Dorothea Baur
Independent ethics consultant, Baur Consulting AG; speaker on AI ethics
Business ethicist
Dr Dorothea Baur works at the intersection of business, society and academia as a consultant, lecturer and speaker[1][2]. She holds a doctorate in business ethics from the University of St. Gallen and a licentiate in international relations from the same university[2]. She did her undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Zurich and K.U. Leuven[2].
Her doctoral research looked at partnerships between NGOs and corporations from a business ethics perspective[3]. From 2003 to 2008 she did research and taught at ESADE Barcelona, the University of Nottingham, the University of St. Gallen and other universities[3].
She then went independent with her company, Baur Consulting AG[3]. Her clients include banks, insurers, pension funds, foundations and software companies[2]. From 2021 to 2025 she chaired the Sustainability Advisory Council of Thurgauer Kantonalbank[2].
Turning to AI ethics
In 2015 AI and ethics became a new topic in her work, with her first keynotes and teaching assignments on it[3]. In 2019 she gave a TEDx Zürich talk called "AI – Freedom within, and freedom without"[3]. The talk asks how people can remain free when they delegate decisions to algorithms[3].
In 2020 she began giving keynotes that connect AI and sustainability[3]. These talks argue that AI does not automatically promote sustainable development, and they look at what AI needs before it can support sustainable development[3].
Today she helps organisations apply AI in a credible, transparent and responsible way[1]. ForHumanity lists her as a Fellow for Ethics and Trust[4]. It describes her as an independent ethics expert with a focus on the financial and technology industries[4].
AI in customer service: the Klarna case
Her talks cover how AI is changing specific domains, from the workplace and education to customer service and art[5]. She also runs a workshop on algorithmic fairness[5].
In February 2025 she wrote an essay on Klarna's reversal on AI in customer service[6]. She recalls that Klarna's chief executive said in 2023 that AI was so effective the company would stop hiring and let AI replace roles[6]. By February 2025 the same chief executive said Klarna wanted to become the best at offering a human to speak to[6].
Baur argues that when companies replace humans with AI, "we're replacing flawed but accountable agents with flawed and unaccountable systems"[6]. She calls that a trade-off companies should be honest about[6]. She also finds it telling, and sad, that it apparently takes AI to highlight the value of people[6].
Writing in 2026
In January 2026 she published a conversation with Nina Benoit on liberalised markets and the failed promise of democratisation[7]. In it she argues that AI needs standards rather than special treatment, like any other technology[7].
In March 2026 she wrote about academic articles that cite references that do not exist[7]. She proposed that journals desk-reject such papers and ban their authors[7]. Her essay sorts the reactions to that proposal into five patterns[7].
In June 2026 she wrote about data centres, which she says use large amounts of water, power and land while giving communities almost nothing in return[7]. She argues that the protests against them are not a "not in my back yard" reflex but a critique of a business model[7].
Known for
- Independent ethics consulting for banks, insurers and tech companies
- Keynotes on AI ethics and AI and sustainability
- TEDx Zürich talk on AI and freedom (2019)
- Writing on AI replacing customer service staff
Sources
- Baur Consulting AG — checked 8 Nov 2026
- Baur Consulting AG: About me — checked 8 Nov 2026
- Dr Dorothea Baur: About — checked 8 Nov 2026
- ForHumanity: Dorothea Baur, Fellow – Ethics & Trust — checked 8 Nov 2026
- Dr Dorothea Baur: On Stage — checked 8 Nov 2026
- Dr Dorothea Baur: Klarna's AI Whiplash, 28 February 2025 — checked 8 Nov 2026
- Dr Dorothea Baur: home page, texts of 2026 — checked 8 Nov 2026