About me
My research examines how algorithmic systems, particularly recommender systems and AI assistants, shape knowledge, values, and rational agency, and develops frameworks for evaluating and governing their effects. I work at the intersection of formal and social epistemology, applied ethics and philosophy of technology to develop theoretically rigorous accounts with implications for policy and design.
Current position
Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, TU Munich
Head of Research, Ethical Data Initiative, TUM Think Tank
Previous positions
University of Exeter
Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP), LMU Munich
University of Exeter
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Future of Humanity Institute, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford
Brasenose College, University of Oxford
Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford
Education
London School of Economics and Political Science
Thesis: De se beliefs and centred uncertainty
Supervisors: Prof. Christian List & Prof. Anna Mahtani
Examiners: Prof. Luc Bovens (UNC Chapel Hill) & Prof. Robbie Williams (Leeds)
Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
University of Pisa
University of Pisa
Journal articles
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Hajek, K. M., Trauttmansdorff, P., Leonelli, S., Guttinger, S., and Milano, S. 'How to Foster Responsible and Resilient Data: The Ethical Data Initiative.' Computer, 58(4), 95–99 (2025).
doi:10.1109/MC.2024.3522696 -
Milano, S. and C. Prunkl. 'Algorithmic profiling as a source of hermeneutical injustice.' Philosophical Studies, 182(1), 185–203 (2025).
doi:10.1007/s11098-023-02095-2 -
Milano, S. and S. Nyholm. 'Advanced AI assistants that act on our behalf may not be ethically or legally feasible.' Nature Machine Intelligence, 6(8), 846–847 (2024).
doi:10.1038/s42256-024-00877-9 -
Milano, S. and A. Perea. 'Rational Updating at the Crossroads.' Economics and Philosophy, 40(1), 190–211 (2024).
doi:10.1017/S0266267122000360 -
Milano, S., McGrane, J., and Leonelli, S. 'Large language models challenge the future of higher education.' Nature Machine Intelligence (2023).
doi:10.1038/s42256-023-00644-2 -
Milano, S. 'Bayesian Beauty.' Erkenntnis, 87, 657–676 (2022). Winner of the LSE Philosophy Popper Prize 2017/18.
doi:10.1007/s10670-019-00212-4 -
Milano, S., Mittelstadt, B., Wachter, S., and Russell, C. 'Epistemic fragmentation poses a threat to the governance of online targeting.' Nature Machine Intelligence, 3, 466–472 (2021).
doi:10.1038/s42256-021-00358-3 -
Milano, S., Taddeo, M., and Floridi, L. 'Ethical Aspects of Multi-stakeholder Recommendation Systems.' The Information Society, 37(1), 35–45 (2021).
doi:10.1080/01972243.2020.1832636 -
Milano, S., Taddeo, M., and Floridi, L. 'Recommender Systems and their Ethical Challenges.' AI & Society, 35, 957–967 (2020).
doi:10.1007/s00146-020-00950-y
Book chapters & edited volumes
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Kasirzadeh, A. and Milano, S. 'Societal Harms and Risks.' In Deldjoo et al., Recommendation with Generative Models. Foundations and Trends in Information Retrieval, 20(1–2), 1–176 (2026).
arXiv · doi:10.1108/FTINR-06-2025-0109 - Milano, S. 'Recommended!' In David Edmonds (ed.), Living with AI: Moral Challenges. Oxford University Press (2024).
- Milano, S. 'Personalizzazione, frammentazione: le piattaforme digitali e le nuove modalità di accesso all'informazione.' In Trasformazione Digitale e Intelligenza Artificiale, RAI Ufficio Studi, RAI Libri (2024).
