Imagine several self-driving cars attempting to navigate an intersection without stopping, a surgeon operating with the aid of a robotic nurse, or members of Parliament casting votes on a bill. In each of these cases, a collective decision is made by multiple agents. But who is responsible when something goes wrong? The answer is often unclear. Sometimes, no one can be individually blamed; at other times, responsibility is diffused among many, each pointing to someone else in a circle of blame.

In my work, I aim to pioneer a new field, Responsible Mechanism Design, that combines conceptual analysis with structural design in a unified approach. On the one hand, it develops a philosophically grounded notion of responsibility suited to complex, multi-agent decision environments. On the other hand, it uses formal and game-theoretic methods to design mechanisms that operationalise this notion—mechanisms that regulate information, norms, and institutional structure to prevent responsibility gaps and secure individual accountability. Much of my work is carried out in close collaboration with colleagues and students across several countries, whose contributions have been instrumental in shaping this emerging area of research.

To learn more, consider joining my upcoming summer course on Responsible Mechanism Design at the 37th European Summer School on Logic, Language, and Information (ESSLLI-26), held in Prague, Czechia.