The Moralization of New Technologies 

The rapid emergence of new technologies and ongoing digitalization bring significant challenges and opportunities. A central question is how society can harness these innovations to promote the common good. My research examines moral perceptions, judgments, and motivations surrounding the use of emerging technologies. Under what conditions do people attribute moral responsibility to artificial intelligence? What drives them to support moral causes through crowdfunding? By exploring how social context shapes the moral evaluation of these technologies, my work aims to contribute to a more human-centered approach to their development and implementation.

Important publications:

Schenk, Patrick, Vanessa A. Müller and Luca Keiser (2024): Social Status and the Moral Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence. Sociological Science, 11, 989–1016.

Schenk, Patrick and Vanessa A. Müller (2025): Earning Their Rights! Ontological Properties, Social Impact, and Moral Rights for Artificial Intelligence. Socius : sociological research for a dynamic world 11:1–15.

Hashinaga, Makiko, Patrick Schenk, Aika Ishibashi and Jörg Rössel (2023): Socially responsible crowdfunding across the globe: A comparative analysis of Swiss, Japanese, and Chinese university students. Technology in Society 73:102247.