Ethical and Security Implications of Emerging Technologies
Thursday, 7 May 2015 from 17:00 to 18:00 (BST)
Leeds, United Kingdom
Speaker – Dr Nayef Al-Rodhan, philosopher, neuroscientist, geostrategist and author – Honorary Fellow, St.Antony’s College, University of Oxford; Senior Fellow and Director of the Geopolitics and Global Futures Programme, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
Free public lecture open to all.
Online registration required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ethical-and-security-implications-of-emerging-technologies-tickets-16514858386
Human innovation is advancing at breakneck speeds. Things we never dreamed of are becoming reality and include: synthetic biology, bioinformatics, cognitive enhancement, genetic engineering, 3D and 4D printing, Artificial intelligence, automated weapon systems, invisibility cloaks, quantum computing and even neuromorphic computing. Along with their obvious massive potential, these advancements also pose significant risks to social stability, equality, human dignity, free will, national and global security, and even to the very survival of our species.
How can we make sure that these constantly evolving technological innovations don’t destroy humanity or exacerbate inequalities and privacy intrusions? Emerging technologies offer states more instruments and means for control and surveillance, often infringing on civil liberties. The balance between States’ need to know in the name of security and the respect for privacy must be pursued more fervently. Also non-state actors like large multi-national corporate entities that collect massive amounts of personal data, need to be better regulated.
We must balance the dizzying potentials of technological advancements with security and ethical concerns, and move from risks to regulations, and that should include mechanisms for overseeing the overseers. In this we need to enact strict global regulatory measures without stifling innovation.
This lecture will explore the opportunities and dangers presented by the unchecked exponential evolution of emerging technologies, and how they may change the very fabric of what it means to be human.
