Science and technology continue to develop at incredible speed. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and new digital tools promise solutions to many problems. But at the same time, they create also new dangers. In my opinion, the progress without the ethics cannot exist for long, because history and recent events show that when science moves without rules, society always pay the price.
Artificial intelligence is a clear example. In the last years systems like ChatGPT or AlphaGo made people realize how strong machines can be. But they also bring fears about fake news, job loss, and unfair decisions. Google’s “Project Maven,” where AI was tested for military use, had to be canceled after protests from its own employees. This shows clear that technology is not only about what is possible, but also what is acceptable. Today many universities, like Cambridge or TU Eindhoven, are even creating bachelor or master programs in ethics for AI and technology, because they know future engineers must learn responsibility together with coding.
Biotechnology show a similar case. Gene editing tools like CRISPR can save lives, but when a scientist in China created the first genetically edited babies in 2018, the reaction was global shock. The experiment was judged as irresponsible and dangerous. Here again, a progress without ethics damaged the trust of the society.
Even in the past, the Industrial Revolution created factories, wealth, and new machines, but it also caused pollution, child labor, and inequality. It take years of laws and reforms to correct these damages. So progress without the ethics is not sustainable progress; it create problems that must later be solved at higher cost.
In conclusion, science and technology cannot be called true progress if they ignore responsibility. Responsibility is not an obstacle but a condition for innovation to last. It is not coincidence that UNESCO already made guidelines for AI ethics, or that many universities now open programs focused on technology and ethics. These efforts show that the world already understand: progress is only valuable when it also respects people and protects society.