Connected Minds Project Seeks to Drive Responsible Technological Innovation | Gazette of the Queen

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Queens-based computational neuroscientist discusses important new research on the human-technology relationship and its potential benefits and harms.

Gunnar Blohm, a professor and researcher at the Center for Neuroscience Studies, is leading the Queens portion of the Connected Minds project. (Queen’s University)

The Government of Canada recently announced new funding to support a major new multidisciplinary research initiative led by York University and supported by Queens. The seven-year project called Connected Minds: Neural and Machine Systems for a Healthy, Just Society has received more than $105 million from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) to evaluate the technology’s potential risks and benefits to humanity. Queens will receive $22.8 million from federal funds.

Leading the Queens portion of the project is Connected Minds deputy director Gunnar Blohm, a computational neuroscientist at the university’s Center for Neuroscience Studies. He is ready to contribute administrative, teaching and research expertise to the enterprise, which seeks to explore the ever-deepening relationship between humans and disruptive technologies.

In my field of study, we create mathematical models, use artificial intelligence, and design computer simulations to gain insights into the mechanisms of brain function and motor control, says Dr. Blohm. Within this project, I am particularly excited to observe the emergent behaviors of networks, be they networks of neurons within the human brain, networks of people, or networks between people and technological devices. The insights we gain here could help us understand how technology can be improved to benefit society while limiting its potential for harm.

To illustrate one way that Connected Minds could inform more thoughtful technological development, Dr. Blohm points to Canada’s signing of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Recommendation on Responsible Innovation in Neurotechnology.

While Canada is a signatory to this accord, we currently lack guidelines to educate on how to achieve its goals, he says. The Queens Connected Minds team will work to establish such guidelines, as they will be crucial in ensuring technology development is done in the service of a diverse and equitable global society. It also makes economic sense, as socially responsible technologies are increasingly commercially attractive.

Build the project from scratch

In addition to his research responsibilities, Dr. Blohm is charged with coordinating and administering Queens-based activities spanning the governance, outreach and commercialization aspects of the project.

Queens will be fully integrated into Connected Minds at all levels, and our participating faculty researchers will complement the York team with expertise in neuroscience, artificial intelligence, robotics and neurotechnology, particularly that with a health focus, he says. As part of the first phase, we have created co-leadership roles at all levels of the project, convened a York-Queens Joint Indigenous Advisory Circle and are now working to establish the governance structure, which includes strike committees, drafting terms of , and the recruitment of new faculty and staff.

In addition to the CFREF investment, the project will involve more than 50 community partners and research collaborators, who will see institutional and multi-sector contributions bringing the total investment in the project to $318.4 million.

Gunnar Blohm speaks with François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, following the CFREF announcement. (Photo provided) Multidisciplinary collaboration and learning

Once launched, Dr. Blohm sees the multidisciplinary nature of the project as essential.

No breakthrough today is achieved by singles. Her teams always work together in research fields, she says. Connected Minds will be a great way for researchers and students to take research to the next level.

Funding from the CFREF enabled Queens to commit to nine tenured faculty positions and support 50 graduate interns and 27 postdoctoral fellows.

There will be a variety of opportunities to engage the wider Queens community,” says Dr. Blohm. These include funding for internships, grants for large groups, marketing funds and educational initiatives. It is truly an exciting time for Queens, for York and for Canada.

As a passionate educator, he sees Connected Minds change the way we innovate, teach and live, and is determined these changes help not just Canadians, but everyone around the world.

One of my goals is to democratize access to knowledge and education, says Dr. Blohm, who co-created the Neuromatch Academy, a worldwide education program that provides equitable access to computational neuroscience education to students regardless of geography, nationality, socioeconomic status, or other factors. Connected Minds has partnered with Neuromatch on elements of this project, which I believe will accelerate our initiatives to expand access to learning.

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