Prof. Dr. Patrik Hummel
Professor of Philosophy and Blockchain
Frohburgstrasse 3, Room 3.A19
Consultation hour during the semester:
Thursdays, 16.00 - 17.30
Presentation of the Chair for Philosophy & Blockchain on YouTube
CV
Patrik Hummel is Professor of Philosophy and Blockchain at the University of Lucerne since May 2025. He works on philosophical aspects of datafication and automation, and their interaction with concepts such as justice, sovereignty, identity and health.
From September 2021 to April 2025, he was Assistant Professor in the Philosophy & Ethics Group at Eindhoven University of Technology and a member of the Dutch Gravitation Program “Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies”. From January 2018 to August 2021, he was a postdoc at the Chair of Systematic Theology II (Ethics) at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he worked in research projects on ethical and societal aspects of big data and AI in the healthcare sector.
He received his doctorate in 2018 from the St Andrews and Stirling Graduate Program for Philosophy with the thesis “Personal Identity and Practical Reason”. During his doctoral studies, he was a member of the Arché Research Centre for Logic, Language, Metaphysics and Epistemology at the University of St Andrews. He was also a Carlo Schmid Fellow (DAAD) and a consultant for the Global Health Ethics Unit of the WHO in Geneva.
Research
research interests:
- Philosophy of technology
- Normative ethics
- Applied ethics, in particular bioethics and AI ethics
- Philosophy of digitization
- Philosophical aspects of blockchain
- Philosophical methodology
Publications
- Guenzburger, E. J., & Hummel, P. A. (2026). A Question of Benchmarking. Insights from Decentralized Networks for the Governance of Federated Machine Learning. American Journal of Bioethics, 26 (8), 159–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2026.2690958
- Hayes, A., & Hummel, P. A. (2026). Code als Spiegel? cogito – Das Wissensmagazin der Universität Luzern, 16, 16–17. Retrieved from https://www.unilu.ch/magazin/artikel/code-als-spiegel/
- Hayes, A., & Hummel, P. A. (2026). Code as a mirror? cogito – Das Wissensmagazin der Universität Luzern, 16. Retrieved from https://www.unilu.ch/en/news/code-as-a-mirror-10476/
- Hummel, P. A. (2026). Privilege Under Review: The Evidence Challenge for Epistemic Injustice in Health AI. Philosophy of Medicine, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5195/pom.2026.289
- Hummel, P. A. (2025). Algorithmic Fairness as an Inconsistent Concept. American Philosophical Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.5406/21521123.62.1.04
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., Bischoff, S., Samhammer, D., Seitz, K., Fasching, P. A., & Dabrock, P. (2024). Perspectives of patients and clinicians on big data and AI in health: a comparative empirical investigation. AI & SOCIETY. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01825-8
- Glasze, G., Cattaruzza, A., Douzet, F., Dammann, F., Bertran, M.-G., Bomont, C., … Zanin, C. (2023). Contested Spatialities of Digital Sovereignty. Geopolitics. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2022.2050070
- Hille, E. M., Hummel, P. A., & Braun, M. (2023). Meaningful Human Control over AI for Health? A Review. Journal of Medical Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme-2023-109095
- Roller, R., Mayrdorfer, M., Duettmann, W., Naik, M. G., Schmidt, D., Halleck, F., … Budde, K. (2022). Evaluation of a clinical decision support system for detection of patients at risk after kidney transplantation. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.979448
- Samhammer, D., Roller, R., Hummel, P. A., Osmanodja, B., Burchardt, A., Mayrdorfer, M., … Dabrock, P. (2022). “Nothing works without the doctor:” Physicians’ perception of clinical decision-making and artificial intelligence. Frontiers in Medicine, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.1016366
- Braun, M., Bleher, H., & Hummel, P. A. (2021). A Leap of Faith: Is There a Formula for “Trustworthy” AI? Hastings Center Report, 51 (3), 17-22 ff. https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.1207
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., & Dabrock, P. (2021). Own Data? Ethical Reflections on Data Ownership. Philosophy and Technology, 34 (3), 545-572 ff. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-020-00404-9
- Braun, M., Hummel, P. A., Beck, S., & Dabrock, P. (2021). Primer on an ethics of AI-based decision support systems in the clinic. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47 (12), E3 ff. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2019-105860
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., Tretter, M., & Dabrock, P. (2021). Data sovereignty: A review. Big Data and Society, 8 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951720982012
- Hummel, P. A., Adam, T., Reis, A., & Littler, K. (2021). Taking stock of the availability and functions of National Ethics Committees worldwide. BMC Medical Ethics, 22 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-021-00614-6
- Braun, M., & Hummel, P. A. (2020). Contact-tracing apps: contested answers to ethical questions. Nature, 583 (7816), 360 ff. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-02084-z
- Hummel, P. A., & Braun, M. (2020). Just data? Solidarity and justice in data-driven medicine. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 16 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40504-020-00101-7
- Hummel, P. A., Ahamed, N., & Amanullah, F. (2020). Ethical issues surrounding childhood tuberculosis. International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 24, 27-31 ff. https://doi.org/10.5588/ijtld.17.0806
- Hummel, P. A. (2019). Survival by redescription. Parfit on consolation and death. Argumenta, 5 (1), 71–84. https://doi.org/10.14275/2465-2334/20199.HUM
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., & Dabrock, P. (2019). Data Donations as Exercises of Sovereignty. Philosophical Studies Series, 137, 23-54 ff. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04363-6_3
- Hummel, P. A., Saxena, A., & Klingler, C. (2018). Rapid qualitative review of ethical issues surrounding healthcare for pregnant women or women of reproductive age in epidemic outbreaks. Epidemiology and health, 40, e2018003 ff. https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2018003
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., Augsberg, S., & Dabrock, P. (2018). Sovereignty and Data Sharing. ITU Journal: ICT Discoveries, 2. Retrieved from https://www.itu.int/en/journal/002/Documents/ITU2018-11.pdf
- Hummel, P. A. (2017). Against the Complex versus Simple Distinction. Erkenntnis. An International Journal of Analytic Philosophy, 82 (2), 363-378 ff. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10670-016-9822-x
- Hummel, P. A. (2026). Philosophy and Blockchain. In Orban, Benedek (Ed.), CV VC Crypto Valley Top 50 & Ecosystem Report 2025 (p. 84 ff.). Zug: CV VC AG.
