Social and ethical challenges of the metaverse

The metaverse has attracted much attention as the next version of the internet, and companies are starting to explore the many new business opportunities it provides. However, based on experience with artificial intelligence, there are also potential negative ethical and social consequences of the expected massive use of technology that must be dealt with. The focus of this talk is on the potential societal/social and ethical risks of the metaverse, and on how companies can prepare for this.

About the speaker

Dr Richard Benjamins is Chief Responsible AI Officer at Telefonica and founder of its “AI for Society and Environment” area, including the ethical use of AI. Before that he was the company’s Chief AI & Data Strategist. He is among the 100 most influential people in data-driven business (DataIQ 100, 2018). He is co-founder and Vice President of the Spanish observatory for ethical and social impacts of AI (OdiseIA), board member of the environmental non-profit CDP Europe. He forms part of the advisory board of the Centre for Digital Culture at the Vatican, of MIT-Sloan's panel on Responsible AI, and is external AI expert for the AI Observatory of the European Parliament. He is also co-chair of UNESCO's business council for their AI recommendation, and member of GSMA’s AI for Impact taskforce. He is also active in the field of AI and the Spanish language, collaborating with the Royal Spanish Academy. He was Group Chief Data Officer at AXA (Insurance), held during 10 years executive positions at Telefonica on Big Data and Analytics, and was a member of the B2G data-sharing Expert Group of the EC. He co-founded iSOCO, an early AI startup, in 1999. Furthermore, he holds a PhD in Cognitive Science, has published over 150 scientific articles, is founding editorial board member of Springer’s AI Ethics journal, and is author of the books “The myth of the algorithm” (Spanish) and “A Data-Driven Company” (English, Spanish, Turkish, Chinese), and "The algorithm and I" (Spanish). He is a frequent speaker on Artificial Intelligence events, and a strategic advisor to several start-ups and companies.

Accessibility

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About this event series

Cultural Spaces for Democratic Participation, Political Expression and Shared Prosperity

This Director’s Seminars and Soundbites series explores how citizens mobilize new physical and digital channels of political participation, and what can be done to create and adapt these cultural spaces so as they make positive impact on democratic life in the 21st Century.

Soundbites are a platform for professionals and entrepreneurs who are leading in their field. Speakers are innovators and inspiring actors working in new and traditional sectors, outside of academia. The Soundbite gives the audience an insight into how their organisation contributes to sustainable and inclusive prosperity.

For more events in this series visit the series page ►