Hybrid Mind Conference, Geneva, 16-18 October 2024

The integration of intelligent neurotechnology into the human brain creates pressing ethical, legal and social challenges. Devices that detect, interpret and translate neural signals and provide direct stimulation to the brain afford a novel form of human-machine interaction. At the final conference of the international Hybrid Minds project, we bring together leading experts on ethical and legal aspects of (intelligent) neurotechnology from academia, industry, regulatory bodies and international organizations.

The two-day conference will be proceeded by a public event at the intersection of philosophy, art and neuroscience. This public event is open to all and free of charge!

> REGISTRATION is mandatory for both the public event (Oct 16) and for the conference (Oct 17-18)
Registration will close on Thursday October 10, 2024 (12:00 CEST).

While participation in the public event is free of charge, registration fees apply to the actual conference (50 CHF students, 100 CHF early career researchers, 200 CHF general).


PROGRAM:
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Wednesday, October 16
PUBLIC EVENT

Auditorium, Campus Biotech

  • 15:00-15h20 - Welcome remarks by Marcello Ienca (TU Munich / EPFL)
  • 15h20-16:20 - Short talks by Roberto Portillo Lara (Imperial College London), Surjo Soekadar (Charité Berlin) and Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
  • 16:20-16h40 - Artist’s talk, with Matthew C. Wilson 
  • 16h40-18:00 - Round table with Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa), Stéphanie Lacour (EPFL), Frederic Gilbert (University of Tasmania) and Marcello Ienca (TU Munich / EPFL), and Matthew C. Wilson (Artist-in-Residence, EPFL-CDH)
    Moderator: Marcello Ienca (TU Munich / EPFL)
Forum, Campus Biotech
  • 18:00-20:00 - Apéro
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Thursday, October 17
PLENARY SESSION
  • 9:00-10:00 - UN HRC Report on Neurotechnology
    Milena Costas Trascasa (UN HRC), comments by Keigo Kommamura (Keio University) and Marta Sosa Navarro (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca)
    Moderator: Christoph Bublitz (University of Hamburg)
  • 10:00-10:15 – Break
  • 10:15-11:45 - Emerging Regulation
    David Winickoff (OECD), Hervé Chneiweiss (CNRS Paris), Laurence Lwoff (Council of Europe) and Tim Engelhardt (OHCHR) 
    Moderator: Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
  • 11:45-12:00 - Break
PARALLEL SESSION 1
  • 12:00-13:00 - Neurotechnology in the Workplace
    Ekaterina Muhl (University of Zurich), Marta Sosa Navarro (Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca), Felicitas Holzer (University of Zurich)
    Moderator: Christoph Bublitz (University of Hamburg)
PARALLEL SESSION 2
  • 12:00-13:00 - Questions of Hybridization
    Chloe Loewith (University of Cambridge), Masanori Kataoka (Hiroshima University), Marta da Rocha Diogo (Council of Europe)
    Moderator: Georg Starke (EPFL / TU Munich)
LUNCH 13:00-14:00

PLENARY SESSION
  • 14:00-15:30 - Neurotechnology and Human Rights
    Christoph Bublitz (University of Hamburg), Timo Istace (University of Antwerp), Sjors Ligthart (Tilburg University)
    Moderator: Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
  • 15:30-16:00 – Break
PARALLEL SESSION 1
  • 16:00-17:30 - Neurotechnology and research ethics
    Geneviève Major (Université Laval Québec), Guido Cassinadri (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna Pisa), Alexander Sobieska (TU Munich), and Shu Ishida (Hiroshima University)
    Moderator: Georg Starke (EPFL / TU Munich)
PARALLEL SESSION 2
  • 16:00-17:30 - Regulatory structures and strategies
    Talya Deibel (University College Cork), Laure Tabouy (University of Paris-Saclay) and Masatoshi Kokubo (University of Tokyo)
    Moderator: Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
PLENARY SESSION
  • 17:30-18:45 - Neurotechnology for good
    Olaf Blanke (EPFL), Abel Wajnerman Paz (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) and Katherine Bassil (UMC Utrecht / Maastricht University)
    Moderator: Gerard Escher (GESDA)
19:30 - Dinner (invited speakers)

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Friday, October 18
PLENARY SESSION
  • 9:00-10:00 - AI ethics and neurotechnology
    Diego Borbón (Universidad Externado de Colombia) and Frederic Gilbert (University of Tasmania)
    Moderator: Marcello Ienca (EPFL / TU Munich)
  • 10:00-10:15 - Break
  • 10:15-11:45 - Using neuroprosthetics: users’ perspectives
    Sebastian Tobler (University of Applied Sciences, Bern), Louise Hatherall (University of Birmingham), Annalisa Colucci (Charité Berlin) and Georg Starke (EPFL / TU Munich)
    Moderator: Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
  • 11:45-12:00 - Break
PARALLEL SESSION 1
  • 12:00-13:00 - Neural data as legal evidence
    Claudia González – Márquez (University of Edinburg), Tristan Borresen (University of Edinburg) and Anita Mollo (Scuola Superiore Meridionale and ReCEPL)
    Moderator: Jennifer Chandler (University of Ottawa)
PARALLEL SESSION 2
  • 12:00-13:00 – Neurotechnology between individual use and societal impact
    Ludmila Litvin (TU Berlin), Martina Malcheva (Constitutional Court of the Republic of Bulgaria), Giulia Maria Servida (University of Milan)
    Moderator: Marcello Ienca (EPFL / TU Munich)
LUNCH 13:00-14:00

PLENARY SESSION
  • 14:00-15:00 - Neural data governance and privacy
    Solange Ghernaouti (University of Lausanne), Claude Castellucia (Inria Grenoble) and Marcello Ienca (EPFL / TU Munich)
    Moderator: Maricela Munoz (GESDA)
  • 15:00-15:30 - Closing remarks

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
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