Workshop 1 : « Innovation and risks:

public and expert perceptions

Chairman : Alain-Michel Boudet – University of Toulouse

Samantha Leonard – INSERM/ University of Toulouse

Pere Oliver Reus (Instituto Nacional de Oceanografía,

Balearic Islands)

Vicenç Tur Tur (Lipopharma Therapeutics, Balearic

Islands)

Jorge Cortell (Kanteron Systems USA, Valencia)

Damien Dessis (SIRIC BRIO, Bordeaux)

François Roman (Amylgen, Montpelier)

Program of the workshop

• Introductory remarks

• Presentation of a case study by Samantha Leonard « Stakeholders visions of innovation in medical genetic testing »

• Opening of the round table with all the participants and the audience

1.main actions for promoting innovation in the different

regions

2.main obstacles for developping innovation

3.in which way potential risks associated with

technologies may preclude innovation

4.how can public perception can be improved ?

5.the role and the responsability of the producers of new

technologies

Main topics of the roundtable

Eurobarometer 2013 in the field of

sciences and of technologies

• 50 % Europeans are interested in the developments in

sciences and technologies

• 77 % think that sciences and technologies have a

positive impact

BUT

• 62 % think that sciences and technologies change their

life style too quickly

• 54 % think that the applications of sciences and

technologies may threaten human rights

A product innovation is the act of

bringing something new to the market

place

An innovation is a discovery

(an invention) that has

found a MARKET

Classical concerns in our different countries

are:

• How to stimulate discoveries ?.

• How to stimulate innovations ?

But

Prerequisite to the second question

Is

To anticipate the reactions of the public

in front of a new technology

• The technology does not correspond to a

need

• The technology appears risky

The tremendous potential of some

technologies induces significant fears

• Biotechnology human cloning

• ICT disappearance of private life

• Nuclear energy extinction of societies

• Nanobiotechnology transhumanism

• Artificial intelligence fear of being surpassed by the

technology

Each techology involves both : - positive demonstrated impacts - negative anticipated impacts

The risks (or potential risks) may be at the levels

- of individuals

OR

- of the society

In some cases the adoption of a technology is not

only a minor decision but can correspond to a

society choice

An an example :

« GMOs may be a marvellous solution for a certain type of

project for society. But it is precisely this project for

society that we do not want. »

Bruno Rebelle (Greenpeace 2002)

The public debates on new technologies are often less

focused on the intrinsic risks of the products than on the

way their use is supposed to change the society

A few explanations at the level of individuals

for having reservations and increasing

suspicion about technologies

• Fast emerging new innovations

• Media strategies (dramatisation, uncontrolled

information)

• Desacralisation of Science

• The commitment of active militant groups

1.main actions for promoting innovation in

the different regions

2.main obstacles for developping

innovation

3.in which way potential risks associated

with technologies may preclude innovation

4.how can public perception can be

improved ?

Eurobarometer 2013 in the field of

sciences and of technologies

• 40 % feel they are informed

• 85 % are in favour of a compulsory training of

researchers in ethics

• 65 % think that the governments do too little to raise

young people’s interest in science

The public opinion has the feeling of an

acceleration of technological advances

associated with negative effects

• Difficult technical and psychological appropriation of new

technologies

• Scheduled obsolescence

• Advertisements for unnecessary product

Are we the masters of the technologies or their slaves ?

« The speed with which innovations succeed each other leaves no respite, hence a social and psychological disorientation which is unprecedented in history ».

Bernard Stiegler 1996

« Society seems to be kind of exhausted seeing that its thinking framework is changing relentlessly »

Marie Ange Lhermitte

The remoteness between the products of

technology and the society is increasing

• Before : bicycle, car, …

• Now : Smart phone, PC, recent car

• Is society moving away from technological products

or are said technological products moving away

from society?

5.the role and the responsability of the

producers of new technologies

What about the producers of new technologies

A more pronounced ethical concern :

• Increased consideration of human and environmental issues

• Identification of « no go areas »

A new attitude :

• To develop more interactions with human and social sciences

• To contribute to the education of the public

• To be more involved in the deployment of the technology. They

will play an increasing role in accompanying this deployment

Possible solutions

• Improving basic scientific culture and the judgmental mind of our fellow citizens (but in the long run).

• Improving the popularisation quality and efforts with the public at large

• Setting up in each country an undisputable pluridisciplinary structure to give advice on emerging technologies and their applications

• Anticipate reflections at economic, societal, ethical levels as soon as a new technology appears

• Considerate in the decisions « the global ecosystem», the human factor, the environment, the solidarities, the development.