Hi there, I’m Ben!
By asking foundational questions about machine learning and its use, I hope to help shaping the development and deployment of 'artificial intelligence' in a way that is beneficial and not harmful to society. Recently, I have been thinking especially about the interpretation and evaluation of probabilities, the interplay between individuals and groups, and the implicit choices and assumptions that are often glossed over in ML theory and practice.
I initially studied maths (with some physics) and then also philosophy (with some literature and languages) in Munich, inevitably leading to a master's in mathematical philosophy at the MCMP. After that, I completed a master's in computer science in Oxford, with a focus on machine learning. This led to a research assistantship with people in the OATML group where I worked on coding-heavy projects such as active learning with LLMs. I started my PhD in Tübingen in September 2022. As an ELLIS PhD student, I am co-supervised by Nuria Oliver in Alicante, where I am spending the winter semester 2024/25.
Find me here: personal website benhoeltgen.bsky.social twitter GoogleScholar
benedikt.hoeltgen (at) uni-tuebingen.de