The rapid development of life-changing information technologies poses a significant societal challenge: finding responsible ways to harness their benefits while mitigating potentially catastrophic consequences. However, our understanding of how to contribute to this imperative is still in its early stages, especially in the face of accelerating technological advances, such as in the field of artificial intelligence. In response, this paper proposes the deliberate development of a responsible design science research (DSR) ecosystem as a promising way forward. This responsible DSR ecosystem aims to leverage the insights and diversity of the information systems (IS) research community, along with perspectives from related fields, to address societal challenges in a responsible and productive manner. The paper presents a conceptualization of responsible DSR, characterized by four paradigmatic challenges: ontological, epistemological, axiological, and methodological. Through a multi-grounded research process involving empirical, theoretical, and internal grounding, key challenges for responsible DSR practice are conceptualized and recommendations for its future development are provided. This paper contributes to IS research by presenting a paradigmatic framework that can provide a common ground for the wide variety of IS research interested in addressing real-world problems, and by offering recommendations that open up new perspectives on the possibilities and limitations of responsible DSR. Overall, this work can be seen as nothing more or less than an invitation to embark on a collective journey to imagine a responsible DSR ecosystem and shape its future for the benefit of humanity.