Mike Livermore speaks with ICA Fellow Dr. Philipp Kellmeyer, head of the Neuroethics and AI ethics Lab at the University Medical Center, Freiburg. Kellmeyer’s research focuses on the intersection of neurotechnology, ethics, artificial intelligence, and big data. In addition to his academic work, Kellmeyer is a board-certified neurologist.

The podcast begins with Kellmeyer discussing his background and how a medical practitioner ended up working in the field of neurotechnology (:40 – 4:55). He then summarizes the current state of neurotechnology, with a focus on deep-brain stimulation, which Kellmeyer describes as the most advanced area of the field. This leads to a longer discussion about the current and potential applications of deep-brain stimulation beyond its most well-known use in treating Parkinson’s Disease. This part of the discussion also incorporates aspects of Kellmeyer’s work on ethics, such as the potential ethical issues that arise as a result of the expanded use of neurotechnology (5:05 – 23:07). Continuing with this idea, Livermore and Kellmeyer delve into a number of hypothetical scenarios regarding data monitoring and the sweeping ethical questions such scenarios might raise (23:17 – 37:32). Shifting topics, Kellymeyer then discusses the four key concerns that drive his research: privacy, identity, agency, and equality. Using the example of cell phone video technology serving to drive social justice movements, the conversation touches on the difficulties of forecasting the unintended and unexpected consequences of technology, and how machine learning may assist in improving this forecasting. Kellmeyer also signals the risks of what he calls “technological solutionism,” the idea that technology can solve all our problems (37:40 – 57:35). The conversation ends on a positive note, with Kellmeyer explaining how examining the concept of human agency can help society to determine the approach it wants to take regarding the interaction between humans and technology (57:40 – 1:03:00).

The Intercontinental Academia (ICA) is a global network of future research leaders sponsored by the University-Based Institutes of Advanced Studies. The ICA4 explores the complementarities between artificial intelligence and neuro/cognitive-science.