Ethics in Action Podcast

Brain-to-Brain Interfaces: A Conversation with Luke Roelofs

In this fifth episode of our mini-series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Luke Roelofs. Dr. Roelofs is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is the author of numerous articles as well as the 2019 book Combining Minds: How to Think about Compositive Subjectivity, published by Oxford University Press. Dr. Roelofs’ research explores the metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics of consciousness, including human consciousness, animal consciousness, and the possibility of artificial consciousness. In this episode, we discuss various aspects of Dr. Roelofs wide-ranging work, primarily as it relates to brain-computer interfaces. Some topics we focus on include brain-to-brain interfaces, the possibility of technological telepathy, the moral significance of shared mental states, split-brain and conjoined brain cases, the concept of neural mind melding, the unity of consciousness, insect colonies as possible real-life examples of hive minds, panpsychism, the problem of other minds, biopsychism and the possibility of AI consciousness, and integrated information theory.

Non-Invasive Brain-Controlled Robots: A Conversation with José del R. Millán

In this fourth episode of the series, we are joined by José del R. Millán. Dr. Millán is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he runs the Clinical Neuroprosthetics and Brain Interaction Lab and holds the Linda Steen Norris & Lee Norris Endowed Chair in Neuroengineering in the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is also a professor in the Department of Neurology at Dell Medical School, co-director of the UT CARE Initiative and associate director of Texas Robotics. Dr. Millán has made several seminal contributions to the field of brain-machine interfaces (BMI), especially non invasive EEG-based BCIs. Many of his achievements revolve around the design of brain-controlled robots. While his work prioritizes the translation of BMI to people who live with motor and cognitive disabilities, he is also designing BMI technology to offer new interaction modalities for able-bodied people that augment their abilities. In this episode, we discuss various elements of Dr. Millán’s work, including neuroplasticity and brain signaling as a skill, noninvasive EEG-based mobile robots, VR-based neurorehabilitation, BCI-controlled wheelchairs and exoskeletons, telerobotic surgery, enhancing human driving capabilities with BCI technology, the importance of 'shared control' between human and machine, integrating AI and machine learning with brain-computer interfaces, and the evolution of non-invasive BCIs towards sleeker, more user-friendly designs.

Rewiring Emotions: A Conversation with Steffen Steinert

In this third episode of our mini-series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Steffen Steinert. Dr. Steinert is an Assistant Professor in the Ethics and Philosophy section at Delft University of Technology. His research focuses on fundamental theoretical issues of ethics and philosophy of technology - particularly the relationship between values and technology, and the link between emotions and technology. In this episode, we discuss various aspects of Dr. Steinert’s work, including the ethics of affective brain-computer interfaces, autonomy and BCIs, transformative experiences and informed consent, emotional contagion on social media, technology-induced value changes in society, and value-sensitive design approaches to emerging technologies.

AI, Consciousness, and the Future Mind: A Conversation with Susan Schneider

In this second episode of our mini-series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Susan Schneider. Dr. Schneider is the founding director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University, where she is the William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professor of Philosophy. She specializes in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of artificial intelligence, metaphysics, and the philosophy of cognitive science. Dr. Schneider has written several influential books, including most recently Artificial You: AI and the Future of Your Mind.  In addition to being an academic philosopher, Dr. Schneider is a very successful public philosopher. She frequently writes opinion pieces for outlets like the New York Times and Scientific American, and appears on TV shows on stations such as PBS and The History Channel. This episode covers many topics, including philosophical questions about the self and consciousness in the context of future brain chips, the possibility of mind uploading, quantum mechanics and Susan’s new theory of consciousness that she calls ‘superpsychism’, surveillance capitalism and privacy concerns surrounding AI and brain-computer interfaces, AI digital twins, brain-to-brain interfaces and questions about the unity of consciousness, what Susan calls the Global Brain Hypothesis and the new control problem, AI regulation and the AI global arms race, the concept of AGI and what it takes to create it, and epistemological issues surrounding AI as they relate to the opacity of AI systems and the hallucination problem for large language models.

Neuroimaging and Neurorights: A Conversation with Rafael Yuste

In this inaugural episode of our mini-series on brain-computer interfaces, we are joined by Rafael Yuste. Dr. Yuste is Professor of Biological Sciences and Neuroscience at Columbia University, where he directs the Neurotechnology Center. Dr. Yuste is known for his pioneering work on neural circuits and the development of cutting-edge neural imaging techniques, like two-photon calcium imaging. He also co-founded the NeuroRights Foundation to promote and protect neurorights such as mental privacy and cognitive liberty, and was one of the originators of the BRAIN Initiative, a large-scale scientific effort launched by the U.S. government in 2013 to advance understanding of the human brain. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Yuste about some of his empirical work, as well as his work related to neurorights advocacy and the BRAIN Initiative. 

The Case for a UBI: A Conversation with Scott Santens

In our final episode in our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by universal basic income (UBI) advocate and writer Scott Santens. Scott is the founder and president of the Income To Support All Foundation (ITSA Foundation), the Senior Advisor for Humanity Forward, and he also serves on the board of directors of the Gerald Huff Fund for Humanity and as the editor of Basic Income Today. In this episode, we chat with Scott about the viability of a UBI, the philosophical and political arguments in favor of a UBI, and the importance of destigmatizing the concept of free money. Interested listeners should check out Scott's debut book about UBI and how to pay for it, Let There Be Money.

Breaking Things at Work: A Conversation with Gavin Mueller

Our fourth episode of our mini-series on the future of work features Gavin Mueller, Assistant Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam and the author of Breaking Things at Work: The Luddites Are Right About Why You Hate Your Job. We speak with Gavin about the history of the Luddite movement, technological unemployment, and the possibilities of interstitial political action. Listeners interested in working-class efforts to subvert the technology that dominates our working lives are encouraged to read Gavin's latest book.

The Value of Idleness: A Conversation with Brian O’Connor

In the third episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by Brian O'Connor, Professor of Philosophy at University College Dublin. Brian and I discuss the value of idleness in our lives, the burnout caused by the work ethic, and the pressure to view oneself as a project to be continuously realized. We discuss the goods of learning to live more with more idleness - to place less emphasis on our contemporary obsession with purposeful, achievement-oriented pursuits. We encourage listeners to read Brian's excellent book Idleness for a rich discussion of the history of idleness and a vision of freedom in aimlessness.

Meaningful Work: A Conversation with Andrea Veltman

In our second episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by Andrea Veltman, Professor of Philosophy at James Madison University. We speak with Andrea about what it takes for work to be meaningful, if meaningful work is available to all, and what kinds of economic and social changes are necessary to help others find meaningful work. Please check out Andrea's excellent book Meaningful Work to learn more.

Making Light Work - A Conversation with David Spencer

In the first episode of our mini-series on the future of work, we are joined by University of Leeds economist David Spencer. We discuss the experience of alienated labor under contemporary capitalism, the importance of work for meaning and dignity in our lives, and the reduction of the working week. Spencer persuasively makes the case for less but better work and how we might imagine a better world of work. Check out his excellent new book Making Light Work: An End to Toil in the Twenty-First Century.