Charles Ess

Charles Ess is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Oslo's Department of Media and Communication, Faculty of Humanities. His work bridges philosophy, ethics, and digital technologies, focusing on robotics, AI ethics, digital religion, and media studies. He previously held roles including Distinguished Research Professor at Drury University and guest professorships in Europe.

Education: PhD in Philosophy from Pennsylvania State University (1983). Background includes decades of teaching in liberal arts, specializing in interdisciplinary humanities and digital ethics. Research emphasizes the ethical implications of technology, cultural attitudes toward technology, and internet research ethics guidelines.

Research Interests:

• Ethics of AI and robotics
• Digital religion and comparative philosophy
• Human-Machine Communication (HMC)
• Internet governance and research ethics
• Existential media studies
• Cross-cultural technological design

Grants & Advising: Advisor to EU projects like Datafied Living and VOXPOL. Editorial roles include Oxford Internet Institute Studies and Digital Humanities Introductions: Religion. Active in AoIR ethics guidelines development.

Labs/Teams: Involved with DIGMEX (Digital Media and EXistential issues) and Computing & Philosophy networks.