One of the current ILSE research projects is on an ‘ethics of responsibility engaging with technology,’ for which you are appointed as a doctoral researcher. You have a background in technology. Could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your background?
Sure, I’d be happy to. During my Economics & Informatics studies in Rotterdam, I started a small company in 2000 together with my brother and a friend. That company has grown into a well-known agency for developing digital commerce systems. Our software developers and consultants build and maintain many successful e-commerce platforms in the Netherlands and beyond. Over those years, we’ve seen a kind of small revolution: entire market structures have been transformed by e-commerce. I’ve always found it fascinating—and still do—to see how technical possibilities are pushed to the public and quietly change the world and people in fundamental ways. I see myself as “half a techie” and try to connect different fields as a generalist. As a believer—active in a protestant church as an elder and catechist—I also studied theology part-time at ETF, which only deepened my interest in the connections between technology, economics, and Christian worldview.
Your research is in its early stages. Can you share with us what your research is about, and what your plans are?
My research is part of the group working on responsibility ethics and technology. I’ve become very interested in how AI is starting to behave more and more like humans and seems to develop a personal identity. Large language models have quickly become very good at imitating humans. This raises big questions about what it means to be human, about consciousness, human-machine interaction, and morality in the machine. On top of that, there’s a relatively new development: AI agents or assistants that make decisions on our behalf in daily life. The choices they make will never be neutral, so we need to think deeply about responsibility, liability, and the alignment of our values – whatever those may be. I hope and expect that thinkers from the tradition of “Christian responsibility ethics” can help us here.
Who are some of the theologians or thinkers that have influenced you the most so far, and why?
I’ve always enjoyed how C.S. Lewis exposes unconscious worldview positions and opens doors to Truth in a way that resonates with many. I admire Bonhoeffer—for many things—but in the context of our project, especially for his view on the connection between freedom and responsibility before Christ. He says in his Ethik, paraphrased: Responsible action is a free venture, without legitimation by any law. That goes beyond utilitarian thinking and absolute principles. Responsibility is freedom bound to God and to people. This reaches its ultimate form in Christ: Jesus stands before God as both obedient and free.
How do you hope your research might contribute to or impact the field of theology or society in general?
The role of AI agents and assistants will be much bigger in almost every area of life than we can imagine now. It’s very hard to foresee all the effects. I hope to think about this systematically—together with many others. And I hope and expect that Christian theologians, especially those focused on responsibility ethics, can guide us here, because not many have made this connection yet.
