I know, the headlines since the 20th January 2025 look like from 1984 tech version of dystopia…
Billionaires wasting billions of dollars and precious energy in megalomaniacal AI projects with limited ability to actually help people and an enormous ability to manipulate them and hurt them.
It’s not the greatest of times to call yourself a data scientist…when you’re getting mixed with snake oil salesman, outright liars and people that disregard public health and safety in the name of money. I know, more and more I’ve been calling myself just a Computational Biologist.
But what can we do in such a reality? I second Hannah Fry’s argument that tech and data specialists need their own version of the Hippocratic Oath (check article).
Something that will help us understand the power of our work and be a constant reminder of our responsibilities as data stewards.
Here’s my suggestion, let’s start by the suggestion given by Sir Józef Rotblat, in 1999, in a Science Journal Article :
I promise to work for a better world, where science and technology are used in socially responsible ways. I will not use my education for any purpose intended to harm human beings or the environment. Throughout my career, I will consider the ethical implications of my work before I take action. While the demands placed upon me may be great, I sign this declaration because I recognize that individual responsibility is the first step on the path to peace.
This is a good first oath, we can make it better with time.
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