Science4Parliament Podcast

Bridging the gap between science and decision-making

denisnaughten.substack.com

  1. Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 1

    11/15/2024

    Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 1

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the first of the special AI editions of the Science4Parliament podcast. These episodes are a summary of three workshops which took place online in early 2024 to inform the IPU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) resolution, which was adopted at the IPU’s General Assembly in October 2024. The aim of this resolution is to encourage parliamentarians to consider the social and ethical impacts of this new technology and, as decision-makers, the issues to be aware of when considering legislating for AI to ensure that its development and use is fair and beneficial for all of humanity. The workshops were designed as part of the journey to the resolution, as a learning tool and also to stimulate interest and debate. The process was steered by two rapporteurs, Michelle Rempel Garner, a Member of the House of Commons of Canada, and Neema Lugangira, a Member of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania who moderated the first two sessions and I moderated the third session.   Session one covers the basics of AI technologies, how they are developed and used, and how they are impacting the world, session two sees a deeper delve into the emerging impacts of AI on society and how governments need to work to harness these potential benefits and mitigate any harms. The third session was an assessment of legislation in relation to AI, what is currently in place and how to plan for what may be needed in the future. Speakers: Tulia Ackson, the president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), opened the workshops and spoke about the importance of the IPU’s artificial intelligence resolution to provide leadership and guidance to parliamentarians globally. Yoshua Bengio, founder and scientific director of the Montreal Institute for Artificial Intelligence, gave an overview of the basics of AI. Inma Martinez, chair of the multi-stakeholder expert group and co-chair of the steering committee at the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence,  spoke about the work of the partnership, the potential of artificial intelligence and the importance of who is actually doing the regulating. More information The draft AI resolution, ‘The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law’, was published on 25 July 2024, following extensive collaborations with parliaments and experts, and was adopted at the 149th IPU General Assembly in October 2024 and is available on the IPU’s webpage  Links to the other two workshop summaries are below; please share them with anyone who might be interested: Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 2 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15902198 Part 3 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15902412 The complete seminars are on the IPU’s YouTube channel @IpuOrg Any comments or questions?  Text the show at the link at the top or contact me: Email:         dnaughten@gmail.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:                  https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:          https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:          https://denisnaughten.ie/ Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    19 min
  2. Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 2

    11/15/2024

    Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 2

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the second of the special AI editions of the Science4Parliament podcast. These episodes are a summary of three workshops which took place online in early 2024 to inform the IPU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) resolution, which was adopted at the IPU’s General Assembly in October 2024. This resolution aims to encourage parliamentarians to consider the social and ethical impacts of this new technology and the issues that they, as decision-makers, should be aware of when considering legislating for AI to ensure that its development and use is fair and beneficial for all of humanity. The workshops were designed as part of the journey to the resolution, as a learning tool and also to stimulate interest and debate. The process was steered by two rapporteurs, Michelle Rempel Garner, Member of the House of Commons of Canada, and Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, who moderated the first two sessions, and I moderated the third session.   Session one covered the basics of AI technologies, how they are developed and used, and how they are impacting the world, session two sees a deeper delve into the emerging impacts of AI on society and how governments need to work to harness these potential benefits and mitigate any harms. The third session was an assessment of legislation in relation to AI, what is currently in place and how to plan for what may be needed in the future. Speakers: Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director General for communications and information with UNESCO, provided the opening remarks.  Joel Bilt, a senior fellow at the Center of International Governance Innovation and the associate professor of economics at the University of Waterloo, Canada, talked about the steps that the growth of artificial intelligence, or any other technology, is likely to follow.  The final speaker in the session was Philip Thigo, advisor to the Government of Kenya and a member of the United Nations High-Level advisory body on artificial intelligence, he spoke about the changes that these new technologies are having on society and humanity. More information  The draft AI resolution, ‘The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law’, was published on 25 July 2024, following extensive collaborations with parliaments and experts, and adopted at the 149th IPU General Assembly in October 2024. It is available on the IPU’s webpage, IPU.org. The links to the other two workshop summaries are below; please do share them with anyone you think might be interested: Science4Parliament - Special AI edition Part 1 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15896531 Part 3 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15902412 If you would like to listen to the seminars in their entirety, you can do so on the IPU’s YouTube channel @IpuOrg  If you have any comments or questions, please text the show at the link at the top of the page, email me at dnaughten@gmail.com or follow me on social media: LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:               https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:         https://denisn Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min
  3. Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 3

