How can responsible technology succeed in the 21st Century?
The question of how to responsibly shape scientific and technological developments has been one of UNESCO’s central concerns since its founding more than 80 years ago. Today, biotechnological innovations and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence in particular are confronting societies worldwide with challenges that cannot be answered by technical means alone. They call for ethical guidance, democratic debate, and international dialogue — areas in which UNESCO makes a pioneering contribution, among other things, through its recommendations on the ethics of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology.
The anniversary conference Ethics for Innovation addresses the question of which technological developments will shape our future and how innovation can be ethically guided and designed for the benefit of society. As the second of three nationwide regional conferences marking its 75th anniversary, the German Commission for UNESCO, together with the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Center for Art and Media (ZKM), with expert support from the Institute for Futures Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT), brings together experts from science, culture, politics, and civil society with interested citizens in the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe to jointly discuss pathways toward an ethical, common-good-oriented governance of new technologies.
Participation is free; however, advance registration is required. You can find registration and program information online here.