Thammasat University students are cordially invited to participate in a free webinar on Friday, 25 June 2021 at 4pm Bangkok time on the subject of Animals, Ethics and Technology: Towards digital rights for animals.

The Thammasat University Library collection includes several books on different aspects of animal ethics as well as on ethics and technology.

Students interested in attending the webinar may register at this link:

https://law.unimelb.edu.au/centres/caide/news,-media-and-events/animals,-ethics-and-technology

The event will be hosted by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics (CAIDE) at the University of Melbourne, Australia. According to its website, CAIDE

facilitates cross-disciplinary research, teaching and leadership on the ethical, regulatory and legal issues relating to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies… Our research brings together research expertise of Melbourne Law School, the Melbourne School of Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne.

For further information or with any questions about the webinar, kindly write to this email address:

gabby.bush@unimelb.edu.au

The webinar content is described as follows:

In a digital world, the design and deployment of technologies must be carefully considered. While many experts around the world work to ensure ethical human engagement, it is important to also think about the role technology plays with animals. Are we making technology that centers animal’s rights? Is the use of technology ethical in our homes, animal shelters, zoos and farms? Can this technology help to better the lives of animals or ensure sustainable environmental outcomes? Are these technologies being designed for the benefit of our pets or just for the benefit of us?

This panel is a discussion by experts in the field of animal-computer-interaction. Their work looks at technologies that are used on and made for animals, aiming to use improve outcomes for wildlife and habitats under threat. Our panel, Dr Mia Cobb, Animal Welfare Science Centre, Dr Simon Coghlan, Senior Research Fellow in Digital Ethics and Dr Sarah Webber, Human-Computer Interaction Group, bring a cross-disciplinary perspective to the consideration of the ethics, rights, design and deployment of technology for animals.

Dr. Mia Cobb is a specialist in how the intersections of animal welfare science, human psychology, science communication, and emerging technologies can help animals and people lead happier lives.

She has researched animal behavior and stress physiology, human attitudes, animal housing and management practices, and how animal welfare relates to the sustainability and performance of animal-based industries.

She founded the popular canine science platform, Do You Believe in Dog?

Dr. Simon Coghlan is a Senior Research Fellow in Digital Ethics at CAIDE and the School of Computing and Information Systems (CIS), University of Melbourne, as well as a moral philosopher and veterinarian.

His research in digital ethics currently includes a focus on companion and care robots for older people and other groups, on animal-computer interaction, and on digital technologies in healthcare and public health. He has interests in applied ethics of various types, including conservation ethics, animal ethics, and health ethics.

He has current projects on:

Digital technologies and animal welfare

Chatbots and ethics

Robot ethics

Dr. Sarah Webber is an interaction design researcher investigating how to create digital technologies which better respond to contemporary values of human-nature relationships, social connectedness and wellbeing. Her research focuses primarily on technologies for connections with nature and wildlife. In this work she looks at participatory methods for designing technologies with animals, and innovative technologies for ecological understanding and for animal welfare. Her recent research has examined the design of digital technologies in zoos, including an interactive installation for orangutans and effects on zoo visitors’ perceptions of the animals.

Professor Jeannie Paterson specializes in the areas of contracts, consumer rights and consumer credit law, as well as the role of new technologies in these fields. Her research covers three interrelated themes: Support for vulnerable and disadvantaged consumers; the ethics and regulation of new technologies in consumer markets; Regulatory design for protecting consumer rights and promoting fair, safe and accountable AI.

Digital rights for animals

As an article posted online last year observed,

An animal’s right to privacy, like a human’s, does not extend to all situations at all times. There are trade-offs to consider and harms to weigh. Researchers can learn a lot from filming animals—and doing so covertly can help minimize the impact on the environment and on animal behavior. “I do think there are occasions where watching animals can be justified because we might think that, all things considered, it’s in their best interest,” says Pepper. Think of the human-centered conversations currently happening around cameras in schools and nursing homes, where people are debating just how much surveillance is helpful, and how much is too much.

Some scientists believe that nature documentaries that film animals in their natural habitats are intrusive and change animal behavior. In zoos, contact with humans bothers some animals more than others.

Specialists in animal health reminds us that pets hear differently than humans and respond to noises in a different way.

One article from 2018 recommended some steps to avoid overexposure of household pets to electronic devices and the noise they make:

Strategies to reduce these sounds include turning off components at the plug when not using them (which has the added benefit of stopping expensive phantom power draw), though this may interrupt the function of something like a DVR. You can also set up at least one room in your home as a quiet room, free of most or all electronics including LED lights.

Steps to reduce electronic pollution at home:  

Switch off devices at the plug when practical (and save on phantom power draw).

Create a quiet room in the home with no electronics or LED lights.

Locate home media equipment in a closet or garage to isolate ultrasound (as well as whine and fan noises you can hear as a bonus).

Shop for LED lights with low flicker ratings on LEDBenchmark.com (though it has recently stopped adding new reviews).

A news report from 1994 explained that some pet cats react well to being a room with a personal computers, while others do not.

Pet owners are advised to follow basic electrical safety guidelines to avoid unpleasant surprises and make sure that all pets remain healthy and happy.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)