Yves Moreau

I am a frequent public speaker addressing ethical issues in AI and human genetics. 

Previous talks include the following:

Artificial Intelligence: Utopia or Brave New World?
Artificial intelligence opens up a world of opportunities for technological progress, prosperity and well-being: better healthcare, more economical use of energy and raw materials, instant access to masses of information and knowledge, etc. Given the finiteness of our resources, the fragility of our ecosystems and the persistence of social inequalities, the social responsibility of technologists is increasing considerably. Should we develop all the technologies we can develop? Is technology morally neutral? What follows from such questions is an urgent need to develop a broader and deeper culture of ethics and social responsibility among technologists. This then raises the question of how we can educate an entire community in this area that has so far had limited attention to this issue.

Ethics is not a checkbox exercise
The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence makes the ethical and privacy issues in AI even more pressing than before. While important legislative advances have taken place (such as the GDPR and the EU AI Act) and awareness of ethical issues related to AI has grown significantly (Trustworthy AI, EU High-Level Expert Group on AI, etc.), the question remains open whether this will have a significant impact in a globalized world where major players are competing in the race for artificial intelligence. A case study on ethical failures in research on forensic DNA profiling of vulnerable ethnic groups will show some successes as well as important failures in the ethical assessment of academic research. Another case on dual-use research in the Horizon Europe program will show important contradictions in research policy orientations. A more ethical approach to technology requires not only a coherent ethical and legal framework, but also a fundamental cultural change in the communities developing new technologies, without which ethics will remain largely perceived as a bureaucratic hurdle and a matter of ticking boxes.

Human genetic research in the age of mass surveillance
In the field of human genetics, extensive DNA databases are essential for research. However, many of these databases contain data of uncertain origin, often obtained without proper consent or donor information. This poses serious problems, especially for vulnerable groups including minorities: Because they are overrepresented in such databases, they are at risk of exploitation or even mass surveillance. Bioinformatician Yves Moreau has exposed these issues, focusing on marginalized communities such as the Uyghurs and Tibetans. His efforts have already prompted prestigious scientific journals to retract articles based on questionable data and pressured a major biotech company to stop sales of DNA retrieval kits in sensitive regions like Xinjiang and Tibet. Despite these successes unethical practices persist, threatening the privacy of DNA data for everyone. In his talk, Yves aims to shed light on these challenges and what is essentially at stake: our own DNA privacy.

Upcoming and past presentations