Professor of Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies, DPhil Programme Director (ICSS)
Mariarosaria Taddeo is Professor of Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies and Programme Director of the DPhil in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences at the OII.
As digital technologies continue to transform modern life, reshaping how we live, govern, and even wage war, they also give rise to complex ethical, legal, and governance challenges.
The stakes are particularly high in fields such as defence and security, where decisions involving technology can have far-reaching consequences. The rapid pace of technological change often outpaces existing regulatory and ethical frameworks, making it challenging for policymakers and institutions to respond effectively.
There is an urgent need for rigorous, interdisciplinary research to assess the risks and opportunities of this transformation, and to guide the responsible design, deployment, and regulation of digital systems.
At the Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies Research Group, we are at the forefront of research to identify, analyse, and address the ethical and governance challenges arising from digital innovation. Our approach combines conceptual rigour with empirical insights, drawing on expertise from diverse disciplines, including philosophy, law, political science, and international relations.
We explore a broad spectrum of critical issues, such as autonomous weapon systems, AI in defence, cyber conflicts, cybersecurity, surveillance, digital warfare, and neurotechnologies. By collaborating with stakeholders across sectors, we seek to ensure these technologies are developed and governed in ways that uphold human rights, promote justice, support democratic values, and contribute to international stability.
By Mariarosaria Taddeo
The defence sector must address how to use advancing AI safely and effectively. Mariarosaria Taddeo offers a systematic analysis of AI’s challenges in defence, providing recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners.
Our work informs global debates on technology governance, ethical design, and regulatory frameworks. Through thought leadership and evidence-based analysis, we support the development of digital technologies that serve society in practice, not just in principle. From influencing international norms on digital warfare to shaping ethical frameworks for surveillance, our research is steering the ethical direction of digital innovation in high stakes environments.
Former Research Assistant
Chun Hey (Brian) Kot is an MPhil in International Relations candidate at St Antony's College, University of Oxford. His research interests sit at the intersection of emerging technology, human rights, and geopolitics.
DPhil Student
Huw Roberts is a doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute and an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
This is an inter-divisional and multidisciplinary eight-month pilot study devoted to landscape the problem space and the future research on strategic cyber deterrence (SCD).
This project aims to analyse the new civic responsibilities of Online Service Providers, and the policies regulating them.
The PETRAS IoT Research Hub is a consortium of 9 UK universities working together to explore critical issues in privacy, ethics, trust, reliability, acceptability, and security.
