Ethics

Our scholars are exploring how ethical principles inform healthcare, technology, law, and global development—ensuring research leads with integrity and serves the common good.

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Ethics

Notre Dame's Ethics Initiative

We are living through a century of unprecedented technological, economic, and social change.

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Article

Are we social media's puppets?

Peacebuilder Lisa Schirch believes better tech platforms can bolster democracy.

Silhouetted hands control a wooden puppet with strings. The background is sharply divided, blue on the left and red on the right, with the puppet centered on the color line, illuminated by both hues.

Ethics

Watching a train wreck

ND expert promotes balance of moderation and engagement in technology ethics

Computer screen with the definition of the word 'ethics' displayed.
  1. The snowy University of Notre Dame campus with the gold-domed Main Building and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart spire towering above white trees and snow-covered roofs under a cloudy sky.

    News

    Notre Dame receives $50 million grant from Lilly Endowment for the DELTA Network, a faith-based approach to AI ethics

    The University of Notre Dame has been awarded a $50.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support the DELTA Network: Faith-Based Ethical Formation for a World of Powerful AI. Led by the Notre Dame Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG), this grant — the largest awarded to Notre Dame by a private foundation in the University’s history — will fund the further development of a shared, faith-based ethical framework that scholars, religious leaders, tech leaders, teachers, journalists, young people and the broader public can draw upon to discern appropriate uses of artificial intelligence, or AI.

  3. Two people sit at a wooden table between bookshelves, conversing near a bright window.

    Article

    Fighting to defend human rights

    Law professor advocates for dignity and justice, and for her students to do the same.

  5. Black Man in pinstripe suit and gold bow tie against a blue background.

    Article

    Fighting for religious liberty

    Notre Dame Law School stands ready to advocate and defend religious freedom for all people.

  6. Rome call for AI ethics

    News

    Notre Dame to sign Rome Call for AI Ethics, host Global University Summit

    The University of Notre Dame will formally sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics on Thursday (Oct. 27), together with the University of Navarra in Spain, Catholic University of Croatia, SWPS University in Poland, Schiller International University in Spain, Chuo University in Japan, University of Johannesburg and University of Florida.

  7. An older adult uses a Hug mobility device to transfer from bed. A younger person assists, holding the device's remote control. The device is white and light blue with instructions printed on the side.

    News

    Yong Suk Lee, ECG's program chair in technology ethics, publishes new study on the benefits of robots in nursing homes

    Facing high employee turnover and an aging population, nursing homes have increasingly turned to robots to complete a variety of care tasks, but few researchers have explored how these technologies impact workers and the quality of care. A new study from a University of Notre Dame expert on the future of work finds that robot use is associated with increased employment and employee retention, improved productivity and a higher quality of care. The research has important implications for the workplace and the long-term care industry.

Discover and engage
  1. A woman with short dark hair smiles slightly while looking off-camera. She wears a brown, fleece-lined winter jacket. In the background, snow rests on dried plants in front of a tan brick wall.

    Podcast

    Cold plunges and unicorns

    Anthropologist Cara Ocobock reveals what extreme cold reveals about our bodies and human resilience, and why hunting a “unicorn” is harder than it looks.

  2. A snow-covered parking lot at the University of Notre Dame. Dozens of cars are buried under thick mounds of white snow, with one yellow Jeep featuring an ND logo on the spare tire cover visible amidst the winter landscape.

    Photo Essay

    Plunging into winter

    The month in photos, January 2026

  3. A wooden mannequin is manipulated like a marionette by two large, silhouetted hands from above. The background is divided vertically down the center into solid blue and red sections, symbolizing themes of control and political polarization.

    Article

    Are we social media's puppets?

    Peacebuilder Lisa Schirch believes better tech platforms can bolster democracy.

  4. Aerial view of the University of Notre Dame campus covered in snow at sunset. The Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart spire stand against a vibrant orange sky above snow-dusted rooftops and a central quad with intersecting walkways.

    Article

    Sustainers of hope: How Notre Dame pursued breakthroughs for a world in need in 2025

    The year in review.

  5. A bright lightning bolt flashes down behind the dark spire of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and the illuminated Golden Dome of Notre Dame's Main Building under a grey, stormy sky.

    Photo Essay

    25 images of 2025

    From the changing built environment to the changing seasons, every one of the 365 days of 2025 looked different.

  6. Snowy winter night at the University of Notre Dame. The Golden Dome of the Main Building and the spire of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart glow, surrounded by warm lights and a blue-lit Christmas tree.

    Video

    Merry Christmas from Notre Dame

  7. A smiling woman with glasses and brown hair pulled back stands in front of a dark blue background with abstract white digital lines and binary code.

    Podcast

    A human-centered framework for AI ethics

    In this episode, Meghan Sullivan explains the DELTA framework, a human-centered approach to AI ethics—and why the choices we make today will define how this powerful technology shapes our future.

  8. Aerial view of a red and organge sunset over the skyline of the Notre Dame campus

    Photo Essay

    A blend of seasons

    The month in photos, November 2025

  9. Aerial view of the classical, domed former Gary City Hall building with a 'Welcome to Gary' sign on the front lawn.

    Article

    Fighting for community regeneration

    Gary, Indiana, has been a song lyric, a cultural hub, a stigma, a city to rush past, but now it is poised to revitalize, thanks in part to Notre Dame's School of Architecture.