#dangerously ethical

Every action has a consequence. Experiments to prolong life; drugs that enhance memory; the means to alter our appearance; modify the genetics of future generations. We are entering a transhumant era, where biology can be manipulated to meet personal interests, rather than the priorities of health. 

Will these advances improve the quality of our lives? How do we choose which technologies to pursue? And how wise are our choices to date? While financial resources may in part determine the agenda, so too do personal ethics. How do we ultimately assess the quality and value of new technologies?

As we craft our future, as we make scientific, social and technological advancements, we require a framework that acknowledges cross-disciplinary collaboration to help us build new ethical values to deal with the dramatic changes that are happening. 

These potentially powerful technologies raise the question of what our media future will be like. How far can we go using technology? What are the ethical implications? Should ethics focus simply on which technology we allow, or on the quality of how new technologies help shape humanity?

My objective with this year’s TEDxTransmedia is to generate a wide-reaching and interdisciplinary conversation that can help overcome any fear about a super-technological future and inspire people with the tools to help create a future they want to live in.   

What will the speakers you have selected bring to the event?

The conversations I’m having with this year’s speakers about their talks are so diverse and so inspiring. I really think that this year it’s going to be like a TED conference in quality. Through the speakers I’ve tried to cover some of the key issues affecting us right now. Of course you can’t cover it all but, for sure, you can give people a glimpse into the future of education, sport and media. For instance, I’m hoping that debating the status of cyber security, the healing power of laughter, the future of wearable devices and the need for mindfulness can inspire active participation in our evolution, of can we call it (r)evolution by technology. 

What can attendees expect?

I can promise that every attendee will be enriched by ideas, projects, experiments and theories about the future and how they can contribute. Together with the speakers, the team, the attendees and the press I would like to generate a sense of anticipation about what we can achieve in the future and help dissolve some fears we have regarding the marriage between man and machine and, eventually, seed many other conversations about how we approach the future. 

Convergent technologies raise a myriad of ethical questions and a TEDx conference is one of the best places to debate a new set of ethical values and learn about how you can have a voice and help determine the direction we take. This is especially vital for media makers who have so much power to shape our future. 

You will learn a lot, you will be amazed, scared, you will laugh and be happy; all concrete ingredients for an enjoyable experience.

Why is it important to have this conversation now?

At the present time, we risk losing what we value – our capacity for compassion, creativity, wonder and reflection. We need a code to help steer our evolution away from the dead end of self-centredness and additive interests, towards self-awareness, reason, and greater social interaction. 

There is no need to fear emerging technologies; however we must be mindful of what is possible and take control. There is a need to deconstruct our ethical values and create new ones suitable for now and the future – to be more proactive and less reactive in its ethical response.

Where does transmedia find a place in this event?

I think transmedia is the only narrative strategy that has the power to reach most audiences. We’re now in the fourth year of TEDxTransmedia and in a way we don’t need to talk directly about transmedia anymore. Instead, we can use it - like we always do - to create immersive conversation. This year we’ll talk about the future and the fact it is happening now and everyone can be a protagonist in building it. This is about transmedia as a method to create social impact.