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About

Michael Funk is a philosopher and interdisciplinary researcher whose work sits at the intersection of technology ethics, robotics, and philosophy of language. Drawing on continental and analytic traditions alike, Funk has made significant contributions to the emerging fields of robot ethics and AI governance, exploring how intelligent machines reshape power, politics, and public life. His edited volume on robotics in Germany and Japan (2014, 17 citations) pioneered intercultural frameworks for understanding human-robot relations, while his work on envisioning robots in society (2018, 22 citations) interrogated the political dimensions of robotic deployment in public spaces. A distinctive thread in Funk's scholarship is his innovative application of Wittgenstein's philosophy to technology studies, arguing that language, forms of life, and tool use are deeply intertwined — a contribution cited 18 times and largely unprecedented in the field. More recently, his research has addressed AI readiness in European healthcare (2023, 23 citations), trustworthy AI assessment frameworks, and the conceptual boundaries of robot ethics as a discipline. His introductory work on post-digitalization and the non-technical dimensions of AI (2022, 39 citations) has become his most widely cited contribution, establishing him as a thoughtful voice in contemporary debates about what technology means for human society.