Technische Universität München
TUM at the AAAS Annual Meeting
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH
NEWS RELEASE
Neural interfaces, AI governance, urban nature and food security
TUM at the AAAS Annual Meeting
What ethical principles should apply to brain-computer interfaces? How have AI-related regulations been put into practice so far? What is the relationship between urban nature and human health? And how can megacities take control of their own food supply? These questions will be discussed by researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) at the world's largest interdisciplinary scientific conference, the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), in Boston from February 13 to 15. The researchers will also be available for interviews before and after the event.
TUM's research focuses on how science and technology can create solutions to societal challenges. TUM utilizes the potential of its exceptionally broad spectrum of subjects – ranging from engineering and computer sciences to natural sciences, life sciences, medicine, economics and the social sciences – through a particularly intensive interlinking of the different perspectives. According to the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings, TUM is not only the best university in the European Union, but is also one of the top-ranked universities in terms of the interdisciplinarity of its research.
Interactions of technology with society, politics and the economy will be discussed in two scientific sessions that TUM will host at the AAAS Annual Meeting. In two other scientific sessions, experts from TUM will discuss the interconnections between the environment, health and nutrition in cities.
The Ethics and Policy of Neural Interfaces: Maximizing Benefit, Minimizing Risk
February 15, 4 pm
Neural interfaces are cutting-edge technologies that connect our brains directly with computers. They not only offer insights into how our minds work but also promise major advances in treating neurological and mental health conditions. These advancements raise profound ethical and human rights questions. This session will explain the current state of neural interface research, how the technologies interact with AI and their implications for neuroscience and medicine. The experts will discuss the ethical challenges of neural interfaces such as protecting the privacy of thoughts, preventing discrimination based on brain characteristics, enhancing human capabilities and ensuring that everyone has access to these technologies.
TUM expert:
Marcello Ienca, Professor of Ethics of AI and Neuroscience
www.professoren.tum.de/en/ienca-marcello
marcello.ienca@tum.de
Further panelists:
Nita Farahany, Duke Law School, Duke University, Durham
Nataliya Kos'myna, MIT Media Lab, Cambridge
AI Governance: From Principle to Practice
February 14, 2:30 pm
Recent technological advancements such as generative AI have triggered numerous efforts at the local, national and international levels aimed at creating guardrails for the development, deployment and use of AI. Governance initiatives range from bottom-up approaches such as AI ethics principles to top-down approaches like the European Union AI Act. Many of these norms pose implementation challenges for governments, corporations and non-governmental organizations. How can they translate abstract ethical principles and generic legal norms into actual practices on the ground? Based on first-hand experiences from working with different stakeholders in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and considering the role and responsibility of academia, the speakers will share lessons learned and discuss emerging best practices.
TUM expert:
Urs Gasser, Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology
www.professoren.tum.de/en/gasser-urs
urs.gasser@tum.de
Further panelists:
Sandra Cortesi, Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich
Armando Guio, Network of Centers for Internet and Society, Cambridge
Nature’s Prescription: How Urban Nature, Biodiversity and Health Are Linked
February 15, 10 am
Urban nature is critically important to human health. From reducing stress to fostering community cohesion and promoting physical activity, natural environments in cities can have beneficial effects on urban dwellers' health outcomes. This may result from the biodiversity of these systems. Indeed, alongside human health benefits, urban nature can support biodiversity of plants and animals. Thus, maintaining and bringing nature back into cities can be a win-win prescription for both human health and environmental sustainability in times of global change. This session will not only discuss strategies and the impact of this interrelation, but also the governance structures and co-production processes that underpin the sustainable maintenance, equitable management and inclusive access to urban green oases.
TUM expert:
Monika Egerer, Professor of Urban Productive Ecosystems
www.professoren.tum.de/en/egerer-monika
monika.egerer@tum.de
Further panelists:
Alessandro Ossola, Department of Plant Sciences, University of California
Xiaoqing Xu, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Construction Technology Center, Shanghai
Food Security in Megacities of the Future
February 14, 2:30 pm
The combination of population growth, climate change and geopolitical tensions has highlighted food security as a major concern globally. Singapore, as a highly populous small nation with no arable land, aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by the year 2030. Strategies being explored range from alternative plant, insect or microbial proteins, improved vertical farming, better waste stream valorization and cultured meats. This goes hand in hand with regulations and a food safety framework to ensure rapid approval of solutions. These approaches face significant challenges around economic sustainability, consumer acceptance, taste and long-term health impacts. This session will discuss the opportunities presented by novel foods for tackling the global challenge of sustainable food production systems. It will also evaluate the economic and environmental implications.
TUM expert:
Thomas Becker, Professor of Brewing and Beverage Technology
www.professoren.tum.de/en/becker-thomas
tb@tum.de
Further panelists:
Kee Woei Ng, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Nicole Blackstone, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston
Further information:
• 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting: https://meetings.aaas.org/
• Research at TUM: https://www.tum.de/en/research
TUM Corporate Communications Center contact:
Klaus Becker
Media relations
Tel.: +49 89 289 22798
klaus.becker@tum.de
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the world’s leading universities in terms of research, teaching and innovation, with around 700 professorships, 53,000 students and 12,000 staff. TUM’s range of subjects includes engineering, natural and life sciences, medicine, computer sciences, mathematics, economics and social sciences. As an entrepreneurial university, TUM envisages itself as a global hub of knowledge exchange, open to society. Every year, more than 70 start-ups are founded at TUM, which acts as a key player in Munich’s high-tech ecosystem. The university is represented around the world by its TUM Asia campus in Singapore along with offices in Beijing, Brussels, Mumbai, San Francisco and São Paulo. Nobel Prize laureates and inventors such as Rudolf Diesel, Carl von Linde and Rudolf Mößbauer have conducted research at TUM, which was awarded the title of University of Excellence in 2006, 2012 and 2019. International rankings regularly cite TUM as the best university in the European Union.