As we enter the 21st century, technological innovations such as biomedical technologies, big data and artificial intelligence have transformed the world, presenting vast opportunities for human development while bringing a series of issues along the way, including regulatory conflicts, social risks and ethical challenges.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "emerging technologies can push the world forward but can also bring risks." In March 2022, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued a memorandum, titled “The Opinion on Strengthening the Ethics and Governance of Science and Technology”, making clear further strengthening theoretical and pressing issues in the ethics of science and technology while building an ethical governance system with Chinese characteristics are important measures that we must take to ensure a holistic development of a community with a shared future. Under the circumstances, the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and Fudan University have decided to jointly launch the Institute of Technology Ethics for Human Future.
The Institute will be deeply committed to in-depth research on theories and strategic countermeasures related to applied ethics, including global health ethics, digital and artificial intelligence ethics, striving to build an academic framework and discourse system for the ethics of science and technology with Chinese characteristics, enabling China’s voice heard on global issues concerning the future of humanity.
The Institute will focus on the following areas:
1. To build a high-level platform for research on the ethics of science and technology, striving to become a national ethics research base. Centering on the two leading directions of global health ethics and digital ethics, the Institute will carry out in-depth research on theories and policy-making oriented applications related to environmental ethics, biomedical ethics, intelligence and big data ethics, and explore the construction of an academic system and discourse system of science and technology ethics based on Chinese ethical thought resources.
(1) To build the Digital Ethics Lab. With the advantage of the interdisciplinary talent, a first-class digital ethics lab will be comparable to current internationally renowned ones.
(2) To launch a new scholarly journal Technoethics Inquiry, with the goal of its being China’s leading periodical in ethics.12 academic advisors are from the National Science and Technology Ethics Committee. Professor Wang Guoyu, a member of the Medical Ethics Sub-Committee of the National Science and Technology Ethics Committee, will serve as editor-in-chief.
2. Building a multi-tiered Talent Program:“Ethics plus”of Science and Technology
(1) To provide a degree program of Master of Applied Ethics (MAE). Specifically, the program will focus on cultivating interdisciplinary and internationalized talents on Science and Technology Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Big Data Ethics and Business Ethics. The Master’s degree program has been approved by the Ministry of Education and the enrollment started in October of 2022.
(2) To build a training base for professionals. To train professionals with theorical knowledge of science and technology ethics and science literacy for government agencies, associations, societies and various organizations and institutions.
(3) To create an educational platform for the public on science and technology ethics, dedicated to a system for the ethics and governance of science and technology, the ethical review and regulation of science and technology related activities, as well as education and promotion of science and technology ethics.
3. Building a platform for international collaboration in ethics of science and technology
(1) To Network globally to initiate exchanges, and to collaborate with world-class ethics centers and digital ethics labs for ongoing talent training and research activities.
(2) To jointly host conferences with global partners, to create international scholar exchange programs, and to collaborate on international projects and promote global efforts on cultivating talents of science and technology ethics.
4. Building a platform to service the nation’s strategic needs
(1) To build an open, high-end and influential think-tank for research on science and technology ethics; to increase China’s influence and recognition on ethics and governance of science and technology on the world stage; to provide intellectual power for China’s ethics-related regulation, laws and policy; to provide empirical data for scientific decisions.
(2) To contribute to Shanghai’s digital transformation and development of digital economy, and to initiate partnerships with research institutes and technology companies for effective collaborations.