TechEthos caught up with Lisa Diependaele, Policy Officer at the European Commission, to understand the European Commission’s vision in the field of the ethics of new and emerging technologiesTechnologies whose development and application are not completely realised or finished, and whose potential lies in the future. [...] and the role we can play.

Ethics by DesignThe implementation of ethical, legal, and societal values [...] is an approach for ensuring that a technology or system is aligned with ethical values and principles.

Research ethicsResearch ethics require researchers to pay attention to the effects of their research [...] and integrity is vital in research but how do we ensure research ethics and integrity is seen as the foundation of excellence in research and innovation? And further to this, how do we ensure it is brought to the forefront of technology innovation?

Based on a wide-ranging horizon scanning of over 100 new and emerging technologies, TechEthos selected three families of technologies that are expected to have disruptive socio-economic and ethical implications which will now be the main focus point for the TechEthos project.

We present more detail on the methodology used to select the TechEthos technologies of focus – the horizon scan.

TechEthos has established a cluster of 16 EU-funded projects, creating a platform to exchange, collaborate and create synergies together. On 4 March 2022, these 16 EU-funded projects came together for an online kick-off meeting to align on common goals and find ways to collaborate in the future.

From June to September, the six science engagementPublic engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public [...] organisations involved in the TechEthos project will hold a series of Science Cafés and engage with hundreds of citizens in Austria, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden. Citizens will be invited to discuss new and emerging technologies with scientists, innovators, engineers and civil society.

Now at the halfway point of this three-year project, the TechEthos consortium is delighted to publish three sets of key findings that enhance our understanding of the implications of our three technology families.

Emerging technologies challenge us to rethink the ways in which our fundamental rights as human beings are protected by law. Find out more about the human rights impact assessment carried out by TechEthos for its three emerging technology families: Climate EngineeringTechEthos defines climate engineering as a technology family which enables the modification of natural processes [...] More, Neurotechnologies, and Digital Extended Reality.

What might a world in which technologies like the metaverse or neuroimaging have reached their full potential look like? Would you be in favour of implementing these technologies? Or would you rather forge a completely different world?