#Jeff 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

17/05
2011 4mn
lettura

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

04/01
2011 3mn
lettura

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)

02/12
2010 2mn
lettura

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

24/03
2010 2mn
lettura

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

02/01
2010 2mn
lettura

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

19/11
2009 2mn
lettura

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?

04/11
2009 3mn
lettura

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

09/07
2009 1mn
lettura

A look at The Hastings Centre Bioethics Forum

For anybody interested in taking an overview of current debate on bioethics, the Hastings Center bioethics forum would be a good starting point. I say this not only because the forum hosts the Centre’s own bioethics blog, well informed and non partizan as ever, but also because it provides links to many other blogs addressing ... A look at The Hastings Centre Bioethics Forum

02/07
2009 5mn
lettura

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

05/05
2009 4mn
lettura