Latest Scientific Ethics Headlines
Liberalisation Of Genetic Engineering Threatens The Environment, Farmers And New Zealand
Wed, 29 Nov 2023 08:56:20 +1300 | GE Free NZ
The coalition governments’ move to loosen biotechnology (GE) regulation is set to let down farmers and consumers and put New Zealand's export reputation at risk. New Zealand's strict genetic engineering laws, under the Hazardous Substances and ...More >>
Rishi Sunak’s AI Pitch: The Bletchley Declaration
Sat, 4 Nov 2023 14:34:28 +1300 | Binoy Kampmark
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak looks as much a deep fake projection as a thin, superficial representation of reality. His robotic, risible awkwardness makes a previous occupant of his office, Theresa May, look soppily human in comparison. But at the ...More >>
Exporters Urged to Speak Up Over Risks of National's Biotechnology Policy
Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:03:41 +1300 | GE Free NZ
The National Party announced the policy early in the election proposing harmonisation of international policies. This would allow any new genetic technology (GE) product approved by two of the 38 member intergovernmental organisation, Organisation for ...More >>
AI Shows ‘Great Promise For Health’ But Regulation Is Key: WHO Chief
Fri, 20 Oct 2023 08:01:17 +1300 | UN News
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday issued a call for better regulations over the use and potential mis-use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry. Its new publication emphasises the importance of establishing safe and ...More >>
No Such Thing As A “Normal” Body: New Report Explores How AI Biometrics Oppress People
Tue, 17 Oct 2023 05:32:45 +1300 | Access Now
From facial recognition to iris scanning, people’s biometric data is being collected each day and fed into artificial intelligence (AI) systems that influence how people live, and how they are treated by society. Bodily harms: mapping the risks of emerging ...More >>
The Crimes Of Medicine?
Tue, 10 Oct 2023 10:45:23 +1300 | Hemp Foundation
By Tadhg Stopford We are told that NZ needs more medicines for cancer and other diseases by Patient Voice Aotearoa, and they aren’t wrong. But they also miss the point. MedSafe (the regulator) seems captured. By whom, I do not know. But their ...More >>
Would A U.S. Free Trade Deal Force New Zealand To Adopt GE?
Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:45:49 +1200 | GE Free NZ
Three political parties, National, ACT and TOP, have declared that if they win the election they will “end the ban on GE”. This would allow them to progress a U.S. Free Trade agreement signalled at the last election. It cannot, however, be negotiated ...More >>
New Risks From Proposed Changes To GE Laws
Thu, 10 Aug 2023 15:50:03 +1200 | GE Free NZ
The Ministry for the Environment is calling for submissions on changes to the laboratory use and importation of genetically engineered (GE) organisms. The consultation document proposes changes to how the HSNO Act regulates laboratory research of all new organisms ...More >>
Oppenheimer Paradox - Power Of Science & The Weakness Of Scientists
Tue, 8 Aug 2023 11:08:32 +1200 | Prabir Purkayastha
The new blockbuster film on Oppenheimer has brought back the memories of the first nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It has raised complex questions on the nature of the society that permitted such bombs to be developed and used and the stockpiling ...More >>
Guterres Calls For AI ‘That Bridges Divides’, Rather Than Pushing Us Apart
Wed, 19 Jul 2023 07:36:29 +1200 | UN News
The UN Secretary-General addressed the Security Council on Tuesday, emphasizing the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate human development while also cautioning against the malicious use of what is revolutionary ...More >>
UN Chief Says Regulation Needed For AI To ‘Benefit Everyone’
Fri, 7 Jul 2023 19:51:10 +1200 | UN News
The development of artificial intelligence, or AI, “for the good of all” requires guardrails grounded in human rights, transparency, and accountability, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Thursday. He stressed that AI must benefit everyone, including ...More >>
Is ChatGPT's Use Of People’s Data Even Legal?
Tue, 4 Jul 2023 10:47:26 +1200 | Botica
In the world of AI and machine learning, the sudden massive popularity of language learning models is a hot topic. These tools — the current most popular of which is probably ChatGPT-3 — are language models that can answer specific questions ...More >>
Compensating Plasma Donors Would Increase Donations
Thu, 15 Jun 2023 14:24:19 +1200 | The New Zealand Initiative
Without more donors, the New Zealand Blood Service warns we will rely more heavily on imported plasma products. They’re right. And Alberta, Canada, shows a better way. Compensating donors results in more donations. Professor Peter Jaworski is a ...More >>
Does NZ Need An Update To Genetic Modification Rules? – Expert Reaction
Thu, 15 Jun 2023 10:58:10 +1200 | Science Media Centre
The National Party is proposing to update New Zealand’s biotechnology rules and open up access to gene editing and genetic modification. The proposed benefits include climate and pest resistant crops, technologies to treat cancer and cardiovascular ...More >>
The PATCH-Trauma Study Shines A New Light On Tranexamic Acid’s Role In Pre-hospital Treatment Of Major Trauma
Thu, 15 Jun 2023 09:51:19 +1200 | MRINZ
A ground-breaking study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, conducted by researchers from Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and Germany, has raised a challenging question — In the event of severe injury, would individuals want to receive a treatment ...More >>
Prime Minister Listens To His Advisors On GM – A Bipartisan Approach Possible
Tue, 13 Jun 2023 12:23:22 +1200 | New Zealand Life Sciences Network
The Life Sciences Network welcomes Prime Minister Chris Hipkins’ request for a review of the legislation on genetic technologies in the wake of National’s policy announcement to create a stand-alone biotechnology regulator. Government advisors ...More >>
AI: The Unseen Threat & The AGI Smoke Screen
Sun, 11 Jun 2023 07:50:23 +1200 | Shelly Palmer
You’ve probably read about the “existential threat” posed by Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). It’s a dark future where super-intelligent machines outsmart us and cause humanity to go extinct. We may be mesmerized by this high-stakes narrative, ...More >>
White House Reveals Next Steps Toward 'Responsible' AI Development
Sun, 28 May 2023 10:13:06 +1200 | Andrew Tarantola
The White House has made responsible AI development a focus of this administration in recent months, releasing a Blueprint AI Bill of Rights , developing a risk management framework , committing $140 million to found seven new National Academies dedicated ...More >>
Geoffrey Hinton, AI, And Google’s Ethics Problem
Sun, 14 May 2023 15:46:01 +1200 | Binoy Kampmark
Talk about the dangers of artificial intelligence, actual or imagined, has become feverish, much of it induced by the growing world of generative chat bots. When scrutinising the critics, attention should be paid to their motivations. What do they stand to ...More >>
Driving, Mobile Phones, & The Teenage Brain
Mon, 1 May 2023 09:08:40 +1200 | Joe Public Relations
Greg Murphy & Nathan Wallace on national tour to educate young drivers and their parents about safer driving More >>