Register for the Topics in Bioengineering Fall 2020 Series here (via Zoom). Registration is quick and easy; you only have to sign up once to receive the link that will be used for all TIB webinars this semester. 

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Join us for a talk by Dr. Rafael Yuste, Director of the NeuroRights Initiative, based in the Columbia University Neurotechnology Center. 

The NeuroRights Initiative (NRI) was launched by Columbia University’s Neurotechnology Center in 2019 under the leadership of Dr. Rafael Yuste. The 3-day workshop from which the NeuroRights Initiative emerged was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and co-led by Dr. Yuste.  This workshop brought together an international consortium of top neuroscientists, neurotechnologists, entrepreneurs, clinicians, ethicists, and artificial intelligence engineers to discuss ethical concerns of neurotechnology and machine intelligence. From this meeting, a new human rights framework, called “NeuroRights”, emerged.  The NRI was founded two years later to serve as an advocacy organization for these human rights directives, and to develop further ethical guidance for neurotechnological innovation. 

The NeuroRights Initiative has three primary missions: 

Our advocacy mission is to support policy and legal institutions as they develop and ratify NeuroRights provisions. The NRI collaboratively develops policy frameworks and works with governing bodies to implement legislation. This work includes drafting ethical guidance documents for public and private sector actors and publishing white papers on emerging topics of relevance.

Our public outreach mission is to raise the profile of the human rights risks associated with Neurotechnology and AI. The NRI organizes events and distributes information through various media channels. We hold open debate forums to educate the public about how neurotechnology could impact lives and communities.

Our partnership mission is to mobilize new actors within academia, tech, governments, international organizations, and human rights institutions to incorporate NeuroRights into their mandate.

To learn more about the NeuroRights Initiative, visit: https://nri.ntc.columbia.edu/