Social, ethical & reflective work in the Human Brain Project
The HBP is characterised by a profound and broad interdisciplinarity, and it is unique among the large international Brain Initiatives in having included social sciences and humanities in the core research from its very beginning devoting approximately 5% of the budget to this end. The Ethics & Society research in the HBP has likewise been…
EHDS: Meeting the Challenges of Responsible Data Governance
Data is a cornerstone for innovation and better health care. Responsible data governance is key to the public’s trust in science and the sustainability of research. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) is the European Commission’s response to the pressing need for a trustworthy health data infrastructure that reaches across member states. Needless to say,…
The ethics of ChatGPT – Exploring the ethical issues of an emerging technology
Today, anyone can access and produce AI-generated text through generative conversational AI systems like ChatGPT. The discussion around ChatGPT is often focused on specific issues such as authorship. A recent paper in International Journal of Information Management explores the ethical issues of ChatGPT and presents a systematic review of the benefits and concerns, including responsibility,…
Developing capability for responsible research and innovation across the Human Brain Project
How can we build and promote scientists’ capability to respond and act in a responsible way? A recent paper from the Human Brain Project looks at how responsible research and innovation practices can be promoted and developed through capacity-building activities and what can be learned from our work over the past decade. The Human Brain…
Public engagement, foresight and inclusive community building for responsible research
How can we design and embed responsible research practices? Foresight, or the practice of looking ahead, is one way to envision potential future developments and changes. Together with public and stakeholder engagement, foresight can support work on potentially controversial issues. We have developed training resources that explain how foresight and engagement can help influence how…
Consciousness, cognition and neuroethics in the clinical context
Neuroscience is making tremendous progress in the field of consciousness. With new knowledge on Disorders of Consciousness (i.e., Vegetative State/Unaware Wakefulness Syndrome, Minimally Conscious State, Cognitive-Motor Dissociation) coming out of the Human Brain Project, neuroethical reflection on both foundational and practical issues becomes imperative. Foundational issues include the definition of consciousness and its possible use…
Brain-inspired AI, neuroethics and responsible neuroscience: an AI ethics training module
Interest in artificial intelligence, and the field of AI ethics, has exploded in the last 10 years. We have developed a training module on the potential synergies between AI ethics and neuroethics. Using brain-inspired AI as a case study the course analyses two aspects: emerging issues and methodology. The goal is to raise awareness of…
Identify, assess and better manage ethical issues raised by brain research!
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…
Including society and ethics in brain science
What is it that makes us human? Our brain is more complex than the brain of other animals. It has made us able to use tools, control fire, build supercomputers and explore the universe. Digital tools allow us to learn more about the brain. What we learn is embedded in, and dependent on growing worlds…
Raising awareness about research integrity in big projects
According to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity, ‘good research practices are based on fundamental principles of research integrity”. But how can we meet the practical, ethical and intellectual challenges inherent in research with integrity, how do we manage research integrity issues in big research programmes and identify research integrity mechanisms in interdisciplinary…