SIENNA and SHERPA training on ethics and artificial intelligence for European Commission

Both public research funders and researchers have an obligation to the public to ensure that research has a positive impact on society, which includes addressing concerns and mitigating potential harm. Societal concerns about new and emerging technologies relate to ethical, human rights, and socio-economic impacts – many of which were identified in the SIENNA project. Join us online on Friday, March 5 at 13.30 CET to discuss methodology for identifying and addressing societal concerns in public research on new and emerging technologies!  

The existing EU legal frameworks are relevant for regulating human genomic technologies and should be able to cope with many of the challenges that they pose. However, SIENNA has identified various gaps and challenges that must be addressed in order to ensure ethical and human rights respectful design, development, deployment, and use of genomic technologies, On our recent policy brief, we list some of the urgent actions required and recommendations for the European Union institutions, and the Member States.

Patients are key stakeholders in genomic research. On January 18, the SIENNA project organised a webinar to present our proposal for operational guidelines for ethical self-assessment of research in genetics and genomics. The webinar was designed to enable patient organisations, patient advocates, patients and their to give informed input in this process. A recording is now available on YouTube!

Between 11-25 January the SIENNA project shared proposals for public consultation. The documents outline ways to suppor the ethical management of human genetics and genomics, technologies that can be used to enhance human abilities, artificial intelligence and robotics. The input will now feed into the reports we submit to the European Commission. Want to know more? Join us on 11-12 of March when we present the results from the project at our final conference!

The SIENNA project is coming to an end. We invite you to an online event on 10-12 March where we will present and discuss our results and proposals for the ethical management of human genomics, human enhancement, artificial intelligence and robotics. And how the SIENNA approaches can be generalised to other new and emerging technlogies.

Monday 25 January is the last chance to give input in our public consultation on proposals for the ethical management of new and emerging technologies. Don't forget to submit your feedback on our documents!

In practice, existing EU legal frameworks like human rights, data protection, product liability and safety, are fully applicable and should be able to cope with the challenges posed by AI and robotics, and other emerging technologies. SIENNA has identified various gaps and challenges that must be addressed. In our first policy brief, we list some of the urgent actions required and make recommendations for European Union institutions. 

Most genetic disorders are rare and research is necessary to develop treatments for future patients. The SIENNA project has developed stakeholder informed proposals for the ethical management of new and emerging technologies. One of these proposals is an operational guidance for ethical self-assessment of research in genetics and genomics. Patients are key stakeholders for this research. Therefore, the SIENNA project invites patient organisations, patient advocates, patients and their carers to a webinar explaining the proposal with the aim to ensure patients are able to give informed input in this process.

New technologies challenge our notions of what is ethical. The SIENNA project has developed stakeholder informed proposals for the ethical development, deployment and use of new and emerging technologies. Between 11-25 January we invite you to a public consultation of a group of documents with concrete ethical guidance for human genetics and genomics, human enhancement, artificial intelligence and robotics! Want an invitation? Subscribe to our newsletter to make sure you receive information the minute the documents become available.

In the past couple of years many national and international organisations issued ethics guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI).  But the efforts to address ethical issues in AI in other ways have not reached the same prominence.  In the SIENNA project, we have developed an ethical framework for AI and robotics that rests on a multistakeholder strategy that moves far beyond ethical guidelines. 

PhD students are expected to reflect on ethical aspects of their research projects. This requirement is stated in legal premises and regulatory frameworks for academic institutions around the world. When applying for research funding researchers are also expected to make an ethical assessment related to their proposed research project. SIENNA has developed an ethical framework for human genomics. This has been translated to operational guidelines for ethics self-assessment. On 11 January 2021, we invite you to take part in a public consultation. Want to know more? Sign up to receive the documents!

Applications that use artificial Intelligence are trained on large sets of data and often build on other systems. This means that any bias in the data can multiply across different AI applications and cause significant harms. A recent paper from SIENNA points to the legal and human rights implications of AI and calls for an agile approach, not just to AI development, but also to the laws that regulate technology. In her paper, Rowena Rodrigues issues a call to developers and legislators to pay attention to the impact of AI on vulnerable populations.

Neurotechnological developments could shift focus away from complexity and careful consideration of the human condition. In a recent paper, SIENNA’s Yasemin J Erden writes about the convergence of neuroscience, neurotechnology, psychiatry, and artificial intelligence for diagnostic processes. And how taking an over-optimistic approach to technology developments might result in a simplistic view on complex issues like mental illness and psychiatric disorder. 

Education and exercise can enhance our abilities. So can technology: in the form of implants, drugs, genetic enhancement or machines. This comes with ethical, legal and social challenges. On 14 December, SIENNA invites you to participate in a webinar on ethical guidelines for technologies that can, or could, be used to enhance human abilities. 

On 13 November 2020, we submitted our response to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee) draft General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. Our key recommendation is to address children’s rights in relation to all digital technologies. Additional recommendations include adopting stronger ‘red lines’ on digital technologies that impact children, calling for AI that respects children’s rights, and addressing concerns related to digital inequality. 

