Benefits, risks and public trust in technology innovations are usually the focus of political and societal attention. Almost entirely overlooked is the need for the governance of these technologies, in its own right, to be trustworthy and to earn trust. We thought this an important question to be explored.
Our research and consultation sought first to understand the drivers of trust and sources of distrust and then use that knowledge to consider how tech governance may differ, and in what ways, if trustworthiness and the earning of trust were considered important and systematically incorporated into governance institutions and governance design. The findings of this work can be found in the TIGTech report and accompanying academic anchor document found on our homepage.
This thinking is currently being shared with audiences involved in artificial intelligence and digital technologies, robotics and autonomous systems, nanotech, genome editing and neurotech and piloted in nanotechnology risk governance and in the area of digital responsibility.
We are seeking further opportunities to apply this thinking on trust in real world governance design. If you would like to explore with us how these ideas can be applied, please contact Hilary Sutcliffe on hilary@societyinside.com or Ralf Lindner on Ralf.Lindner@isi.fraunhofer.de
TIGTech Team
Co-Founder and Director
Hilary Sutcliffe
Hilary is the Director of not-for-profit SocietyInside. TIGTech is an initiative delivered by SocietyInside in partnership with Fraunhofer ISI, funded by Fraunhofer-Gesellshaft and supported by the World Economic Forum.
Taking forward the thinking of TIGTech post launch, she is promoting the importance of trustworthiness and trust in governance and the findings of the report with organisations involved in governance, ethics, economics and across a number of tech, notably AI, Data Ethics, Nanotechnologies, Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Human Genome Editing and Synthetic Biology and Neurotechnologies.
Hilary’s focus over 20 years has been the exploring the promotion and practice of Responsible Innovation - innovation which works for people and planet without causing more problems than it solves. Her focus is on multi-stakeholder research and citizen or stakeholder involvement strategy for initiatives across tech domains - including nanotech, AI, synthetic biology & gene editing, industrial biotech, neurotech, quantum tech, robotics, food irradiation, high tech food innovation.
She is a member of the UK Synthetic Biology Governance Group; on the Advisory Board of the Carnegie Centre for AI and Equality; Advisor to the International Congress on for the Governance of Artificial Intelligence; Member of the SPRITE Network exploring Security, Privacy, Identity, Trust in the Digital Economy; and advisory board of Warwick University research project ‘Anthropogenic Global Catastrophic Risk: The Challenge of Governance’.
She was a member of the World Economic Forum Agile Governance (2019–2020), Global Future Council; Co-chair of their Global Future Council on Values, Ethics & Innovation (2018–19), Human Rights (2016–18) Global Agenda Council on Nanotechnology (2014–16). Active in WEF global multi-stakeholder Biotech Dialogue (2016–present).
She was named as one of the #100brilliantwomeninAIEthics for 2021!
Initiator and Co-Founder
Conrad von Kameke
Conrad was the initiator of TIGTech. In 2017 he brought together a group of experts at the 2017 World Economic Forum Global Future Councils meeting in Dubai to explore the importance of earning societal trust in the governance of technologies. There he inspired Hilary to join him in co-designing the the initiative and together they secured the support of the Forum and funding from Fraunhofer-Gesellshaft.
Conrad has been engaged over 20+ years in the development of innovative and agile governance solutions for innovations in life sciences, particularly in low-trust / high-concern contexts of new tech introductions. He has participated in tech policy, legislative and administrative procedures at national, regional and UN levels for technology providers.
He has extensive industry experience in political strategy, regulatory procedures, and stakeholder interaction enabling the commercial market introduction of innovative products by global technology leaders. Including initiating a decade-long dialogue with insurers and re-insurers on insurability of biotechnology and related governance design, initiating alternative compensation mechanisms at both national and UN levels.
Conrad has a legal background with a focus on the European Union’s governance over the deliberate release of genetically modified organisms into the environment.
He was a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on Biotechnology (2016-2019) and active in WEF global multi-stakeholder Biotech Dialogue (2016-present).
Conrad completed his involvement with TIGTech in 2019 and is now Global Head of Public Affairs & Sustainable Development at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, a global leader in animal pharmaceuticals.
The Team at Fraunhofer ISI was Ralf Lindner, Tanja Kaufman, Elna Schirrmeister, Ralph Gutknecht, Lia Meissner and Ulrich Smoch. More details available shortly.
TIGTECH SUPPORTERS
Supporter of TIGTech
Funder and Academic Partner
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft – Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisation – has generously funded the Research and Development Phase of TIGTech.
Furthermore, Fraunhofer Institute of Systems and Innovation Research is our academic partner.
Their support will allow the delivery of the underpinning academic research component; a contribution from psychology and behavioural sciences organisations; the development of the key concepts and the testing of these with governance professionals and key stakeholders.
World Ecomomic Forum
TIGTech was initiated at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum Global Future Councils by Conrad von Kameke (GFC Biotechnologies) and Hilary Sutcliffe (co-chair, GFC Values, Ethics and Innovation).
The Forum is supporting TIGTech with strategic advice and though its global network of experts. The Forum is generously hosting key project events and advisory board meetings.
Members of the Global Future Councils and the Forum’s Expert Network are contributing to the initiative.