With Big Tech come Big Responsabilities

Scientist proposes alternative hippocratic oath for tech.

No ethics in maths

I am not writing about Italy and business for once, but about an issue that effects us all. A (refreshing) thought to ponder over this weekend… “In medicine, you learn about ethics from day one. In mathematics, it’s a bolt-on at best. It has to be there from day one and at the forefront of your mind in every step you take,” says Hannah Fry (associate professor in the mathematics of cities at University College London) in an article in The Guardian.

Hippocratic Oath for tech

She proposes an equivalent of the Hippocratic oath. To be taken by whom? By mathematicians, computer engineers and scientists in related fields. Why? To protect the public from powerful new technologies under development in laboratories and tech firms.

Ethics while shaping Future

Why is this news: A leading scientist proposes an alternative hippocratic oath for tech? She answered the question herself: in medicine you learn about ethics from day one. In math (and related fields) it is absent. Not only is this an interesting article in The Guardian, but also a refreshing and very necessary take on an important issue that wil become more and more pressing as Big Tech shapes our world, our lives, our future.

Importance of Soft Sciences

By the way, it touches on another issue: the importance of Soft Sciences… In this case: ethics. I personally have a background in ‘soft sciences’ and feel and notice it is definitely a plus, both professionaly as well as in my personal life. But that is for another blog…