Emergensight is the ability to prepare for and handle surprising results and complexity. This was explored by Professor Andy Miah who joined Amplified Leicester for the second half of the session to discuss the emerging era of human enhancement as an interface between cultures of computing and biology. Andy drew on the film Gattaca to illustrate the idea of society driven by the advancement of science and technology. He explored the rise of the “bio artist” taking technology out of a sterile environment and merging it with art to make us engage with biology in unfamiliar ways. One of the examples he provided was the artist Eduardo Kac who created the BFP Bunny.
Andy described studies carried out around ethics, law and technology which lead him to discuss human enhancement and share examples from athletics, asking whether we can "develop a range of systems that reflect adequately the range of human experiences”? This stimulated a group discussion on the societal impact of biotechnologies and what we might expect to see in the future.
Andy's presentation