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Burr, C. and Milano, S. (eds.). The 2019 Yearbook of the Digital Ethics Lab. Springer (2020).
doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29145-7_1
Conference proceedings
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Deldjoo, Y., He, Z., McAuley, J., Korikov, A., Sanner, S., Ramisa, A., Vidal, R., Sathiamoorthy, M., Kasirzadeh, A., and Milano, S. 'Tutorial on Recommendation with Generative Models (Gen-RecSys).' Proceedings of WSDM '25, ACM, 1002–1004 (2025).
doi:10.1145/3701551.3703485 -
Deldjoo, Y., He, Z., McAuley, J., et al., and Milano, S. 'A review of modern recommender systems using generative models (Gen-RecSys).' Proceedings of the 30th ACM SIGKDD Conference, 6448–6458 (2024).
doi:10.1145/3637528.3671474
Reports
- Jones, E., Miller, C., and Milano, S. Inform, educate, entertain… and recommend? Exploring the use and ethics of recommendation systems in public service media. Ada Lovelace Institute & BBC (2022). AHRC-funded.
Work in progress
- Borrowed Reason (book manuscript). A philosophical account of how recommender systems and AI assistants reshape individual rational agency, asking whether and under what conditions AI could make us more rational.
- 'AI and relationship norms' — on how AI involvement in social life challenges existing frameworks for relational autonomy
- 'Recommender Systems Worsen Epistemic Polarisation' (with Lux Miranda) — agent-based modelling of belief dynamics in algorithmically mediated social networks
- 'Centred Probabilities can be Objective Chances' - currently in hiatus
Fellowships & awards
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. 18 months fully funded research stay at the MCMP, LMU Munich, sponsored by Prof. Stephan Hartmann.
Awarded once every two years by the LSE Department of Philosophy to the best graduate student paper, for 'Bayesian Beauty'.
Managing Severe Uncertainty Project, Centre for the Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences, LSE.
Teaching
ASPIRE Fellowship and PGCertHE, UK Higher Education Academy (2024)
Philosophy of Information · Social Epistemology · Philosophy of Decision Making Systems
Data Governance and Ethics (Masters) · Introduction to Philosophy of AI (UG) · Social Epistemology (UG) · Ethics of Emerging Technologies (UG)
Workshop on Industrial Ethics, CDT Mathematical Modelling, Oxford (2021) · Formal Epistemology lecture stream, MCMP Summer School on Mathematical Philosophy for Female Students, LMU Munich (2019) · The Philosophy and Ethics of Information, MSc, OII Oxford (Guest Lecturer)
Undergraduate dissertations in Philosophy (Oxford, Exeter); MSc theses in Social Sciences of the Internet (OII Oxford). Enquiries from prospective Masters and doctoral students are welcome — get in touch.
Selected recent talks
- 'A Dilemma for Preference-Based Representation' — Philosophy of Science & Formal Epistemology Seminar, University of Technology Nuremberg, June 2026
- [Keynote] 'Borrowed Wisdom: AI-assisted learning and the temptation of easy knowledge' — EUonAIR Symposium on the Ethics of Generative AI, Lugano, June 2026
- 'Recommender Systems and Epistemic Polarisation' — BSPS Conference, Glasgow, July 2025
- 'Phaedrus' Error and Hayek's Trap' — Uehiro Workshop on AI, Relationships and Influence, Oxford, June 2025
- 'Algorithmic Recommendation: What's the Problem?' — CDT ART-AI Seminar, Bath, June 2025
- [Keynote] 'Accuracy of Prediction and Freedom of Choice' — GWP Congress on Philosophy of Science, Erlangen, March 2025
- 'Rational Updating at the Crossroads' — First Paris Conference: Frontiers of Philosophy and Economics, Paris School of Economics, May 2024
- 'AI and Epistemic Injustice' — COGITO Epistemology Research Centre, Glasgow, March 2024
- 'Recommender Systems and Epistemic Polarisation' — LSE Choice Group Seminar, March 2024
- 'Rational Updating at the Crossroads' — Carnegie Mellon Philosophy Colloquium, April 2023
Full list available in the PDF version.
Languages
Italian (native) · English (fluent) · French (C2) · German (B1) · Mandarin Chinese (HSK4)