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Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Human Enhancements at Work Pose Ethical Dilemmas

By Kate Holland
Reuters Health Information
Originally published November 8, 2012


Retinal implants to help pilots see at night, stimulant drugs to keep surgeons alert and steady handed, cognitive enhancers to focus the minds of executives for a big speech or presentation.

Medical and scientific advances are bringing human enhancements into work but with them, according to a report by British experts, come not only the potential to help society and boost productivity, but also a range of ethical dilemmas.

"We're not talking science fiction here, we're talking about advances that could impact significantly on the way we work...in the near future," said Genevra Richardson, a professor of law at Kings College London and one of the authors of the report.

The report was published after a joint workshop involving four major British scientific institutions which looked at emerging technologies like cognitive enhancing drugs, bionic limbs and retinal implants that have the potential to change workplaces dramatically in future.

Richardson said while such developments may benefit society in important ways, such as by boosting workforce productivity, their use also had "significant policy implications" to be considered by governments, employers, workers and trades unions.

The entire article is here.