    11/15/2024

    Science4Parliament - Special AI edition - Part 3

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the final special AI edition of the Science4Parliament podcast.  These episodes are summaries of the workshops which took place online in early 2024 to inform the IPU’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) resolution. The resolution aims to encourage parliamentarians to consider the social and ethical impacts of this new technology and the issues that they, as decision-makers, should be aware of when considering legislating for AI  to ensure that its development and use is fair and beneficial for all of humanity. The workshops were designed as part of the journey to the resolution, as a learning tool, and to stimulate interest and debate. The process was steered by two rapporteurs, Michelle Rempel Garner, Member of the House of Commons of Canada, and Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania, who moderated the first two sessions, and I moderated the third.   Session one covers the basics of AI, its development and use, and how it is impacting the world, Session two sees a deeper delve into the emerging impacts of AI on society and how governments need to work to harness potential benefits and mitigate any harms. The third session is an assessment of legislation, what is currently in place and how to plan for the future. Speakers: Carol Roach, Chair of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), set out the basics of what is needed to regulate AI and gave advice to parliamentarians when they are undertaking this challenge. Martin Ulbrich, senior expert on AI Policy with DG CNECT in the European Commission, was involved in the drafting of the white paper and the whole regulatory area of AI  in the EU. He gave an overview of the development of the EU AI Act, the world's first comprehensive AI law, which aims to ensure the equitable and responsible development and use of this innovative technology. Finally, Quintin Chou-Lambert, senior programme officer with the office of the UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Technology, gave an oversight on the roadmap for digital cooperation, which provides a vision and direction for an increasingly digital world. More information The draft resolution, ‘The impact of artificial intelligence on democracy, human rights and the rule of law’, was published in July 2024 and adopted at the 149th IPU General Assembly (Oct 2024).  Available on the IPU’s webpage. Links to the other special AI edition episodes: Part 1 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15896531 Part 2 - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2249694/episodes/15902198 Complete seminars are on the IPU’s YouTube channel. You can text the show via the link at the top of the page, contact me at dnaughten@gmail.com or via social media: LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:               https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:          https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:          https://denisnaughten.ie/ Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    22 min
  4. Episode 14 -The Science4Parliament Summary (season 1)

    10/27/2024

    Episode 14 -The Science4Parliament Summary (season 1)

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the summary of season one of the Science4Parliament podcast, the first podcast which aims to foster the relationship between science and decision-makers and show how research and innovation are vital to the equitable and sustainable functioning of our societies and economies.     It is presented by Denis Naughten, a directly elected Member of Parliament in Ireland for nearly three decades. Denis has served as an Irish cabinet minister, on the Council of European Union Ministers and chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology, based in Geneva, which aims to inspire global parliamentary action through legislative work in the field of science and technology.     The overall aim of this podcast is to highlight the work of innovative people in the world of science and to get their perspective on what needs to be done to bring that world and the world of policy closer together.     This episode is a short taster of the enlightening and inspiring chats that Denis had on the Science4Parliament podcast. The full episodes and more information about the interviewees are available here:  https://science4parliamentpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ Dr Aoife Braiden, geoscientist and research manager with the Geological Survey of Ireland:  geoscience and critical raw materials Carlos Álvarez Pereira, a member of the Club of Rome, talks about the part of science in the future of humanity.  Dr Uzma Alam, program Lead for Science Policy Engagement with the Science For Africa Foundation in Kenya: the science, data and politics link. Dr Sophia Huyer, gender and social inclusion lead for the programme Accelerating the Impact of Climate Research in Africa  (AICCRA) at the International Livestock Research Institute in Dakar in Senegal: climate change solutions for small farmers, especially women. Dr. Tim Jacquemard, currently a senior research analyst with Trilateral Research in Waterford and former researcher in residence in the Irish parliament: - e-Health Dr Cormac Ó Coileáin - a research fellow at the Bundeswehr University Munich, previously a postdoctoral researcher in ASIN in Trinity College Dublin and former researcher in residence in the Irish parliament: - nanotechnology John Oldfield, CEO of Accelerate Global and former director of Global Water 2020, talks about the power of water caucuses Dr. Rónán Kennedy, senior lecturer in law at the University of Galway and former researcher in residence in the Irish parliament: law-tech Dr. Nicholas Vafeas, scientific project officer at Science Foundation Ireland, former policy lead at the Geothermal Association of Ireland and former researcher in residence in the Irish parliament: - geothermal energy  Dr Mark Costello,  a marine ecology expert and Prof. of Marine Ecology at Nord University, Norway, talks about marine protected areas (MPAs).   Dr. Boris Galkin, senior researcher at the Tyndall National Institute, former research fellow at the CONNECT Centre in Dublin and former researcher in residence in the Irish parliament: - unmanned aerial vehicles. Contact  Denis Naughten: Email:        dnaughten@gmail.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:              https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:         https://denisnaughten.ie/ Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    22 min
  5. Science4Parliament Podcast – Dr Sophia Huyer – Episode 13 – Climate Research, Food Security and Gender Equality.

