Humane Digital Transformation

Digital ethics consists in questioning and guiding digital technologies and digital transformation in light of well-founded and widely recognised individual and societal values. Particular attention is given to safeguarding the four values of the thematic field: participation for all, empowerment of all stakeholders, digital sovereignty, and well-being and health. This approach takes into account the interactions and interests of the economy, the state, civil society, and individuals. It aims to articulate these perspectives in order to create holistic, sustainable, and coherent value in the context of digitalisation. The design, dissemination, and governance of digital knowledge, as well as the control of data, infrastructures, and digital tools, are central challenges of digital transformation. In this context, open and collaborative approaches such as open source play a key role in enabling free access to knowledge and technologies and their joint development. Economic, legal, and technological dimensions are essential to ensure that digital knowledge remains sustainable, accessible, and beneficial to society as a whole.

The Digital Ethics & Society focus topic incorporates ethical values as a cross-cutting dimension across all focus topics within the thematic field of Humane Digital Transformation.

A human-centered implementation of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, aims to promote their sustainable, responsible and context-sensitive use in practice. Digital technologies are not an end in themselves, but tools that serve human activity: they should strengthen people’s capabilities and contribute to better working conditions. In this perspective, they support creative forms of expression, social participation and more efficient service delivery.

Focus on the fundamental challenges of digital production and value creation, with the aim of generating societal added value, in particular through optimising value chains from raw materials to finished products; fostering interdisciplinary and integrated collaboration and the development of networks; strengthening traditional craftsmanship through innovation; platform-based economies; and the design and implementation of digital business processes.

The focus is on how digital technologies can support a good, safe, and self-determined way of life for people. From the perspective of healthcare professionals, the guiding principle in the use of digital technologies is to ‘do good’ and ‘do no harm’. This requires the development, testing, implementation, and continuous evaluation of human-centered digital solutions.

Wherever possible, digital technologies should contribute to improving both the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. They should also facilitate access to health information and support individuals in understanding its implications for their daily lives. Furthermore, it is essential to clarify how data-driven personalised treatments can benefit patients.

There is a need for scientific evidence and good practices on how augmented intelligence can be effectively applied along the patient pathway for prediction, health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

This topic is developed in close collaboration with the strategic thematic field Caring Society and the care@home competence center.

The opportunities and risks of new technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence (e.g. ChatGPT), in education are being examined in order to develop forward-looking solutions for their meaningful and responsible use. Competences such as critical decision-making with and despite digital technologies, the integration of subject knowledge with process knowledge, the ability to recognise complexity, and to derive implications and consequences need to be fostered. In addition, research explores how digital education formats can promote equal opportunities and support lifelong learning.

This topic is advanced in close collaboration with the BFH Virtual Academy and the BeLEARN competence center.