Until recently, human enhancement technologies were mostly science fiction. Today, implants, drugs and prosthetics are available to enhance human abilities. Despite intense discussions in society and academia, few efforts have been successful in establishing ethical guidance for the use and development of these technologies. Could now be a good time to develop such guidelines? SIENNA researchers are trying to find out. Curious? Download our report! 

On 16 October 2020, the SIENNA project submitted its response to the UNICEF public consultation on draft Policy Guidance on AI for children. Our key recommendations were to address concerns related to “digital inequality”, call for AI that respects human rights, and adopt a stronger stance on problematic technologies.

On 30 October 2020, the SIENNA project submitted its response to the French National Pilot Committee for Digital Ethics (CNPEN) public consultation on the ethics of conversational agents, what is more commonly known as 'chatbots'. Our key recommendations were to reduce the anthropomorphisation of chatbots and conduct impact assessments to identify risks and harms. 

SIENNA findings show that attitudes to human enhancement technologies and research on the genetics of human intelligence vary greatly across different economic, cultural, and social landscapes. One potential way to enhance human abilities, including our cognition, is by interfering in IVF processes. So far, the ethics debate has centred on gene editing using the CRISPR technique. However, there is not as much talk of embryo selection as a method for genetic human enhancement. In a recent publication, Marcelo de Araujo emphasises the need fill this gap. 

Technology used in genetic and genomic research are slowly making their way from research to patients and consumers. This raises ethical, legal and social questions for both individuals and society. We asked 11,000 people in 11 countries about new and emerging technologies. On average, half of respondents were familiar with genetics and DNA. But despite saying they had heard or read about it, a large majority of them said that there is a need for better public understanding of genetics and genomics. Want to know more? Read our report! 

Implants, drugs, genetic enhancement and prosthetics can enhance human abilities. But using technology for human enhancement comes with ethical, legal and social challenges. As a society, we need to discuss the ethical questions of what is normal, what is natural, what is moral and what can be permitted. SIENNA asked 11,000 people in 11 countries what they think about technologies that can be used to improve human abilities. It turns out that South African, Greek and Brazilian respondents were most positive towards the use of different human enhancement technologies, while people in Germany, the US and France were more hesitant. Curious about what they think we should and should not enhance? Read our report! 

Robots and artificial intelligence have caught the public’s imagination. A survey of public attitudes to these technologies in eleven countries shows that people feel uncomfortable with robots that look and behave like humans. A study from the SIENNA project shows that people expect both society and their lives to change as a result of increased use of artificial intelligence and robotics. And they expect inequalities in society to increase with it. 

SIENNA has carried out an extensive ethical analysis of human genetics and genomics. We have identified a number of ethical, legal, and social issues both relating to new and emerging technologies within the next 5-10 years. You will find them outlined in our ethical analysis report. 

On 10 September 2020, the SIENNA project submitted its response to the European Commission public consultation on the Inception Impact Assessment for a regulation of artificial intelligence. Our key recommendation was to adopt an EU-level legislative instrument establishing mandatory requirements, complemented by a voluntary labeling scheme.

Artificial intelligence is developing faster than the ethical frameworks that regulate it. This requires AI ethics that can to adapt to the new and unexpected. Today, the Ethics Blog writes about a call by SIENNA researchers Anaîs Rességuier and Rowena Rodrigues to move from a legal notion of ethics to one that can adapt to new situations.

Ethics has powerful teeth that are not used in the ethics of AI today. In a recently published paper in Big Data & Society, SIENNA’s Anaïs Resseguier and Rowena Rodrigues describe how the teeth of AI ethics are lost with the current “law conception of ethics”.

On 30 July 2020, SIENNA project submitted its response to the UNESCO Online Consultation on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. We suggest bringing human rights to the fore and focusing on ethical principles that relate to the interaction between AI systems and their environment, including human beings.

Although there are no international research ethics codes or guidelines for the broad overall topic of human enhancement, we have surveyed selected relevant codes and guidelines for technologies that can be used for this purpose. If you want to know more about specific angles on particular contexts, often national or focused on application areas, we are able to offer you a large body of codes and guidelines!

On 13 June 2020, SIENNA project submitted its response to the European Commission public consultation on the White Paper on AI. Our key recommendation was to change the focus of the proposed regulatory framework. Instead of aiming at building consumers’ and businesses’ trust in AI in order to speed up the uptake of the technology, the objectives of the framework should be driven by fundamental rights and societal values.

The SIENNA project recently published its key report “Ethical Analysis of AI and Robotics Technologies”. This 223 page report provides the most comprehensive and up to date overview of ethical issues in AI and robotics available today. Philip Brey, SIENNA coordinator will present the highlights in an open webinar on 1 July at 13:00 CEST!

Want to better understand legal developments and regulatory approaches related human enhancement? The SIENNA project has documented and delivered a critical assessment of the legal issues raised by human enhancement technologies in and outside the EU. We looked at the national, EU and international level. If you want an analysis of EU law and international and regional legal orders in relation to human enhancement, we suggest you download our report!