    08/27/2024

    Science4Parliament Podcast – Dr Sophia Huyer – Episode 13 – Climate Research, Food Security and Gender Equality.

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the Science4Parliament podcast,  the first podcast that aims to foster the relationship between science and decision-makers and show how research and innovation are vital to the equitable and sustainable functioning of our societies and economies.      It is presented by Denis Naughten, a directly elected Member of Parliament in Ireland for nearly three decades. Denis has served as an Irish cabinet minister and on the Council of European Union Ministers and is currently chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology, based in Geneva, which aims to inspire global parliamentary action through legislative work in the field of science and technology.      The podcast aims to highlight the work of innovative people in the world of science and to get their perspective on what needs to be done to bring that world and the world of policy closer together.      In this episode, Denis talks to Dr Sophia Huyer, the gender and social inclusion lead for the programme Accelerating the Impact of Climate Research in Africa  (AICCRA) at the International Livestock Research Institute in Dakar in Senegal. Dr Huyer has been publishing and presenting on global gender equality issues in relation to technology innovation and sustainable development for over 20 years. In this episode of the podcast, she talks about what is being done,  not only to research the impacts of climate change but to find solutions and communicate this information to local communities in Africa to help make a difference to small farmers and especially women’s quality of life.  More information on Dr. Sophia Huyer Email:        s.huyer@cgiar.org Websites: https://aiccra.cgiar.org/people/sophia-huyer                    wisat.org (WISAT)                    ccafs.cgiar.org (CCAFS) X:                   https://x.com/CGIARAfrica                     https://x.com/sophiahuyer LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-huyer-a9241512/           Contacts for Denis Naughten: Email:          dnaughten@gmail.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:               https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:         https://denisnaughten.ie/ Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min
  6. Science4Parliament podcast – Episode 12 – Dr. Uzma Alam – The Science, Data and Politics Link

    06/20/2024

    Science4Parliament podcast – Episode 12 – Dr. Uzma Alam – The Science, Data and Politics Link

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the Science4Parliament podcast, the first podcast that aims to foster the relationship between science and decision-makers and show how research and innovation are vital to the equitable and sustainable functioning of our societies and economies.     It is presented by Denis Naughten, a directly elected Member of Parliament in Ireland for nearly three decades. Denis has served as an Irish cabinet minister and on the Council of European Union Ministers and is currently chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology, based in Geneva, which aims to inspire global parliamentary action through legislative work in the field of science and technology.     The podcast aims to highlight the work of innovative people in the world of science and to get their perspective on what needs to be done to bring that world and the world of policy closer together.      In this episode, Denis talks to Dr Uzma Alam,  Program Lead for Science Policy Engagement with the Science For Africa Foundation in Kenya, whom he met at the  INGSA conference in Kigali, Rwanda. Dr Alam talks about the essence of evidence-based decision-making: data. Where it comes from, and what it can do. Dr Alam's  recent article on the  potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to aid Africa’s pandemic preparedness efforts is available here: https://www.talkafrica.co.ke/opinion-leveraging-ai-for-africas-pandemic-preparedness-on-africa-day/ More information on Dr. Uzma Alam Websites:      https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Uzma-Alam                        https://scienceforafrica.foundation/ X:                   https://x.com/SciforAfrica                      LinkedIn:      https://www.linkedin.com/in/uzma-alam/                        https://www.linkedin.com/company/scienceforafricafoundation/  Contact Denis Naughten: Email:          dnaughten@gmail.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:              https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:         https://denisnaughten.ie/         Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    24 min
  7. Science4Parliament – Episode eleven – Dr Mark Costello – Marine Protected Areas

