meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Finding Genius Podcast

The Ethics of Editing – I. Glenn Cohen, Professor of Law, Harvard University – The Many and Varied Ethical Issues that Relate to Advancing Technologies

Finding Genius Podcast

Richard Jacobs

Medicine, Health & Fitness

4.41K Ratings

🗓️ 20 August 2019

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I. Glenn Cohen, James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law and faculty director, Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology & Bioethics at Harvard Law School, delivers an interesting overview of the many and varied ethical issues that pertain to new and emerging technologies.

Professor Cohen is a noted expert on the nexus of bioethics (often referred to as 'medical ethics') and the law, inclusive of the health law. Cohen is also heavily involved in the education opportunities regarding the civil procedure. Cohen has spoken at countless legal, medical, and industry conferences at spots all across the globe. His celebrated work has been featuredin or covered by, numerous media outlets including PBS, ABC, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, The NewYork Times, Mother Jones, the New Republic, and many more.

Cohen talks about his extensive background and training in law and medical ethics, as well as philosophy. Cohen's expertise covers a wide swath of subject matter, from artificial intelligence and healthcare to gene editing, organ transplantation, food and drug law, translational medicine, and others. Cohen talks about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural net applications as they relate to predictive medical applications and decision-making specifications for patient care.

Cohen expands our understanding in the areas of pattern recognition as it relates to medical applications, and how algorithms must adapt to differing variables, for example, the differences between people such as racial makeup, citing a specific example about breast density and mammograms. He explains that the algorithm training data must accommodate all the options and variables in order to produce successful outcomes/results. And he discusses privacy issues as they relate to data.

The Harvard professor details electronic health records, and how some physicians are experiencing burnout with the input of data, and how it is critical that data be input accurately and thoroughly in order for viable medical information to be helpful. He discusses reproduction, cloning, and some other issues related to genes within the context of technology. Cohen delves into gene editing further, discussing a particular case in China. Cohen explains that there was no real medical need for the gene edit and that caused quite a stir.Cohen talks about other use cases, and where things will go in the gene-editing world, and how regulations surrounding gene editing will perhaps become more relaxed if the benefits are justified. Cohen states that in the future we will probably see more debate about what is acceptable and what is not, in regard to gene editing. While there is clear prohibition right now, things could change as more scientists around the globe push the envelope.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

You're listening to the Future Tech Podcast with Richard Jacobs.

0:09.0

Future Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence,

0:11.8

Stem Cells, 3D printing, gene editing,

0:14.6

Bitcoin, blockchain, the microbiome, quantum computing, virtual reality, and exploring space

0:21.0

are much closer than you might think.

0:23.0

In fact, many early versions of these technologies are in play right now,

0:27.0

and the companies that are using these technologies

0:30.0

for the focus of this podcast.

0:32.0

My goal for you, the listener, is to learn from these

0:34.4

podcasts. You may very well learn something that may change the course of your life

0:38.2

for the better, steer you towards a new career, or give you insight into

0:42.4

addressing a thorny medical problem.

0:44.6

Remember, this podcast and its content is informational and nature only.

0:48.6

No medical, tax, legal, financial, or psychological advice is being given.

0:53.0

If you've enjoyed the podcast, please listen, subscribe, like, and tell your friends about it.

0:58.0

Thank you. Hello, this is Richard Jacobs with the Future Tech and Future Tech

1:08.1

Health Podcast. I have Professor I, Glenn Cohen,

1:11.5

he's a professor of law at Harvard Law School, faculty director at the Petrie Flom Center for Health

1:17.9

Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics.

1:20.1

Glenn, thanks for coming.

1:21.1

How you doing today?

1:22.1

Thank you for having me. I'm doing very well.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Richard Jacobs, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Richard Jacobs and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.