Ethics of Emerging Technologies

Ethical guidelines for emerging technologies

Scientific progress can improve living conditions around the world. However, emerging technologies also raise new ethical questions. Which decisions should be allowed to be made using artificial intelligence? Should embryos be used for stem cell research? In which circumstances can we accept interventions to our personality through the use of neurotechnologies?

These and other ethical questions are being discussed intensively today, and many more questions will arise as scientific progress continues. The answers will have a direct impact on how we live together and how we perceive ourselves as human beings.

The ethical challenges arising from emerging technologies and the life sciences affect individuals and communities worldwide. These issues must therefore be discussed and negotiated on a global scale. At the United Nations, UNESCO facilitates discussions on these topics and helps to build consensus between member states. UNESCO develops shared ethical norms and standards for the development and use of emerging technologies, which are based on human rights. These standards then apply to all UNESCO member states, effectively covering the entire globe. In recent years, UNESCO has focused particularly on ethical issues in the fields of bioethics, artificial intelligence, and neurotechnology.

The World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST)External link: assists UNESCO with this task. Established in 1998, this committee comprises leading scientists who develop ethical principles and advise policymakers on matters relating to environmental and scientific ethics, as well as the ethics of emerging technologies. Dr Julia Schubert, a German sociologist, has been serving as a COMEST member from 2022 to 2025.