Maaike Harbers

Maaike Harbers serves as Professor of Artificial Intelligence & Society at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, affiliated with the Creating 010 knowledge center and holding a senior lecturer position in the Creative Media and Game Technologies program. Her work bridges AI ethics and design, focusing on responsible integration of intelligent systems through ethical consideration of design choices across process, product, and context.

Her academic background includes:

• PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Utrecht University (2011)
• Dual master's degrees: MSc in Artificial Intelligence and MA in Philosophy from the University of Groningen (2006)

Professor Harbers investigates how designers can responsibly treat AI as design material by addressing ethical implications throughout development cycles. Her research emphasizes value sensitive design, privacy preservation, and power dynamics in sociotechnical systems, developing practical methods like boundary objects and Socratic dialogue to facilitate ethical reflection. Current projects include the Design in the 21st Century and Data Driven Society initiatives within the Creating 010 Privacy Lab.

Her publication trajectory (2018-2024) reveals concentrated efforts in operationalizing responsible AI through design interventions, particularly addressing multi-stakeholder dialogue frameworks, power relation materialization, and value tensions in media recommenders. This work demonstrates consistent application of design research methods to translate ethical principles into context-specific AI development practices across media and smart city domains.

Scientific Recognition:

• No awards or fellowships were documented in source materials

As an educator, she leads the 'betrokken technoloog' (engaged technologist) curriculum direction, embedding ethical competencies in student training. While specific grant details remain unlisted, her project leadership indicates active research funding engagement. She mentors through design-focused coursework though no formal advisees are named.

She actively contributes to the Creating 010 Privacy Lab and collaborative projects including 'Design in the 21st Century' and 'Data Driven Society', working with multidisciplinary teams of designers, ethicists, and technologists to develop practical frameworks for ethical AI implementation in real-world contexts.