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# Kill Switch or Moral Compass: Who Programs AI’s Conscience?


- **Date:** Friday, Jul 11, 2025
- **Time:** 15:00–15:30 (30 min)
- **Room:** Stage 4
- **Event:** World Congress 2025

## Recording

[Watch recording](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1569-kill-switch-or-moral-compass-who-programs-ai-s-conscience)

## Description

Artificial intelligence increasingly shapes our societies. As systems gain autonomy, one central question arises: Who bears ethical responsibility for algorithmic decisions?

Are developers merely responsible for building systems with a "kill switch"—and using it in emergencies—or is that even possible? Should they instead proactively embed a moral compass into their code? This keynote explores how developers can integrate ethical responsibility into real-world practice.

Through case studies—from algorithmic bias to autonomous vehicles and generative AI—we examine how ethical principles can be applied early in development. We'll discuss international frameworks and hands-on tools for responsible AI.

Developers, tech leads, and decision-makers are invited to see ethics not as a constraint but as a driver of innovation. The real decisions aren’t made by the code itself—but by those who write it.

## Speaker

### [Torsten Stiller](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@torsten-stiller)

E.ON DT GmbH, Head of Automation Factory


## Related talks at this congress

- [AI & Ethics](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/503-ai-ethics) — PJ Hagerty
- [Leading efficiency, empathy, and the human experience with AI](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/803-leading-efficiency) — Alexander Birke, Benjamin Perlzweig, Emmanuel Viale, Ming Wu
- [AI & Transparency in Hiring – Bridging HR and Engineering Perspectives](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/745-ai-transparency-in) — Lusya Ishkova
- [Leapter: The Reinvention of Software Development? A Future Built On AI Generated Code.](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2025/sessions/581-leapter-the) — Robert Werner