PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Vincent C. Müller

Also known as Vincent Cornelius Müller

Müller is a philosopher who works on the philosophy and ethics of artificial intelligence. After studying at Marburg, Hamburg, London and Oxford, he earned a doctorate at Hamburg in 1999 and worked at Anatolia College in Thessaloniki until 2019. In 2016, he and Nick Bostrom published a survey of expert opinion on when high-level machine intelligence might arrive, and in 2020 he wrote the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on the ethics of AI and robotics. A Humboldt Professorship brought him to Erlangen in 2022, and in 2025 the International Association for Computing and Philosophy gave him its Covey Award. He is Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Philosophy and Ethics of AI at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and directs its Centre for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR).

Now at
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Eindhoven University of Technology, European Society for Cognitive Systems and Society for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
Badges

Timeline

  1. 1998–2019

    Professor at Anatolia College

    He studies philosophy with cognitive science, linguistics and history at the universities of Marburg, Hamburg, London and Oxford, and receives his doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 1999. Anatolia College/ACT in Thessaloniki employs him from 1998 to 2019, and he rises there from assistant to associate to full professor.

  2. 2005–2015

    Fellowships at Princeton and Oxford

    Princeton University hosts him as Stanley J. Seeger Fellow in 2005–2006, and the University of Oxford as James Martin Research Fellow from 2011 to 2015.

  3. 2016

    A survey of AI experts

    In 2016, he and Nick Bostrom publish "Future Progress in Artificial Intelligence: A Survey of Expert Opinion" in the Springer series Synthese Library. Their questionnaire, sent to four groups of experts in 2012 and 2013, finds a median estimate of one chance in two that high-level machine intelligence arrives around 2040–2050, rising to nine in ten by 2075.

  4. 2016–2022

    Leeds, Turing Institute and Eindhoven

    From 2016 to 2022, he is University Academic Fellow at the University of Leeds, and from 2018 to 2022 he is Turing Fellow at the Alan Turing Institute in London. In 2019, he becomes a professor in the Philosophy and Ethics Group at Eindhoven University of Technology and holds the post until 2022.

  5. 2020

    The Stanford AI ethics entry

    He writes the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on the ethics of AI and robotics, first published in April 2020 and substantively revised in March 2026.

  6. 2022

    A Humboldt Professorship at Erlangen

    In 2022, he receives an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Artificial Intelligence, with a personal research grant of €3.5 million and a permanent chair in Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU). The professorship tasks him with building the Centre for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR), planned as a hub for AI philosophy at FAU.

  7. 2025

    The 2025 Covey Award

    He wins the 2025 Covey Award of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP), which recognizes senior scholars with a substantial record of innovative research in computing and philosophy. IACAP selects him for his work on philosophical problems connected to artificial intelligence.

  8. As of October 2026

    Humboldt Professor and PAIR director

    At the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, he is Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Philosophy and Ethics of AI, holds the Chair for Theory and Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, and directs the Centre for Philosophy and AI Research (PAIR). Beyond Erlangen, he is visiting professor at TU Eindhoven, president of the European Society for Cognitive Systems and chair of the Society for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence.

Career

  1. Since 2019Eindhoven University of TechnologyProfessor, Visiting professor
  2. NowFriedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergAlexander von Humboldt Professor for Philosophy and Ethics of AI; Chair for Theory and Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
  3. NowEuropean Society for Cognitive SystemsPresident
  4. NowSociety for the Philosophy of Artificial IntelligenceChair
  5. 2018–2022Alan Turing InstituteTuring Fellow
  6. 2016–2022University of LeedsUniversity Academic Fellow
  7. 2011–2015University of OxfordJames Martin Research Fellow
  8. 2005–2006Princeton UniversityStanley J. Seeger Fellow
  9. 1998–2019Anatolia College / American College of ThessalonikiAssistant, associate, then full professor

Education

  1. 1999Universität HamburgDoctorate
  2. Philipps University of Marburg
  3. University of London
  4. University of Oxford

From the biography.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  4. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Eindhoven University of Technology. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Vincent C. Müller yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Vincent C. Müller tue.nl. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. New Humboldt Professorship at the Faculty: Prof. Dr. Vincent C. Müller phil.fau.eu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Vincent C. Müller - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Future Progress in Artificial Intelligence: A Survey of Expert Opinion - FAU CRIS cris.fau.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Vincent C. Müller - Research sophia.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) plato.stanford.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  7. Alexander von Humboldt Professorship for Artificial Intelligence 2022: Vincent C. Müller humboldt-foundation.de. Checked 20 October 2026.
  8. Dr Vincent C. Müller receives multi-million academic award ahc.leeds.ac.uk. Checked 20 October 2026.
  9. Müller Wins Covey Award - Daily Nous dailynous.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  10. The Covey Award - IACAP iacap.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  11. Vincent C. Müller - Centre for Philosophy and AI Research {PAIR} pair.fau.eu. Checked 20 October 2026.