A Conversation on Technomoral Futures: Building Wisdom from Crisis original

The Centre will host leaders, creators and innovators from academia, technology, business and the third sector to discuss the possible futures we can build in Scotland and the world as we emerge from the most challenging years of the century.

We will also introduce the Centre’s first-year, interdisciplinary PhD students and share the Centre’s mission to bridge the divide between technical expertise and moral wisdom.

Framing the Conversation

Is the idea of ‘technomoral futures’ an oxymoron? That is, do technology and morality necessarily take us on different paths?

Or do they represent two keys to wise and sustainable futures that must be turned together?

Join distinguished panelists and the Centre’s student researchers as they share their perspectives on technomoral futures by engaging the central question of the event:

‘How can reunifying human technical and moral intelligence help us cope with future crises and challenges more wisely and equitably?’

The event will prompt constructive answers to this question by encouraging all participants to engage in some pre-event personal reflections.

• As we emerge from the most difficult years of this century so far, imagine a possible future that you have real hope for, for Scotland/UK and the world. When you envision that world, what do you see that is most new, still to be built? What do you see that is most familiar, something we must preserve or repair?

• What do we need from technology, and what do we need from moral wisdom, to do this vital building and repairing of our futures?

• What are the two or three most important lessons to learn from the pandemic crisis and the other hard challenges and traumas of 2020-2021?

Launch event programme and registration

Panelists:

• Shannon Vallor, Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence and Director, Centre for Technomoral Futures (moderator)
• Chris Speed, Chair in Design Informatics, Edinburgh Futures Institute/Edinburgh College of Art
• Kate Fox, Investment Manager, Positive Change Fund, Baillie Gifford
• Alex Hutchison, Director, Data for Children Collaborative with UNICEF
• William Isaac, Senior Research Scientist, DeepMind
• Adam Lang, Head of Nesta in Scotland

Agenda

5:00-5:05 Welcome and introductions
5:05-5:10 Opening remarks from CTMF Director, Shannon Vallor, ‘From futurism to futures: Laying new foundations for technomoral wisdom’
5:10-5:35 Panel conversation
– As we emerge from the most difficult year(s) of this century so far, imagine a possible future that you have real hope for, for Scotland/UK and the world. When you envision that world, what do you see that is most new, still to be built? What do you see that is most familiar, something we must preserve or repair?

– What are the two or three most important lessons to learn from the pandemic crisis and the other hard challenges and traumas of 2020-2021?
– How can technical and moral intelligence be combined more effectively to help us cope with future crises and challenges more wisely and equitably?
5:35-5:50 CTMF PhD research in AI and Data Ethics
Three-minute presentations from each of the five Baillie Gifford PhD students on their CTMF research projects, and how they hope the outcomes of their research will shape the future:
– Jamie Webb (Usher Institute/Centre for Biomedicine, Self & Society)
– Denisea Fernandez-Kennedy (Social & Political Science/Philosophy)
– Savina Kim (Business/Informatics)
– Joe Noteboom (Education/Sociology)
– Aditya Singh (The Roslin Institute/Global Academies)
5:50-6:05 Q&A between students & panelists
6:05-6:30 Moderated Q&A with audience

Please book your place via Eventbrite.

Have questions about this event?
Please email us at ctf@ed.ac.uk

Joining link and the platform
The joining Zoom link and instructions will be shared 24hrs ahead of the event via email to registered attendees.

Q&A session
If you would like to ask either a particular panelist, or all of the panel a question about the future of technology and human wisdom, we would love to hear from you ahead of the event. There will be an option to submit a question when you register to attend, but you can also email us with your questions at ctf@ed.ac.uk.