★The first professorship in Germany dedicated to the ethics of artificial intelligence, led by Rainer Mühlhoff, presents a groundbreaking work. Drawing on his unique dual background as both a mathematician and a philosopher, and leveraging his affiliations with leading institutions such as the Einstein Center Digital Future, the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, the University of Osnabrück, the Free University of Berlin, and the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, the author delivers a rigorous yet accessible analysis of AI ethics.
★ Sold for Chinese simplified rights.

[This book is an Open Access work]
In an era when artificial intelligence is increasingly woven into the fabric of everyday life, this accessible and engaging work offers a critical examination of AI and its deep entanglement with power structures. Far from indulging in apocalyptic fantasies, it focuses on how AI profoundly shapes daily interactions and social norms, fundamentally reshaping our societal structures. By dissecting the various forms of exploitation and manipulation embedded in human–machine relationships, the book calls for a collective sense of responsibility and advocates for more robust regulation and systemic change.
This is a resounding manifesto that rethinks AI ethics through the lens of power awareness. With meticulous analyses of real-world cases and in-depth explorations of technical issues, it is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of AI policy, scholarly critique, and social integration.

Reiner Mihrhoff
Reiner Mihrhoff is a German philosopher and mathematician, and holds the chair of AI Ethics and Critical Theory at the Institute of Cognitive Science and the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Osnabrück in Germany. He is also an associate researcher at the Einstein Center Digital Future in Berlin and at the Collaborative Research Center 1171 “Emotions in a Culture of Connectivity” at the Free University of Berlin. From 2023 to 2025, he served as an associate research fellow at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, and from 2025 to 2026 as a visiting research fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute of the University of Oxford. In 2021, he was appointed full professor of AI Ethics at the University of Osnabrück, becoming Germany’s first professor dedicated to this interdisciplinary field.
His research focuses on critical philosophy of digital media and society, as well as the ethics and critique of the digital society, big data, and artificial intelligence. He has published works on privacy and data protection, intersectionality, and anti-discrimination in the context of digital technologies, employing interdisciplinary research methods. His philosophical approach is deeply influenced by post-structuralism, linking technology, power, and subjectivity.
Mihrhoff studied mathematics, theoretical physics, and computer science at Heidelberg University, the University of Münster, and Leipzig University.
Beyond his theoretical work, Mihrhoff is also a highly regarded speaker. Together with his team, he has developed curricula for responsible AI and digital reflection, aimed at K–12 education, teacher training, and the general public.

Introduction: What Does It Mean to Uphold an “Ethics of Power Awareness” in Artificial Intelligence? — A Message to the Reader

Part I: The Power of Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 1: What Exactly Are We Talking About When We Talk About AI?
Chapter 2: Human–Machine Collaborative AI
Chapter 3: Digital Anti-Enlightenment and the Power of Design
Chapter 4: Subjectivity and Power in AI Ethics

Part II: The Power of Prediction
Chapter 5: AI Systems as Prediction Machines
Chapter 6: Predictive Privacy
Chapter 7: Predictive Culture—Ethics and Epistemology

Part III: The Power of Control
Chapter 8: The Cybernetics of AI
Chapter 9: Opaque Decision-Making in Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics
Chapter 10: Bias in Cybernetic AI Systems
Chapter 11: Collective Responsibility in AI Ethics

Conclusion: A Manifesto for an Ethics of Power Awareness in AI