AI-Powered Brain Implants: Novel Ethical Challenges
Noon to 1:00 p.m. PDT Thursday, May 2, 2024
Zoom Webinar
Neural implants and neuroscience more broadly are becoming a part of the public conversation about the ethics of AI and technology in general. However, this particular intersection of technology (both hardware and software), the human body and mind, healthcare, and research raises unique and challenging questions. Join us for a panel discussion in which Santa Clara University faculty will highlight key promises and concerns associated with developments in the field, and address the ethical analysis required by the development and deployment of brain implants.
Panelists:
Julia Scott, assistant professor, and director of the Brain and Memory Care Lab, Santa Clara University School of Engineering
Erick Ramirez, associate professor, philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences
Matthew J. Gaudet, lecturer and director of ethics programs and initiatives, School of Engineering
Dorothée Caminiti, director, bioethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
Moderator:
Brian Green, director of technology ethics, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
This event is part of the IT, Ethics, and Law lecture series, co-sponsored by the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the High Tech Law Institute.
About the Panelists:
Julia Scott has taught a range of courses in Biology and Bioengineering, including physiology, neural engineering, and medical imaging. She has also published widely on normal and abnormal neurodevelopment as well as on brain aging. At Santa Clara University, she directs the Brain and Memory Care Lab, which focuses on XR applications in healthcare. She holds a PhD in neuroscience from UC Davis.
Erick Ramirez teaches in Santa Clara University’s Philosophy department; his research focuses on moral psychology and ethics of technology, including developments in neuroscience, exploring issues such as the “treatment / enhancement” distinction, data security and mindreading as part of neuroimaging, and cognitive enhancers.
Matthew J. Gaudet is Lecturer and Director of Ethics Programs and Initiatives for the School of Engineering at SCU. His research lies at the intersection of moral theology and social science. Gaudet has co-edited three special issues of the Journal of Moral Theology, including one on AI, and was the lead editor for the AI Research Group of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education’s recent book Encountering AI: Ethical and Anthropological Explorations.
Dorothée Caminiti is the director of the Bioethics program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and leads the center’s Health Care Ethics Internship program. She works at the intersection of digital ethics in health care and law and focuses on the ethical problems associated with personalized medicine and the processing of health-related data. Prior to joining the center, she was a Research Fellow in global health and social medicine at Harvard Medical School.
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If you have questions or concerns, please contact Joel Dibble, senior director of News and Public Relations, at jdibble@scu.edu.
In compliance with the ADA/504 please direct your accommodation requests to Monica DeLong at ethics@scu.edu at least 72 hours prior to the event.