    06/06/2024

    Science4Parliament – Episode eleven – Dr Mark Costello – Marine Protected Areas

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the Science4Parliament podcast,  the first podcast that aims to foster the relationship between science and decision-makers and show how research and innovation are vital to the equitable and sustainable functioning of our societies and economies.     It is presented by Denis Naughten, a directly elected Member of Parliament in Ireland for nearly three decades. Denis has served as an Irish cabinet minister and on the Council of European Union Ministers and is currently chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology,  based in Geneva, which aims to inspire global parliamentary action through legislative work in the field of science and technology.     The podcast aims to highlight the work of innovative people in the world of science and to get their perspective on what needs to be done to bring that world and the world of policy closer together.     In this episode, Dr Mark Costello,  a marine ecology expert and currently Prof. of Marine Ecology at Nord University, Norway, joins Denis to talk about marine protected areas (MPAs) and why they are so important to marine biodiversity.   Further information at the links below: Dr Costello's  recent paper on the economic effect of MPAs : https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.05417.080 A village celebrating their marine reserve after a 10-year campaign by local schoolchildren. One of those children (now a mother)  set up Experiencing Marine Reserves, which has taken over 100,000 people snorkelling inside and around MPAs to show how they work and the difference that they make, A short video from a New Zealand recreational fisherman Interviews of fishermen in the Canary Islands who demanded  more marine reserves when they saw their success Interesting article on the Atlantic Ocean circulation and the effect that it is having.  Contact  Denis Naughten: Email:            dnaughten@gmail.com LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:              https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Web:         https://denisnaughten.ie/ More information on Dr. Mark Costello Website:       https://www.nord.no/en/about/employees/mark-john-costello X:                   https://twitter.com/costellomark LinkedIn:      https://www.linkedin.com/in/costellomarkj/ Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    27 min
  8. Science4Parliament - Episode Ten - Dr Aoife Braiden - Critical Raw Materials Act.

    05/21/2024

    Science4Parliament - Episode Ten - Dr Aoife Braiden - Critical Raw Materials Act.

    Text the Science4Parliament podcast here. Welcome to the Science4Parliament podcast, the first podcast that aims to foster the relationship between science and decision-makers and show how research and innovation are vital to the equitable and sustainable functioning of our societies and economies.     It is presented by Dennis Naughten, a directly elected Member of Parliament in Ireland for nearly three decades, who has served as an Irish cabinet minister and on the Council of the European Union ministers. He is chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology, based in Geneva, which aims to inspire global parliamentary action through legislative work in the field of science and technology.    The podcast aims to highlight the work of innovative people in the world of science and to get their perspective on what needs to be done to bring the world of science and policy closer together.    To add something different to the conversation, each guest is asked to pick two numbers, each related to one of 10 random questions, some of which will be asked during the interview.    In this episode, Aoife Braiden, geoscientist research manager with Geological Survey Ireland (GSI), joins Denis again to finish the conversation about geoscience, particularly the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, what it means, why it is important and how scientists can help policymakers implement it. You can find out more about some of Aoife’s work here: https://www.era-min.eu/news/new-research-paper-publication The Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) policy paper that Aoife spoke about in the first episode is here: https://gsi.geodata.gov.ie/downloads/Geoenergy/Reports/GSI_Assessment_of_GeoDH_for_Ireland_Nov2020_v2.pdf For more information on the Critical Raw Materials Act, see the European Commission website here - https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_1661 You can contact Denis Naughten in relation to this podcast or any other matter by emailing dnaughten@gmail.com or follow him on social media: LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-naughten X:               https://x.com/DenisNaughten Blog:         https://substack.com/@denisnaughten Website:  https://denisnaughten.ie/ For more information on GSI Website:    https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/Pages/default.aspx X:                https://twitter.com/geolsurvie LinkedIn:   https://ie.linkedin.com/company/geological-survey-ireland Get full access to InnoSphere Consulting at denisnaughten.substack.com/subscribe

    26 min

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