Description
Ongoing technological innovation is transforming early every aspect of human life, from how we communicate and work to how we learn, shop, form intimate relations, and participate in society. Yet the communities that design and govern these technologies often lack what this Action calls ‘normative consciousness’: the awareness of the legal norms, ethical principles, and social expectations are integral to technological practice. Too often, these frameworks evolve in parallel – ethical debates remain abstract, legal norms rigid and limited by enforcement, and informal or operational norms widely accepted but potentially misaligned with rights and values. The result is a growing gap between regulatory ambition and the everyday practices of technology professionals.
ConsciousTech addresses this challenge by creating the first European network dedicated to strengthening normative consciousness in the tech community. It brings together scholars and practitioners from law, computer science, philosophy, ethics and the social sciences, fostering mutual learning across disciplines and professional domains. The Action pursues three interrelated objectives:
(1) conceptual consolidation, by clarifying how norms, principles and values are defined and embedded across different normative frameworks;
(2) empirical grounding, by generating comparative evidence on how normative framework are interpreted and applied in practice; and
(3) educational innovation, by translating insights into teaching, training, and engagement strategies that can be embedded in curricula, professional pathways, and civil society initiatives.
By bridging fragmented expertise and fostering dialogue between academia, industry and regulators, ConsciousTech will provide the foundations for a more responsible, rights-respecting, and socially responsive technological development in Europe and beyond.
Action keywords
Law - Computer science - Philosophy - Sociology - Ethics
Management Committee
| Country | MC Member |
|---|---|
| No records found | |
Main Contacts
Action Contacts
COST Staff
Working Groups
| Number | Title | Leader |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theoretical and conceptual challenges: understanding normative consciousness | TBA |
| 2 | Empirical and methodological challenges: normative consciousness in practice | TBA |
| 3 | Educational challenges: helping the tech community become more norm-conscious | TBA |
Express your interest to join any of the working groups by applying below.
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