Ethical reflection can actively contribute to maximising the public benefit derived from research and reduce (and hopefully help close) the gap that exists between science and society. Given the impressive advancement of scientific research on the brain, specifically on consciousness, and the rate of AI development and its translation in commercial applications, it is extremely urgent to increase awareness of the arising ethical issues and to develop adequate tools for identifying and assessing them. Luckily, we have developed training to do just that!
The training module on neuroethics in the Human Brain Project and EBRAINS provides an introduction to neuroethics, combining reflection on its history and how the discipline has developed both alongside and as part of the Human Brain Project. The course offers the essentials, as well as an analysis and a justification for its relevance to the EBRAINS research infrastructure. Providing the arguments for why ethical reflection is an essential enrichment of research.
The goal is to increase EBRAINS users’ knowledge and understanding of neuroethical topics and methodologies to identify, assess, and better manage relevant ethical questions raised by the research and the use and exploitation of EBRAINS.
This video provides an introduction to neuroethics by presenters Michele Farisco, neuroethics researcher at the Center for Research Ethics and Bioethics at Uppsala University, researching consciousness, artificial intelligence and neuroethics within the Human Brain Project, Kathinka Evers, Professor of Philosophy and senior researcher in philosophy at the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB) at Uppsala University. She leads the neuroethics and philosophy work in the Human Brain Project.
This is one of the topics in a series of training modules explaining and reflecting on the concept of responsible research and innovation and how this approach can enable better science and innovation. The training covers human and animal data, gender, diversity and inclusion, researcher awareness and research integrity, dual use of concern and misuse ethics and RRI dimensions of knowledge transfer and commercialization, neuroethics, consciousness & AI ethics, and science communication. A module on public engagement and foresight is under development and will be available soon.
Want to know more about Responsible Research and Innovation in the Human Brain Project, more information can be found on the Ethics and Society webpage.