Homepage » All blogs » Article type - Perspective
Human-centred AI for an inclusive society In 2021, the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) launched a programme on human-centred AI for an inclusive society. Research in this programme focuses on the development and application of trustworthy, human-centred AI. To conduct this research, the NWA supports various ELSA (Ethical, Legal, Societal Aspects) Labs. Each ELSA Lab...
Although batteries play a key role in energy transition, they can also cause hazards. For example, if you overcharge batteries, it may not only shorten their lifespan, but also pose health and safety risks. Batteries can emit toxic gasses and even explode when overcharged. Therefore, researchers have tried to develop technologies such as circuit...
A way out of the Collingridge dilemma Pandemic, climate crisis, food shortages. This is, unfortunately, just a short list of the serious issues of our current time. We are facing several problems, which are part of a complex structure. We find ourselves in a world with intertwined, multiple crises and wicked problems, which are...
Making surgery smarter through ‘intelligent knives’, creating a better understanding of organs through organ-on-a-chip (which will hopefully lead to the creation of mechanical organs) and promising a technology like Theranos all hype up their positive impact in order to get media attention and (additional) funding for their projects. The way we talk about scientific...
Dear technology enthusiasts, we have a problem! We need to urgently talk about the way we deal with technology. While we have been enjoying the new possibilities and the comfort that is enabled by modern technologies, we haven’t been paying enough attention to the problems that accompany them. These problems are among the biggest...
The potential of innovations to creatively destruct, invites an imaginary of technologies for alternatives futures that is richer than the wish to bring modern societies to a higher tech level. This blogpost reflects on the purpose of innovating and developing technologies, and calls for an exploration of innovation and technological development from a critical...
Stakeholder involvement is a crucial aspect of responsible innovation. Ideally, by including different perspectives, a more comprehensive picture of the issue at hand is achieved. The question arises, however, as to what is considered as “the” issue, which has corresponding effects on who is included in the conversation. In the following I want to...
Innovations are often seen as objective solutions for our societal problems, with big promises such as a better quality of life and overall well-being. Yet, especially in healthcare where digital technologies have recently taken over a lot of practices, questions were raised such as ‘how do these technologies impact people’s lived experiences?’, ‘can these...
The novel nature of quantum technologies Quantum technologies are best understood as a family of technologies based on quantum mechanics. In short, quantum mechanics is a theory in physics describing the behaviour of particles at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles: a task that it performs stunningly well for over the last 100...
Health is a very important value. The scientific discipline of the human exposome aims to map and measure our environment to study its impact on health, aiming to predict future diseases and prevent their onset. The work of historian-philosopher Michel Foucault shows that science is not solely an objective and rational practice, but highly...
Leonardo Da Vinci’s flying machines. Self-cleaning paint. A Japanese bullet train. Velcro strap. What do these things have in common? Hard to say from mere appearance. But if one looks closely enough (close enough to look at the micro-scale in some cases), they are all technologies inspired by nature. Birds’ wings, lotus leaves, the...
Should I stop watering the garden in dry summers? Can I take the car to go to the supermarket when it rains? But also, much more pressing: should we consider relocating to avoid flood risk? Should we save up for buying a rainwater harvesting tank or invest in growing more drought resilience crops? Do...
