Building an EBRAINS community in Africa
Why is EBRAINS engaging in community building activities? EBRAINS has made a commitment to build a scientific research infrastructure that empowers empirical and theoretical neuroscience that is of relevance to a highly diverse and collaborative neuroscience community. We understand that ‘the success of the EBRAINS research infrastructure will depend on its ability to mobilise the…
Neuroimages, artificial intelligence & re-identification of research subjects
Taking images of the brain using magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI for short, also captures the face. For a long time, techniques that remove facial features from neuroimages have allowed for open sharing of anonymised neuroimages. But new developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning have made it possible to re-create the removed facial features…
Designing a responsible neuroscience research infrastructure
Over the past 8 years, the Human Brain Project (HBP) has tested the strengths and limitations of responsible research & innovation, also known as RRI. To mark the ten-year anniversary of RRI, a group of HBP researchers now share what can be learned from implementing this concept in a large multi-disciplinary research project. This includes…
Can you be cloned?
Why can we feel metaphysical nausea at the thought of cloned humans? I guess it has to do with how we, without giving ourselves sufficient time to reflect, are captivated by a simple image of individuality and cloning. The image then controls our thinking. We may imagine that cloning consists in multiplying our unique individuality in the…
Can AI be conscious? Let us think about the question
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has achieved remarkable results in recent decades, especially thanks to the refinement of an old and for a long time neglected technology called Deep Learning (DL), a class of machine learning algorithms. Some achievements of DL had a significant impact on public opinion thanks to important media coverage, like the cases of the…
How do we take responsibility for dual-use research?
We are more often than we think governed by old patterns of thought. As a philosopher, I find it fascinating to see how mental patterns capture us, how we get imprisoned in them, and how we can get out of them. With that in mind, I recently read a book chapter on something that is…
Dual-use research of concern in neuroscience and neurotechnology
In this presentation, Dr. Inga Ulnicane introduces an approach to address dual-use research of concern developed in the EU-funded Human Brain Project (HBP). Advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology come with promises of new treatments but they also present important societal and ethical concerns including those of dual use, misuse and unintended use. Over the past…
Webinar 16 June: Addressing dual-use research of concern
Advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology come with promises of new treatments but they also present important societal and ethical concerns including those of dual-use, misuse, and unintended use. Over the past eight years, the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) team of the Human Brain Project (HBP) has undertaken research, engagement, and co-creation activities in collaboration with…
The 5th HBP conference: Impressions on the first HBP online conference
The Human Brain Project (HBP) held its annual student conference on 1-5 February 2021. Because of the pandemic, the 5th HBP student conference was to be held online. Each day consisted of keynotes, workshops, student sessions, and networking sessions such as pub quiz, poster session, and science bazaar. Unlike last year, the conference was not…
The hard problem of consciousness: please handle with care!
We face challenges every day. Some are more demanding than others, but it seems that there is not a day without some problem to handle. Unless they are too big to manage, problems are like the engines of our lives. They push us to always go beyond wherever we are and whatever we do, to…
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