HBP Seminar on Dual Use of Future Computing and Robotics

In order to register for this seminar, please send an email to: hbp@tekno.dk.

Confirmed presenters and commentators include: Alain Destexhe, Jürgen Altmann, Filippa Lentzos, Karlheinz Meier, Jonathan Moreno, Fiorella Operto, Nikolas Rose, Berit Bringedal, Alain Destexhe and Malcolm Dando

On the 10th and 11th of March 2016, an expert seminar is taking place on ‘dual use’ of computational neuroscience and robotics – that is to say the potential military and defence uses of scientific and technological research directed to civilian use. Apart from the dual use in general, we will also consider some of the social and ethical issues that arise with managing research project that receive military funding. While our focus will be on the European HBP, we will also consider issues that arise in related Brain Projects in the US and elsewhere.

We would like to explore the following issues with you at the seminar:

How have issues of dual use been managed historically with regard to these or related scientific and technical developments? How are dual use issues managed presently?
How do neuroscientists and computer scientists address issues of dual use in their own practice?
What are the implications of international differences (e.g. EU/US) in the military and defence involvement in research in computational neuroscience and robotics?
Which advances in computational neuroscience and robotics might lead to new advances in military technologies, and with what social and ethical implications?
What influence can the scientific research community, policy makers, and civil society have on the possible military applications of research and development in robotics and computational neuroscience?

The themes for the seminar are: potential military applications in future robotics; military, intelligence and security applications of intelligent machines, machine learning and neuromorphic computing; and dual use applications research. The aim of the seminar is to learn from each other, and to develop an initial dialogue on recognition and management of dual use issues. The outcome of the seminar will be written up in the form of a policy brief, with recommendations for the HBP on how to understand and manage the potential dual use of research in the Human Brain Project.

Practical information and registration
The seminar will consist of a number of presentations from selected speakers, followed by a discussion among the participants. The seminar will start on March 10, 2016 at 12.00 CET with a buffet lunch, and end on March 11, 2016 at 16.00 CET at the European Institute for Theoretical Neuroscience. More information on the program and content of the seminar will be circulated following registration.
In order to register for the seminar, please send an email to: hbp@tekno.dk.

Organisation: The seminar is a joint collaboration between the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, and the HBP Foresight Lab at King’s College London, both members of the sub-project 12 Ethics and Society of the HBP, and of the European Institute for Theoretical Neuroscience (EITN) as part of the HBP sub-project 4 Theoretical Neuroscience.

Related link: www.tekno.dk