- Hummel, P. A., Littler, K., & Reis, A. (2023). Health Ethics & Governance at WHO: The importance of the Global Summit of National Ethics Committees. In Patrão Neves, Maria do Céu (Ed.), The Kaleidoscope of Global Bioethics (pp. 211-220 ff.). Lisbon: Conselho Nacional de Ética para as Ciências da Vida (CNECV). Retrieved from https://research.tue.nl/en/publications/bc5c3aa7-3018-4c11-8b28-f3772bb85f41
- Hummel, P. A., & Reis, A. (2021). Die Rolle Nationaler Ethikräte in Pandemien; Die Rolle Nationaler Ethikräte in Pandemien: Orientierung in Krisenzeiten: Orientierung in Krisenzeiten. In Andreas Reis and Martina Schmidhuber and Andreas Frewer (Ed.), Pandemien und Ethik (pp. 305-327 ff.). Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-63530-8_17
- Martani, A., & Hummel, P. A. (2021). Eine neue Generation des Datenschutzes? Gegenwärtige Unvollständigkeit, mögliche Lösungswege und nächste Schritte. In Gesine Richter and Wulf Loh and Alena Buyx and Graf von Kielmansegg, Sebastian (Ed.), Datenreiche Medizin und das Problem der Einwilligung (pp. 27-54 ff.). Heidelberg: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-62987-1_3
- Hummel, P. A., Braun, M., & Dabrock, P. (2019). Das Gute und das Gerechte als Pole einer Ethik der daten- und algorithmengetriebenen Forschung. In Mathwig, Frank, Meireis, Torsten & Werren, Melanie (Eds.), Zwischen Ungleichheit und Gerechtigkeit Grundlagen und Konkretionen im Gesundheitswesen (pp. 57–76). Zürich: TVZ.
Achievements
- Health AI and Epistemic Privilege. Poster, World Congress of Bioethics, International Association of Bioethics, Johannesburg, 2026
- Society in the Machine-Ledger Era: Exploring the Intersection of AI and Blockchain. Chair/panel-moderation, Zug Institute for Blockchain Research (ZIBR) Launch Event, Zug Institute for Blockchain Research (ZIBR), Zug, 2026
- Meaningful Human Control over AI for Health: Patient Testimony and Epistemic Privilege. (Panel) contribution, 3rd International Conference on Decision Making in Medicine and Law: Opportunities and pitfalls of information technologies (DMM&L 2025), Research lab in Artificial Intelligence for Systems Engineering Department of Computer Science, Sapienza University of Rome; European Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology, Rom, 2025
- How can accurate data be unjust? (Panel) contribution, Joint IACAP/AISB Conference on Philosophy of Computing and AI (IACAP/AISB-25), Symposium "Bridging Justice and Meaningful Human Control in Medical AI", International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP), Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB), Enschede, 2025
- Establishing an inclusive Euro-Med foundation for AI access. (Panel) contribution, Symposium Africo-Européen de la gouvernance responsable de l’intelligence artificielle (SAE’IA 2024), Panel "Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in AI for a Sustainable Euro-Mediterranean Ecosystem", Anna Lindh Foundation, Oujda, 2024
- Generality and Particularism in Evidence-Based Medicine. (Panel) contribution, 17th World Congress of Bioethics, International Association of Bioethics, Doha, 2024
- Spoilt for Choice: Which Public Values for a Digital Society? (Panel) contribution, Digital Society Conference, The Digital Society Programme, Utrecht, 2024
- Group-specific thresholds in algorithmic classifiers:more diverse, less (un)fair? (Panel) contribution, ESDiT Diversity Workshop, Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT), Utrecht, 2024
- The Ethics of Preventive Healthcare. (Panel) contribution, Preventive Health Conference, Institute for Preventive Health (I4PH), Utrecht, 2023
- The Hope for Fairness in the Face of Impossibility. (Panel) contribution, Political Hope Workshop vol. 1, Department of (Social) Ethics, University of Bonn, Bonn, 2023
Vested Interests
- Fellow, European Decentralisation Institute, 2025–
- Ethics Advisory Board Member, WAge (wagehealth.eu), 2024–
