How do cutting-edge science and technology respond to ethical and legal issues when incorporated into society? These issues are known as ethical, legal and social issues, or “ELSI” for short, and research on these issues is being carried out both within Japan and around the world. In 2023, Kobe University launched KOBELSI, its university-wide research project on ELSI in life sciences and natural sciences. As revolutionary technology in fields such as medicine and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to pop up one after another, how has ELSI research advanced? We spoke with Professor CHATANI Naoto of the Graduate School of Humanities, leader of the project and an expert in ancient Greek philosophy and bioethics, about the current state of ELSI research and its future prospects.
ELSI gathered attention during the human genome project
When did ELSI research start to become more widespread?
Chatani:
ELSI research began to really spread in the USA from the end of the 20th century, and there were two big reasons for this.
First of all, from the 1970s, the field of molecular biology started to see rapid growth, owing to the elucidation of genetic organization and advances in genetic engineering. There were also pushes to apply this technology to medicine. On the other hand, the scientists themselves began to raise fears of the risks of these advances, such as biohazards and abuse of technology. It was at that point that James Watson, known for his discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, proposed a moratorium in 1974 for researchers to stop and consider the way research should be conducted.
Another reason was the human genome project that began in the USA in the 1980s. This was an international endeavor to decipher all the genetic information of humans, and during the project promotion process, Watson advocated the importance of ELSI. He proposed that when performing research, a certain percentage of the budget should be allocated to ELSI research, which the US government accepted and applied when organizing the project.
With the advancement of DNA analysis comes the possibility of all sorts of disadvantages, such as not being able to get insurance or a job due to the prediction of the formation of an illness due to a certain genetic disease. In addition, genetic information, also known as the blueprint for our bodies, was a previously unexpected intellectual property, which raises the issue of how society and laws should handle it. Promotion of the human genome project has suddenly brought these issues into the spotlight.
What about in countries besides the USA?
Chatani:
Perhaps due to lessons learned following the human experiments conducted by the Nazis, Europe tends to emphasize human rights issues involved in medical research on humans, and has for some time now. However, in Europe, research has developed not as ELSI, but as ELSA, in which the A stands for “aspects.”
On the other hand, Japan has only really started its own ELSI research within the last few years. In the fifth edition, for the academic years 2016-2020, of the Cabinet Office’s “Science and technology basic plan,” which is released every five years, the concept of ELSI was included for the very first time. Following this, ELSI became eligible for public research grants, and in the past few years, centers for conducting ELSI research have begun to be established at national universities.
At Kobe University, the “Project innovative ethics” was launched at the Graduate School of Humanities in 2007, which carried out research and education regarding applied ethics. This project has been involved in activity such as conducting surveys on asbestos issues in industrial areas in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, and in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake, publishing academic journals and holding research seminars. To make use of the activity that has accumulated in the project, KOBELSI was started as a university-wide organization in 2023. Currently, some 20 researchers from graduate schools in both liberal arts and sciences participate in KOBELSI.
Weeding out issues from the development stage of science and technology
What about ethical issues in research even before the term ELSI came to be?
Chatani:
In recent years, the span between developing science and technology and its social implementation has become extremely short. Not only that, once it’s implemented into society, the effects are both wide and varied. Even if there are fears that technology will be misused, there is also the issue of laws not being able to keep up. Once that technology becomes widespread in society, it’s already too late to think about any issues.
Whether it’s the internet or smartphones or what have you, it’s impossible to go back to a society where those things didn’t exist. Rapidly evolving generative AI will likely turn out much the same. Generative AI searches through massive amounts of data to provide answers to questions in an instant, but this comes with its own issues. From biased expressions created in a world centered around Europe and North America to copyright issues associated with the original data being used, all kinds of issues have been pointed out.
One characteristic of ELSI research is that it looks to find issues not after social implementation, but from the development stage of science and technology to try to solve as many of those issues as possible. Rather than pointing out issues from the outside, ELSI research aims to think about issues together in the same circles as the researchers who are developing new science and technology. In order to do this, researchers from ELSI fields, such as law and ethics, must have a certain level of understanding of the specialized knowledge of their target science and technology, while the researchers developing this technology must also consider the social effects of their research.
However, when these researchers do think from within the same circle, there is also the issue that they may lose their critical attitude. Even if there’s a framework for researchers with ELSI-based perspectives to enter into, it’s meaningless if they just approve each technology as it’s developed. The more organized this framework becomes, the more researchers need to be aware of the risks involved with the technology and emphasize communication amongst themselves.
The autonomy and openness necessary for research
Perspectives on the use of research by the military are important ELSI topics as well.
Chatani:
I often hear the term “dual-use” being used, but this can actually mean both “military and civilian use” and “good use and misuse.”
There are dual-use aspects to new science and technology. The internet we use all the time, the GPS in our car navigation systems, those were all developed for the military and expanded to civilian use. Conversely, there are also examples of technology developed for civilian use that were later adopted by the military.
I like to think based on the keywords of “intention” and “foresight” of the doctrine of double effect, which is well known in the field of ethics. Development of new science and technology for the benefit of society or for civilian use is the intention; however, such technology could also be foreseen as being used for crime or for war. In cases where these uses are foreseen, this then requires thinking from all sorts of angles, such as cruelty, invasiveness and even potential use in weapons of mass destruction. So, once you consider the overall situation, i.e. the scale and reliability of the benefits that this technology will provide society, only then can you decide whether a certain level of dual use can be tolerated.
