Session
Organizer 1: Ana Carolina Sousa Dias, 🔒
Organizer 2: Yee Man Ko , DotAsia
Organizer 3: Alina Ustinova, 🔒Center for Global IT Cooperation
Speaker 1: James Nathan Adjartey Amattey, Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 2: Anna Abramova, Technical Community, Eastern European Group
Speaker 3: Gabriella Marcelja, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 4: J Amado Espinosa L, Private Sector, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Othman Almoamar , Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Alina Ustinova, Civil Society, Eastern European Group
Ana Carolina Sousa Dias, Technical Community, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Yee Man Ko , Technical Community, Asia-Pacific Group
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The roundtable format is particularly well-suited for such a workshop due to its interactive and collaborative nature. This format allows for a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives among participants, fostering a rich discussion that can delve into the complexities of the topic. The roundtable format also encourages active engagement and participation from all attendees, creating a more inclusive and interactive session that can spark innovative ideas and solutions. Furthermore, roundtable creates an idea of equality giving both speakers and participants the feeling of being involved in the discussion and making every PoV of the same importance. 90 minutes option is also the best for this workshop. Each speaker (including moderator) will have up to 10 minutes to present their point of view, leaving enough room for a Q&A session with the audience, so that an open dialogue can be started, exploring different perspectives in a supportive environment.
1. How will the integration of the neurocomputer interface affect human evolution? 2. What cybersecurity risks IoB devices hold if ‘hacking a computer’ equals ‘hacking a human being’? 3. What role will high-tech augmentations of human body play in terms of ethics and socio-economic segregation?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of such a complicated subject as Internet of Bodies - symbiosis of technology, healthcare, ethics and privacy. They will have the opportunity to engage in a dynamic discussion with stakeholders from different geographic regions and backgrounds and share their insights, experiences, and knowledge on this fascinating emerging field. Participants will also be able to deepen their knowledge of the implications and challenges associated with the IoB, as well as explore potential opportunities for innovation and advancement in healthcare and technology. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to widen their network which can lead to prospective collaborations. Ultimately, participants will leave the workshop with valuable insights and connections for further exploration and development in the IoB field.
Description:
Internet of Bodies (IoB) encompasses a wide range of technologies already in extensive use, including wearable devices, implantable medical devices, ingestible sensors, smart clothing, and biometric scanners, among others. These devices can collect various types of data, such as physiological metrics (heart rate, blood pressure, temperature), activity levels, location, and even biochemical information, so potential misuses can pose significant danger to users. As technology develops, we are moving from bracelets reading physical activity and smart watches to neurocomputer interfaces that would actually merge a person and a computer together. Human evolution is on the edge of a new era and the jury is still out on whether this technology presents more risks or opportunities. The practice of 'biohacking' (by the wearable users and not a third-party) is becoming known - it encompasses various practices aimed at modifying or augmenting biological systems, such as the case of billionaire Bryan Johnson, often recurring to DIY experiments, but mostly recording IoB devices' data and analysing it to find patterns and make informed decisions based on the results. How will the introduction of the third generation of IoB devices affect us and the world around us? Won't some IoB devices will not be used for good (for example, "smart lenses" that record every movement)? And how can a person be offline if the Internet is a physical part of you now?
This workshop aims to connect people interested in this topic to create strong partnerships that can further advance research, innovation, and policy development in the IoB field. All of the stakeholders are expected to cooperate and share their experience on this topic. Moreover, new bio-cybersecurity risks will be explored, providing an uncommon view on the matter. At the same time, it is important for the workshop to strike a careful balance between risks and opportunities of creating the joint regulation for IoB devices. Additionally, the workshop aims to create an aftermath article where all the different opinions on IoB are collected. Organizers are also to encourage further discussion on the topic via the creation of a speakers community for follow-up events to elaborate on the discourse at the next IG events, both regionally and globally.
Hybrid Format: The moderator will introduce subject matter experts and explain the discussion topic before engaging all discussants in the room and online in a roundtable conversation. The moderator will also closely follow the discussion in order to give floor to all the speakers and any participants willing to speak. The onsite and online attendees will have equal opportunity to speak up and ask their questions on the topic in turn, one by one. In this case everybody online and offline will have the same chance to take a floor and be a full member of the session. This means that on every question of remark from the onsite audience will be the same from the online one. Workshop will also be using such tools as Mentimeter and Kahoot! to make participants engage more in the discussion. Moreover, both tools are great for hybrid audiences.