Press releases

Many people in Germany feel lonely. What does loneliness mean for the individual? Who is particularly affected and what are the consequences for society? These and other questions will be the subject of the German Ethics Council's annual meeting on 19 June in Berlin. In addition to numerous high-ranking experts, Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth Lisa Paus will also be a guest.

What role will artificial intelligence play in the 2024 super election year? On 5 June, the German Ethics Council will discuss the power of AI-generated media in shaping political opinion with experts and the audience in a public online event.

In the context of reproductive medicine, particularly tough ethical conflicts arise time and again. At the Bioethics Forum on 24 April, the German Ethics Council will therefore be asking the question: How do we as a society want to deal with different positions? And how can a respectful public dialogue remain possible?

The German Ethics Council presents its Opinion on climate justice today. In it, the Council discusses crucial issues of justice and responsibility in the struggle against climate change, and gives 13 recommendations on how a turnaround in global warming can be brought about in a fair manner.

Applications of generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT are increasingly making their way into classrooms posing new challenges for the school system. In an online event on 13 December, the German Ethics Council discusses with two external experts how AI can be used wisely in schools. The audience is cordially invited to join the discussion.

Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel antisemitic statements and assaults have increased throughout Germany. In this situation, the Ethics Council declares:

From research and industry to education and arts - the “metaverse” opens up new possibilities in many areas. What might be the psychological and social consequences of linking our analogue and digital worlds - and how are they to be evaluated? At its conference “Lost in ‘Metaverse’? On the Intertwining of Real and Digital Worlds”, the German Ethics Council addresses the opportunities and challenges of these new technological developments. The audience is cordially invited to join the discussion at the conference as well as to try out first steps in the “metaverse”.

On 20 October 2023, the German Ethics Council discusses in a public hearing the societal relevance of normality and normalisation processes. The exchange with experts will focus in particular on how ideas of normality provide normative orientation, for example by shaping body ideals or concepts of health and disease. The second part of the hearing on 16 November 2023 will also address the diverse relationships between normality and normativity.

What is new about One Health? A question that the German Ethics Council asks at its annual meeting on 21 June 2023 in Berlin. Titled “One Health: Health for All and Everything?”, the conference at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities takes a closer look at an understanding of health that focuses on the global interconnections of humans, animals and the environment. The conference also highlights the difficult implementation of One Health in research, ethics and policy.

In its second public hearing on climate justice on 25 May, the German Ethics Council will question various stakeholders who are particularly affected by the consequences of climate change. It will also look at peculiarities of the public debate on the topic.