 Hi, I’m Hein Duijf
I am an assistant professor in philosophy at Utrecht University.
I work mainly on social epistemology and the philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence. My research interests include expertise, deliberation, and political epistemology, and collective agency, responsible AI, machine ethics, and deontic reasoning. Previously, I worked as an assistant professor at the LMU Munich and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Utrecht University. I was a research visitor at the London School of Economics and at the LMU Munich. During my Master’s at the Radboud University Nijmegen, I spent time at the University of Amsterdam and the Technical University of Vienna. I completed my PhD in Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence in Utrecht and my MSc in Mathematics in Nijmegen (both cum laude).
🗞️ News
📢 Selected publications
More publications can be found here.
🔍 Research
Social epistemology
Social epistemologists recognize that most of our practices of knowledge production are fundamentally social. The individualistic picture needs to be replaced with a complex picture where our intellectual capacities are, at least partly, dependent on others. This reorientation triggers a number of philosophical issues. My research covers topics such as: When should one trust experts? When should one be open-minded? What are the epistemic prospects and risks of deliberation and voting in social networks?
Philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence
The recent advances of artificial intelligence and its ensuing integration into our society make it increasingly hard to determine who is responsible for certain immoral or illegal outcomes resulting from actions performed through, by, or in cooperation with AIs. My research interests cover topics such as: When and why do machine actions lead to responsibility gaps? Can explainable AI techniques help solve the problem of responsibility gaps? Can we model the concept of responsibility mathematically so that we can gain a better understanding of responsibility gaps and also provide the basis for future computational mechanisms safeguarding us from legal and moral harm?
🎓 Teaching
Supervision
I am available as a supervisor for BA, MA and PhD projects that relate to my research interests.
Courses
I am currently involved in the education programs in Philosophy and in Artificial Intelligence at Utrecht University. I teach courses on all levels, from undergraduates to doctoral students. Topics include the philosophy of AI, social epistemology, (collective) moral responsibility, social ontology, the philosophy of action, and the philosophy of language.
🪄 Experience
- 2022 – Present: Assistant Professor in Philosophy, Utrecht University
- 2021 – 2022: Assistant Professor in Philosophy, LMU Munich
- 2018 – 2021: Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy, VU Amsterdam
- 2018 – 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher in Philosophy, Utrecht University
- 2014 – 2018: PhD Candidate in Philosophy and Artificial Intelligence (cum laude), Utrecht University
- Supervisors: Prof. D. Cohnitz, Prof. J-J. Ch. Meyer, Dr. J. Broersen & Dr. A. Tamminga
- 2013 – 2014: Junior IT Consultant, Aia Software Nijmegen, Nijmegen