North-West University: Optentia Symposium Highlights Importance of Ethical Balance in Technological Progress
The Optentia research unit of the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted a symposium on technology, humanity and ethics, emphasising the importance of balancing technological progress with ethical considerations and human rights to ensure advancements support sustainability and individual well-being.
Optentia director Prof Ian Rothmann says the event aimed to bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from various fields to collaborate towards a more equitable and humane technological future.
“This symposium aims to facilitate international dialogue on enhancing education and research in higher education institutions to promote inclusivity, digital literacy and ethical standards. This event provides us with a platform for developing strategies to ensure technology respects diverse values and enhances human dignity,” he added.
The hybrid event at the Potchefstroom Campus featured several distinguished speakers. Among them were Prof Olya Kudina, assistant professor in ethics and philosophy of technology from TU Delft in the Netherlands, Prof Shirley Chen, professor of digital learning and education and vice-dean for academic affairs at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Prof Sang Min Lee, professor in psychological counselling at Korea University, and Prof Amandeep Dhir, professor in research methods at the University of Agder, Norway. They were joined by NWU experts Dr Lance Bunt and Prof Japie Greeff.
The speakers discussed various topics, including the ethics of artificial intelligence, algorithmic management, digital storytelling for critical thinking and emotional learning, virtual and merged reality in supporting learning, and metaverse counselling.
Prof Kudina shared a perspective on ethics and its main infrastructure unit, human values, which evolve alongside technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). She highlighted that humans have never been independent in crafting their moral compass and that technologies such as AI play a role.
She also explained AI not primarily in its technical dimension, but as a dynamic sociotechnical system comprising the interrelation of social, technical and institutional components. She outlined several ways AI and human values are interrelated, considering this from the perspective of responsible design and use of AI.
Prof Dhir discussed the bright and dark aspects of algorithmic human resource management. He delved deep into the emotional, psychological and behavioural correlates of employees’ experience with and responses to algorithmic human resource management.
Prof Chen addressed the intersection of digital storytelling with critical thinking and emotional learning. Their research suggested that digital storytelling, with its diverse applications, serves as a holistic approach to education, spanning the domains of cognitive and emotional learning.
Prof Greeff explored the current state-of-the-art tools for artificial intelligence translation and audio and video generation to determine if these tools can provide a pathway to functional multilingualism. He proposed a solution currently at the proof-of-concept stage, while also exploring the limitations of such a system and what would need to be explored next to make it a production-ready environment that non-technical people can use.
Dr Bunt’s presentation focused on the nuanced interplay of technology and human beings, highlighting the importance of understanding this interplay and how it impacts our lives.
Prof Lee discussed the intersection of mental health and the metaverse, focusing on innovative counselling methods for the new generation.