Neuro-technologies and the future of learning

ITC-ILO seeks to promote the UN Quintet of Change by providing a safe space for experimentation with innovative capacity development solutions that accelerate social development. The ITC-ILO Turin School of Development is hosting a webinar series on the nexus between foundational technologies and social justice, looking through a human-centred lens to explore how to harness these technologies for learning and capacity development.

This webinar’s topic was “Neuro-technologies and the future of learning”, the term “neurotechnology” encompassing an array of devices and systems that interact with the central nervous system through electrical, magnetic, optogenetic and other means. Some of them primarily serve to understand the brain’s functioning while others may consist of methods aimed at directly intervening in mental processes with the purpose of restoring lost functions and enhancing cognitive capabilities.

The various strands of neurotechnology hold potential to transform human interaction with technology, raising new opportunities and challenges for the design of learning and capacity development interventions, and might call for a tailored neuro-technological policy, legal and regulatory frameworks, including to address issues around privacy, consent, and identity.

OBJECTIVES

The webinar brought together learning and capacity development experts from ITCILO together with voices from academia, the private sector and the international human rights domains to shed light from three different perspectives on the impact of neurotechnology on the future of learning. The dialogue event deliberately brought together complementary voices with the goal to raise awareness about imminent futures of learning and capacity building.

CONTENT

• Introduction to neurotechnology: Exploring key domains, innovation drivers, and the growing field of wearable neurotechnology.

• Neurotechnology applications in Learning & Development: Examining the potential of neurotechnology to enhance learning and capacity building.

• Ethical and legal implications of neurotechnology: Addressing data privacy, identity, informed consent, and other crucial human rights considerations.

• Governance of neurotechnology: Understanding the evolving legal landscape and the need for effective policy and regulatory frameworks.

NUMBER OF HOURS: 2