The ethics of artificial intelligence in the life sciences: Universality, cultural diversity and an architecture of care

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2608.05436v1
• Date: Wed, 05 Aug 2026 22:11:03 GMT
• Title: The ethics of artificial intelligence in the life sciences: Universality, cultural diversity and an architecture of care
• Abstract summary: The life sciences and health research have started to benefit from artificial intelligence.<n>This raises ethical concerns that are real but, we argue, not special.<n>Any science should be governed by values that rest on how the human brain is built and socialised.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Abstract: The life sciences and health research have started to benefit from artificial intelligence, which raises ethical concerns that are real but, we argue, not special. Any science should be governed by values that rest on how the human brain is built and socialised rather than anything distinct to artificial intelligence. Importantly, the human brain has a different, much less costly computational architecture than these machines. This is achieved through the orchestration of a global neuronal workspace, and through reward best described not as a quantity to be maximised but as a continuous cycle of wanting, liking and satiety. As such, this creates the deep tension running through the ethics of the human person, between the universality of ethical judgement and the diversity of morals. The brain networks of the global workspace and emotion are universally shared, but the diversity of content is shaped by epigenetic appropriation of the particulars of the physical, social and cultural world, which makes every person unique. Still, if we were to build machines on these principles rather than the present unaffordable reward maximisers, the question of their governance would change from restraint to upbringing. We set out the institutions such a future would require, together with the questions that remain open.

Related papers

• Position: Intelligent Science Laboratory Requires the Integration of Cognitive and Embodied AI [98.19195693735487]
  We propose the paradigm of Intelligent Science Laboratories (ISLs)<n>ISLs are a multi-layered, closed-loop framework that deeply integrates cognitive and embodied intelligence.<n>We argue that such systems are essential for overcoming the current limitations of scientific discovery.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-06-24T13:31:44Z)
• Sentience Quest: Towards Embodied, Emotionally Adaptive, Self-Evolving, Ethically Aligned Artificial General Intelligence [32.73124984242397]
  Sentience Quest is an open research initiative to develop more capable artificial general intelligence lifeforms.<n>Our vision builds on ideas from cognitive science and neuroscience from Baars' Global Workspace Theory and Damasio's somatic mind.<n>We describe an approach that integrates intrinsic drives including survival, social bonding, curiosity, within a global Story Weaver.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-18T04:26:49Z)
• Neural Brain: A Neuroscience-inspired Framework for Embodied Agents [78.61382193420914]
  Current AI systems, such as large language models, remain disembodied, unable to physically engage with the world.<n>At the core of this challenge lies the concept of Neural Brain, a central intelligence system designed to drive embodied agents with human-like adaptability.<n>This paper introduces a unified framework for the Neural Brain of embodied agents, addressing two fundamental challenges.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-12T15:05:34Z)
• Scaling Laws in Scientific Discovery with AI and Robot Scientists [72.3420699173245]
  An autonomous generalist scientist (AGS) concept combines agentic AI and embodied robotics to automate the entire research lifecycle.<n>AGS aims to significantly reduce the time and resources needed for scientific discovery.<n>As these autonomous systems become increasingly integrated into the research process, we hypothesize that scientific discovery might adhere to new scaling laws.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-28T14:00:27Z)
• Artificial intelligence and the limits of the humanities [0.0]
  Humanities have to adapt to the digital age. New, interdisciplinary branches of humanities emerge. understanding the cognitive limitations of humans is the key to the revitalization of humanities.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-30T10:35:23Z)
• AI for Mathematics: A Cognitive Science Perspective [86.02346372284292]
  Mathematics is one of the most powerful conceptual systems developed and used by the human species. Rapid progress in AI, particularly propelled by advances in large language models (LLMs), has sparked renewed, widespread interest in building such systems.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-10-19T02:00:31Z)
• World Models and Predictive Coding for Cognitive and Developmental Robotics: Frontiers and Challenges [51.92834011423463]
  We focus on the two concepts of world models and predictive coding. In neuroscience, predictive coding proposes that the brain continuously predicts its inputs and adapts to model its own dynamics and control behavior in its environment.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-01-14T06:38:14Z)
• Neuroscience-inspired perception-action in robotics: applying active inference for state estimation, control and self-perception [2.1067139116005595]
  We discuss how neuroscience findings open up opportunities to improve current estimation and control algorithms in robotics. This paper summarizes some experiments and lessons learned from developing such a computational model on real embodied platforms.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-05-10T10:59:38Z)
• Imagine All the People: Citizen Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Computational Research [7.111661677477925]
  Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and deep learning have advanced significantly over the past decade. Humans possess unique abilities such as creativity, intuition, context and abstraction. To successfully tackle pressing scientific and societal challenges, we need the complementary capabilities of both humans and machines.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-03-31T20:21:13Z)
• On the Philosophical, Cognitive and Mathematical Foundations of Symbiotic Autonomous Systems (SAS) [87.3520234553785]
  Symbiotic Autonomous Systems (SAS) are advanced intelligent and cognitive systems exhibiting autonomous collective intelligence. This work presents a theoretical framework of SAS underpinned by the latest advances in intelligence, cognition, computer, and system sciences.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-02-11T05:44:25Z)
• Ethics in the digital era [0.0]
  Ethics is an ancient matter for human kind, from the origin of civilizations ethics have been related with the most relevant human concerns and determined cultures. The undergoing digital revolution enabled by Artificial Intelligence and Data are bringing ethical wicked problems in the social application of these technologies.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-03-14T01:32:11Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.