The possibility of conscious AI is increasingly perceived as a legitimate and important scientific question. This interest has arisen after a long history of scientific doubts about the possibility of consciousness not only in other animals, but sometimes even in humans. The very concept of consciousness was for a period considered scientifically suspect. But now […]
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Healthcare professionals experience ethical dilemmas and ethically challenging situations on a daily basis. A child receiving important treatment may have difficulty sitting still. How should one think about physically restraining children in such situations? In order to provide good care, healthcare professionals may regularly need time and support to reflect on ethical dilemmas that may […]
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Can artificial consciousness be engineered, is the endeavor even conceivable? In a number of previous posts, I have explored the possibility of developing AI consciousness from different perspectives, including ethical analysis, a comparative analysis of artificial and biological consciousness, and a reflection about the fundamental motivation behind the development of AI consciousness. Together with Kathinka […]
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Academics are often recruited as experts in committees tasked with developing guidelines for public services, such as healthcare. It is of course important that policy documents for public services are based on knowledge and understanding of the problems. At the same time, the role of an expert is far from self-evident, because the problems that […]
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Person-centered care is not only an ethical approach that values the patient’s personal preferences and decision-making. It is also a concrete way to improve care and the patient’s quality of life. This is especially important when caring for elderly patients, who may have multiple chronic conditions and various functional limitations. This requires sensitivity to the […]
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One of the most timeless TV crime series is probably Columbo. Peter Falk plays an inquisitive police lieutenant who sometimes seems so far beyond ordinary time reckoning that he can make Los Angeles resemble ancient Athens, where an equally inquisitive philosopher cared just as little about his appearance. I hope you have seen a few […]
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It is understandable if the COVID-19 pandemic spurred many researchers to conduct their own studies on patients with the disease. They wanted to help in a difficult situation by doing what they were competent to do, namely research. The question is whether the good will sometimes had problematic consequences in terms of research ethics. For […]
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Many projects are underway in Sweden regarding AI systems in healthcare. The testing of AI solutions is in full swing. But many systems do not seem to be implemented and used. Why? Often it is a matter of poor preparatory work. Without a carefully considered strategy and clear goals, we risk scaling up AI systems […]
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Human genomics has potential to improve the health of individuals and populations for generations to come. It also requires the collection, use and sharing of data from people all over the world. There is therefore an accompanying need for a globally fair distribution of genomic technology, data and results. As the databases and infrastructures will […]
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A recurring theme on this blog is the question of who can be counted as an author of a research article. You might be thinking: how difficult can it be to determine if someone is the author of an article? But the criteria for academic authorship are challenged on several fronts and therefore need to […]
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Pär Segerdahl is the editor of the Ethics Blog and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Centre for Research Ethics & Bioethics (CRB)
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