#ubois

Notes from the Responsible Innovation Conference

The Responsible Innovation conference, held in Den Haag April 18-19, 2011, was a milestone in discussions of responsible innovation. It brought together — and to some extent created — a growing community of innovators and policymakers sharing a set of concerns across a wide variety of disciplines. The conference was actually the outcome of several ... Notes from the Responsible Innovation Conference

The ‘moral imperative’ of biotech food

Among the many U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks is one that details U.S. pressure on the Vatican to change its stance on agricultural biotechnology. U.S. officials stated “We will continue to press the “moral imperative” of biotech, publicizing and sharing data that show the economic benefit of these technologies to farmers, and explaining the ... The ‘moral imperative’ of biotech food

Sustainable Innovation at the American Anthropological Association (AAA)

Last week the American Anthropological Association (AAA) hosted a discussion about sustainable innovation. Grounded in observations of social practice in particular localities, two points were particularly striking. One was the close relationship between responsibility and sustainability; to be responsible, innovation must be sustainable. The other was the relationship between social life, governance, and technical innovation. ... Sustainable Innovation at the American Anthropological Association (AAA)

Memory and Responsibility

Last month, with the support of the Bassetti Foundation, more than 60 people met at the Internet Archive in San Francisco to discuss the future of personal digital archives and the implications of innovations and new technologies related to personal and collective memory. Enhancing responsibility in innovation by applying new technologies of memory and personal ... Memory and Responsibility

Drones and other robots of war

Recently the press has been full of articles addressing the legality or illegality of the military use of unmanned drone aircraft in the war against terror. Their use as well as the use of other human controlled robot weaponry presents a series of ethical, moral, technical and legal problems, often more down to the way ... Drones and other robots of war

Fiorella Operto
Jonathan Hankins

New Publication from FGB: Conversations on Innovation, Power and Responsibility

The Fondazione Giannino Bassetti’s new publication, Conversations on Innovation, Power and Responsibility highlights approaches to responsibility in innovation taken by leading practitioners in disruptive fields. Our intent is to highlight approaches that can be replicated, and to develop language that can allow practitioners in different fields to communicate more effectively about responsible innovation. By focusing ... New Publication from FGB: Conversations on Innovation, Power and Responsibility

Notes from EPIC 2009: Innovation as a commodity

In September I went to Chicago for the Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC 2009). EPIC draws from a mix of different communities, including design, computing, social science, and anthropology as conducted in academic and corporate research settings. The conference had several excellent presentations — Gillian Tett’s description of her professional odyssey from anthropologist in ... Notes from EPIC 2009: Innovation as a commodity

Towards Transparency — or Lysenkoism?

Transparency and discussions of values would seem to be a cornerstone of responsibility in innovation. But to be effective, questions and processes of disclosure intended to foster transparency need to focus on those areas where conflicts of interest are meaningful. Today, this primarily means financial disclosure, and for those offering or implementing policy recommendations, perhaps ... Towards Transparency — or Lysenkoism?

Media, Innovation, and Bioethics

Media play a major role in the healthcare system, affecting medical research, public policy, clinical practice, and self care. Many of the goals of bioethical practice, including patient wellness, patient autonomy, and social justice, and the trend in medicine towards preserving rather than restoring health, can all be served by improving the quality of media ... Media, Innovation, and Bioethics

Is ethics a branch of Politics?

Returning to take a more in-depth look at the work of The Hastings Center and its interest in bio-ethics, I would like to review their recent online and hardback publication entitled From Birth to Death and Bench to Clinic: The Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists, Policymakers, and Campaigns. Reading this book I became ... Is ethics a branch of Politics?

Cristina Grasseni
Jonathan Hankins

Nature, New Yorker on Cognitive Enhancement

“…we call for a presumption that mentally competent adults should be able to engage in cognitive enhancement using drugs.” — Greely, Sahakian, Harris, Kessler, Gazzaniga, Campbell, Farah, Nature, 7 December, 2008 Back in December, Nature published a remarkable editorial, Towards Responsible Use of Cognitive-enhancing Drugs by the Healthy, that concludes “Safe and effective cognitive enhancers ... Nature, New Yorker on Cognitive Enhancement

Scott Berkun on Responsibility and Resistance

Scott Berkun is the author of The Myths of Innovation, which examines common pre- and mis-conceptions about innovation, and Making Things Happen, a book about project management. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, HarvardBusiness.org, and Wired magazine, and commented about innovation for CNBC, MSNBC, and National Public Radio. He’s also ... Scott Berkun on Responsibility and Resistance