Neuroethics 2025
Schedule
Registration
In this session, we will start with an introduction to digital methods for neuroethical inquiry, present two specific examples of successful research in the field and highlight both the potential and challenges of our methodological approach in a plenary discussion.
Speakers:
- Ralf J. Jox, University of Lausanne, Institute for Medical Humanities
- Sabine Salloch, Hannover Medical School, Institute for Ethics, History and Philosophy of Medicine
- Alexander Sobieska, Technical University of Munich, Institute for History and Ethics of Medicine
- Georg Starke, Institute for History and Ethics of Medicine, Technical University of Munich
Agenda
- Introduction / 15 mins
- Specific examples / 30 mins
- Discussion / 15 mins
Attend
Neuroethics 2025
Friday, April 25
11:00am-12:00pm CEST
Plenary
This discussion is being held as part of Neuroethics 2025, the joint annual meeting of the International Neuroethics Society (INS) and Società Italiana di Neuroetica (SINe). Register for the conference to participate virtually. Virtual participants can watch the live broadcast and submit questions to the discussion. All registrants get access to the recordings before the general public.
Description
The fast development of advanced computational methods, harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), keeps reshaping the field of neuroethics. So far, much research considers the impact of AI insofar as it alters the objects of neuroethical investigation, from AI-based mental health chatbots to the integration of AI in closed-loop neurotechnology. However, just as neuroethics comprises both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics, ethics of the digital should also be complemented by digital ethics, i.e. approaches that make use of advanced digital methods to improve ethics.
In this session, we will start with an introduction to digital methods for neuroethical inquiry, present two specific examples of successful research in the field and highlight both the potential and challenges of our methodological approach in a plenary discussion. The introduction will be given by Sabine Salloch, professor for medical ethics at Hannover Medical Center, Germany, and coordinator of an international working group on digital bioethics, followed by two brief talks sketching the method’s impact for ethical inquiry. The first talks will be given by Georg Starke, postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL), who will present the first proof-of-concept study on a patient preference predictor, i.e. an AI-based tool indicating treatment preferences of patients at the end of life. This talk touches on central neuroethical topics such as loss of capacity, end-of-life decision making, manipulation, and psychological continuity. The second brief talk by Alexander Sobieska, a PhD researcher at the Chair of Ethics of AI and Neuroscience at TU Munich, will explore how digital methods reveal public discourse and ethical perceptions of neurotechnologies on social media platforms, highlighting the role of misinformation and public sentiment.
We will conclude the session with a plenary discussion that will be moderated by Ralf Jox, one of the pioneers in neuroethics in Europe, who directs the Institute for Medical Humanities at the University of Lausanne. Here, the speakers will bring together their respective perspectives from expertise in digital and empirical bioethics (Sabine Salloch), AI ethics (Georg Starke), computational social science and psychology (Alexander Sobieska), and neurology and neuroethics (Ralf Jox).
Resources
Keywords: Artificial intelligence, methods, patient preferences, capacity, social media, clinical ethics
Speakers
Sabine Salloch, MD, PhD
Institute for Ethics, History, and Philosophy of Medicine, Hannover Medical School
Sabine Salloch is a Professor of Ethics and History of Medicine and has been the Director of the Institute for Ethics, History, and Philosophy of Medicine at Hannover Medical School since 2020. She studied medicine and philosophy at Philipps-University Marburg, obtaining her Dr. med. in 2006 and Dr. phil. in 2015, with a habilitation in 2017. Her research focuses on professionalism and interprofessionalism in healthcare, digitalization ethics, and bioethical methodology.
Ralf J. Jox, MD, PhD
Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, with affiliations at the Institute of Humanities in Medicine, Clinical Ethics Unit, and the Chair of Geriatric Palliative Care
Ralf J. Jox is a bioethicist, neurologist, and palliative care specialist serving as Full Professor at Lausanne University Hospital. With an extensive background in medicine, philosophy, and medical ethics, Dr. Jox’s research focuses on end-of-life ethics, clinical ethics, and neuroethics. He has published widely in palliative care, geriatric medicine, and ethics, and is an active member of several national and international bioethics and healthcare advisory boards. Dr. Jox has founded and chaired the first neuroethics working group in German and is president of the neuroethics specialty group in the World Federation of Neurology. He is also co-editor of the well-known international book series “Advances in Neuroethics”, published by Springer Nature.
Alexander Sobieska, MSc
Chair of Ethics of AI and Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
Alexander Sobieska is a PhD researcher at the Chair of Ethics of AI and Neuroscience at TUM, specializing in digital bioethics and computational social science. His current work focuses on how social media platforms like TikTok shape public perception of neurotechnologies, addressing misinformation and ethical concerns. He has previously researched health misinformation and alternative media, including the Querdenken movement’s COVID-19 narrative, combining NLP methods and social science to analyze public discourse.
Georg Starke, MD, PhD
Institute for History and Ethics of Medicine,
Technical University of Munich
Georg Starke is a postdoctoral researcher in the Intelligent Systems Ethics Group at the College of Humanities, EPFL. With a background in both philosophy and medicine, his work lies at the intersection of AI ethics, medical ethics, and neuroscience. Currently, he is engaged in the Hybrid Minds project, focusing on AI-based neurotechnology and bridging philosophical and ethical questions with empirical research. He also holds appointments at TU Munich and the Munich School of Philosophy.