Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we make decisions, diagnose problems and manage social processes. But is data really “objective”? Reality shows that algorithms learn from historical data—and this data often reflects existing biases. This leads to bias in sensitive areas such as medicine, justice and personnel decisions. Examples such as racial bias or gender bias illustrate that technical excellence alone is not enough.

The symposium will highlight:

▶ Ethical challenges in the use of AI in science and practice

▶ Statistical methods that promote fairness and transparency

How can we ensure that data-driven systems are not only efficient but also fair and responsible? Together with leading experts we will discuss how ethical principles and robust statistics can be combined to build trust in AI applications.

It is possible to follow the symposium online, but only passively.

DAGStat Symposium 2026
Data Ethics and Artificial Intelligence

February 27, 2026 · 1:00 p.m.

Venue: Statistisches Bundesamt / Hauptbüro

            Friedrichstr. 50

            10117 Berlin

Registration: Please register by February 20, 2026, at: kontakt@dagstat.de.

The event is free of charge.

Agenda: 

From 1:00 p.m. Get-together and refreshments
 

2:00 p.m. Welcome and introductory presentation

• Welcome 
  Prof. Dr. Katja Ickstadt (DAGStat) 
• Embedded ethics in AI development: challenges and opportunities
  Prof. Dr. Kerstin Schloegl-Flierl

Approx. 2:30 p.m. Keynote speeches

• Statistical perspective on bias in AI-supported diagnoses
  Prof. Dr. Antonia Zapf
• Ethical questions in the use of AI/ML in the production of official statistics
  Dr. Florian Dumpert
• Teaching data ethics: Strategies and examples from the Data Literacy Program at TU Dortmund University
  Dr. Henrike Weinert
• A little speculation on how AI will change economics
  Prof. Dr. Ruediger Bachmann

Approx. 5:30 p.m. End of event