The responsible use of technological power

Abstract

This article is based on a translation into English of a speech given by Professor Marco Doldi at Diritto, Etica e Techologica, 2018 Il doppio volto della tecnologia, organised by Ordine degli Avvocati di Genova and Consiglio Notarile Genova (Palazzo Ducale, Sala del maggior Consiglio, Genova, 11-12 maggio 2018). The original Italian text follows the translation. Where there is a difference, the Italian text is the original.The author considers how new technologies are a form of power that, from the modern age on, man has achieved with the help of technology. He suggests that Artificial intelligence and robotics represent the new frontiers, to which contemporary scientific knowledge has arrived. They open ethical questions about their use and, from an anthropological point of view, raise interesting questions, such as: what does it mean to be human – to be human beings in an era of technological complexity and rapid change? and how can technology development be managed?