On 22 May 2020, SIENNA and SHERPA projects, jointly provided feedback on the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs Draft report with recommendations to the Commission on a framework of ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, robotics and related technologies (2020/2012(INL) based on the findings and results of the SHERPA and SIENNA EU-funded projects.

We need expert and stakeholder input, because regulating new and emerging technologies raises questions that require broad discussion. The SIENNA project would like to invite join our webinars on 17 June 2020 to discuss how to enhance the legal frameworks for human genomics, human enhancement, artificial intelligence and robotics technologies. Depending on your area of interest, you can join one, two or all of them!

The SIENNA project has documented and delivered a critical assessment of the legal requirements in relation to the use of artificial intelligence and robotics on the national, EU and international level. In the report, we identify the relevant international and regional law and discuss a range of legal and human rights issues. If you want an analysis of EU law and international and regional legal orders in relation to artificial intelligence and robotics, we suggest you download our report!

Want to know what is allowed? The SIENNA project has documented and delivered a critical assessment of the legal requirements in relation to human genomics in and outside the EU. The work includes human rights aspects and also some aspects of animal research as a stage in clinical research. In the report, we argue that a human rights framework may provide for an important point of reference for shaping future legal responses in the field.

The SIENNA project conducted a survey of research ethics committee approaches and codes for artificial intelligence and robotics. The survey was submitted to the European Commission in 2018, and lists a large body of codes and guidelines. We have now published the full report, and give you selection of guidelines that you might want to be aware of. 

The SIENNA project conducted a survey of research ethics committee approaches and codes for human genomics. The survey was submitted to the European Commission in 2018, and lists a large body of codes and guidelines. We have now published the full report, and give you selection of guidelines that you might want to be aware of. 

COVID-19 emerging as a global threat has states and civil society to taking radical measures to limit its spread. But, in spite of mounting evidence that climate change will also have devastating consequences for humanity over the next decades, governments and civil society have been far less engaged in adopting effective measures to avert dangerous climate change. Why?

Fake news have been around for a long time. As part of a postgraduate course on information ethics and law, SIENNA’s Maria Bottis at the Ionian University is organising a public online lecture with Rafael Capurro starting from his recent paper “Pseudangelia - Pseudangelos: On False Messages and Messengers in Ancient Greece”.

Individuals and society benefit from advances in human genomics, human enhancement, AI and robotics technologies. But these technologies present ethical challenges and have the potential to challenge our values, way of living and adversely affect human rights.

When research poses health risks to research participants, it is important to make sure there is necessity and acceptability of that research. However, for germline gene editing, there is no clear medical need. In a recent paper in the CRISPR journal, Emilia Niemiec and Heidi C. Howard argue that this raises questions about undue incentives to participate in research. 

Many applications of genomic technologies raise ethical issues. Emilia Niemiec and Heidi Howard highlight some of them in a chapter in a recent book on applied genomics and public health. They underline the need for education and research on ethical aspects of new genomic technologies. They also highlight the potential of genomic technologies and the problems they introduce.

The SIENNA project has produced a legal analysis of issues and human rights challenges of artificial intelligence, robotics, human enhancement and human genomics technologies and studies of how they are handled in different jurisdictions. We now invite you to hear a presentation of the results in a webinar on 5 March 2020, at 2PM Central European Time! 

SIENNA has published a state-of-the-art review on human enhancement technologies. If you want to read about it, download it, and find out what else we have done and haven’t received the e-mail, you are not on our list. So go ahead and sign up to find out what we do! (or read it by clicking the link below).

The SIENNA team working on the ethical, legal and human rights issues of human enhancement technologies finished their state-of-the-art review of the field. The report offers overviews of the philosophical debate around the issue, of the existing and expected applications, and a socio-economic impact assessment of human enhancement technologies. SIENNA researchers also identified six subcategories of enhancement, all of which you can read about in the state-of-the-art report that is now available for download on the SIENNA website!

The European regulatory landscape is a patchwork, where policymakers and scientists work to harmonize regulations at different levels: international, the EU and in the member states. A recent article published in Politico writes that online commercial DNA testing companies have the upper hand in the EU. Partly because the fragmented regulation is difficult to enforce.

The US White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued what they call a "first of its kind" set of principles that federal agencies have to meet when they draft AI regulations. The public will now have 60 days to comment.

The SIENNA project wishes you happy holidays! In 2020, we will us the data we have collected so far to develop ethical frameworks for Human Genomics, Human Enhancement, AI and Robotics. Our work will also be translated to guidelines for researchers and innovators in industry and academia, protocols and operational guidelines for research ethics committees, recommendations for better legislation, and more!

Like in many other countries, there are no specific laws relating to human enhancement technologies in Greece. However, there is more general legislation that can be applied to human enhancement. Because of this lack of legislation, the Greek Commission on Bioethics has issued two separate Opinions on Human Enhancement. In a pre-print article in SSRN, SIENNA legal scholar Maria Canellopoulou-Bottis from the Ionian University in Greece presents the Greek law on human enhancement.

Today, work package and task leaders from the SIENNA project are in Brussels to present our work to the H2020 project officer and an expert external reviewer. We are looking forward to this opportunity to review what we have done so far, and receiving feedback to improve what we do in the future.