Never has there been a greater need for accurate information to be shared with the public than in this era of post truth. Never have we needed more ingenuity to make research engaging and enlightening. That is why we need fabulous science, that is why we also need great journalism and that is why we need institutions like museums to help us make sense of what is really going on in our ever more complex, interconnected world.
Science has been battling misinformation long before any of us heard the words fake news or post-truth, whether it’s on climate change, dubious alternative therapies, or the anti-vaccination movement.
From Donald Trump to the rise of scientific denialism, from the gender agenda to the potential perils of AI, WIRED asked leading scientists and science communicators to help cut through the noise.
For the first in our series of interviews, we spoke to Venki Ramakrishan, the president of the Royal Society and a Nobel laureate. “The public should share in the fascination of science and the amazing discoveries that continue to be made,” he said. As part of our Scientists Meet the Media series, he talks about misinformation, the urgent need for renewable energy, and why MAGA needs science and technology.
Venki Ramakrishan on misinformation
There is now a huge amount of misinformation on the internet. It is also disseminated through social media in ways that are calculated to influence people. That plays to our instinctive, emotional side, which does not evaluate risks properly, and often fears what we do not understand. Paradoxically, we also tend to discount what we do not understand if it is inconvenient. However, that emotional side might also lead us to perceive anti-science sentiment as greater than it actually is. I think most people accept that scientific progress is a good thing. It both increases human understanding and improves our lives.
On scientific breakthroughs
A technology that provides cheap, distributed, clean and renewable energy. This can enable many other necessities like clean water, food, transport, lighting, and communications.
On current American politics
America has long been a great country because of two factors: It became an innovative, technological society and it renewed its vigour through successive waves of immigrants who went on to become leading entrepreneurs and scientists. So if you want to “make America great again”, you have to realise that it will be by people developing the science and technology of the future and not by nurturing the dying industries of the past.
Many of the new breakthroughs will be made by immigrants, who bring in new ideas and a certain drive to succeed, so shutting the door on them will harm America in the long run. Finally, the way to help Americans who are in danger of being left behind is by improving education at all levels.
On the disruptive potential of AI
AI has huge potential to improve areas such as health, education and increasing efficiency and convenience in virtually every aspect of our lives. But unless we carefully think about the disruptive power of AI in many occupations and plan for it, entire sections of society could find themselves out of a job and there could be social upheaval. I think those who feel that each new revolution in technology creates more jobs are not taking into account that it can take a century to do that – as with the first industrial revolution. Changing our educational system so that the population is broadly skilled and adaptable will be crucial to face the social and economic consequences of AI. A second danger from AI is how our data is handled and how its use is governed.
On personal data
The use of vast amounts of personal data by large corporations is particularly worrying since they are not accountable to the public and their interests are not necessarily aligned with the social good of all. I think the same applies even to governments, where control of personal data can make state control of its citizens easier. Seduced by the convenience of many pieces of powerful software, we have been thoughtlessly providing corporations all sorts of personal data, without a thought about how it will be used. As has been said, “If it’s free, you’re the product.” The largest corporations have already become so powerful that their clout is now comparable to that of many governments.
We need action to protect personal data, give owners greater control over data they have provided – including the ability to move it from one software company to another – to give greater control over who can see it, and over what use can be made of it. We also need to have strong privacy laws. Without all of these things, there is a danger that we will sleepwalk into a situation where individuals will have no privacy and no rights over how information about them is used. The EU is taking a step in the right direction when it comes to use of personal data.
On the need for diversity
Firstly, it would be a fairer world. Moreover, increasing the pool from which scientists are selected can only improve the overall quality of science. Apart from an increase in quality by simply having a larger pool, a pool that is more diverse, whether by gender, ethnicity, or social or geographical background, is likely to be interested in a broader range of problems and less susceptible to fads and a pack mentality. That in turn is important because breakthroughs often come from unexpected quarters.
On our aging population
In the West, an aging population means that the number of people with dementia and related diseases will keep increasing and amount to a huge burden on society. So that would be a high priority. In less developed parts of the world, infectious disease remains a major threat, including TB and malaria.
Ramakrishan was among the guests at the recent Scientists Meet the Media reception at the Royal Society in London, which is organised with the Science Museum. The event was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Innovation and supported by the Association of British Science Writers and WIRED.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