The people of Japan deeply regret the use of university research for military purposes in wars past, making this problem a large point of discussion for ELSI. If we’re being extreme, it’s certainly possible that all science and technology could be used by the military, but what’s most important when carrying out research is autonomy and openness. Autonomy is when research begins from the intellectual curiosity of researchers and is not interfered with externally. Openness is when the content of research is made public through papers and other media. In other words, the lack of either autonomy or openness would be in opposition of the true nature of academic research.
Promoting ELSI research in the field of biomanufacturing
What kinds of endeavors is KOBELSI engaged in?
Chatani:
In 2022, Kobe University constructed a framework called the Digital Bio and Life Sciences Research Park (DBLR), which includes research hubs in five areas, such as biomanufacturing, medical engineering and healthy longevity, where research is being conducted with a stronger awareness of enterprise partnerships and social implementation. Since research conducted at DBLR in particular requires ELSI perspectives, this led to the launch of ELSI research projects.
We are especially active in collaborations in the area of biomanufacturing. A research project that creates all kinds of chemical and medical products using microorganisms and materials of biological origins was even selected to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s “Program for forming Japan’s peak research universities (J-PEAKS).”
Biomanufacturing makes use of techniques such as genetic engineering and genome editing, which means that we must not only think about how we can ensure the safety and security of society, but also about how we can get society to accept our research. We also need to think about how this research aligns with the culture and traditions rooted in society. In addition, we need to do our best to keep things fair and make sure that people from specific countries or regions or the very wealthy aren’t the only ones benefitting from new technology. That’s also why we begin by finding issues that would lead to those types of problems.
ELSI is an area to which researchers from a wide variety of fields contribute, meaning that one group of researchers can’t handle every problem that arises. At KOBELSI, we invite individuals from both inside and outside the university for research seminars held about once a month while also collaborating with universities overseas. To this point, we’ve concluded exchange agreements with Lingnan University in Hong Kong, the University of Genoa in Italy and the University of Valencia in Spain, and moving forward, we’ll be conducting joint research and other forms of exchange with these universities.
What is your personal topic of research?
Chatani:
One research topic of mine is informed consent. In medicine, this process involves the patient receiving an explanation regarding treatment and, once they understand the details, making decisions regarding treatment on their own, rather than leaving treatment strategy entirely up to their physician. Even in medical research that involves people, there is a model in place in which research is conducted only after the research targets receive an explanation, give their consent and the research passes internal screening.
I think this process is necessary even in fields outside of medicine. Be it generative AI or genetic engineering, when it comes to the introduction of new technology, I think we’re going to need a system in which we explain the technology to society to gain their understanding and consent.
The current focus of my research is on problems regarding the collection and use of personal data. When we use services on the web, most of the time we click the “I agree” button to consent to providing our personal information, but how many people actually read the rules and restrictions displayed on their screens? Many people say that privacy is important, but the act of pushing that button without reading is saying the exact opposite. This is what is called the “privacy paradox.”
Even if one piece of personal data can’t identify an individual, when you link various pieces of data together, it can paint a fairly detailed picture. If people use these services with an understanding of these issues then that’s fine, but when they don’t, a proper explanation is required. In my research, I’d like to take into consideration the current state of personal data management to think about how to make these agreements possible in a practical sense, referencing the results of informed consent carried out in medical fields.
Prioritizing citizens’ right to choose
Where is ELSI research headed?
Chatani:
The goal of ELSI research is to pursue whether or not science and technology will truly be beneficial to society and make people happy, in other words, whether or not it will bring about well-being. Well-being shares traits with “eudaimonia,” a state of happiness in ancient Greek philosophy, one of my fields of research, which describes a way of living that is fulfilling and has purpose. Thus, the E in ELSI (Ethical) forms a crucial foundation for the way we think about our research.
When introducing science and technology that could change the structure of the world we live in, each and every citizen becomes a stakeholder. It’s extremely important, then, that they receive an explanation about the technology and have the right to choose. If they have the right to use the technology then they ought to have the right to not use it. I’d like to think about how to make procedures to exercise that right possible.
Science communication is essential to researchers. What we need is a structure that will allow us to hold discussions with citizens, apply the content of those discussions to our research and then get even more feedback from citizens before the social implementation stage.
Recently, in addition to ELSI, the term “RRI,” or responsible research and innovation, has also come into use. RRI further enhances the nuance that researchers themselves think about ELSI as they conduct research, but it’s the way of thinking that’s important, not so much what you call it. Even if terms like ELSI and RRI fall out of use, I think that it’s a topic that we should continue to deal with for as long as science and technology evolve.
Resume
In 1995, graduated from Hokkaido University. In 1998, completed the master’s program at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Letters. In 2001, completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Cultural Studies (Human Cultural Studies) and earned his doctorate. After becoming research fellow at Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and research associate at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Cultural Studies, in April 2007, he became associate professor at Kobe University’s Graduate School of Humanities and in October 2019, he became professor at the same graduate school. Since 2023, he has served as leader of KOBELSI.
