From AI that predicts death to digital avatars that persist beyond it; from tissues grown in labs to artistic interventions using living materials—new practices in life sciences and media art are challenging long-standing ethical frameworks. This Sino-Swiss dialogue brings together voices from bioethics, philosophy, law, curation, and health to examine what it means to be human in an age of medical machines and synthetic life.

 

14:00–15:00        Curator Guided Tour of the Exhibition The Natural Contract
15:00-15:20         Transfer by Bus
15:30–17:30        Close-door Discussion
18:00-20:00        Networking Dinner

1. Biomedical AI in Clinical Practice

• Can algorithmic reasoning displace or augment physician judgment?

• How do we structure accountability when decisions rely on opaque systems?

2. Digital Immortality and the Ethics of Post-Biological Selves

• What does it mean to persist in data after death?

• How do cultural notions of identity and memory shape ethical views on post- mortem AI, digital remains, and avatar continuity?

3. BioArt and the Visualization of Ethical Dilemmas in Life Sciences

• How can artistic practice contribute to understanding ethical tensions in synthetic biology and genetic engineering?

• What happens when artists use biological matter as medium?

4. Artificial Wombs and the Ethics of Automated Gestation

• What ethical, legal, and cultural questions arise from the possibility of ectogenesis?

• How might artificial wombs reshape understandings of reproduction, parenthood, and gender roles?

• What responsibilities do we assign to machines entrusted with the processes of gestation and care?

Jo Wei, Curator

Jo Wei is a researcher and curator, and she is also the founder of the Pan Bio-art Studio(PBS). Her recent research interests include Bio Art, EcoArt, and the crossover of art/science/technology, etc. Among the list of her many curations are Quasi-Nature: Bio Art, Borderline, Laboratory(2019), Ars Electronica in Shenzhen(2019), The Natural Contract(2025), etc. She is also an International Adviser for the European Commission’s STARTS Prize, and the member of the International Program Committee of ISEA.

 

CHEN Xia, Research Fellow, the Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, 2022-2023 Berggruen Fellow

Chen is a also the Director of the Editorial Department for the Journal of Philosophical Trends and Chinese Philosophical Almanac at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Beijing. She is a member（2020-2023）of the International Council of Philosophy and Human Sciences (CIPSH) Executive Committee and the Co-Chair of the Scientific Panel, UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant. She has been a visiting scholar at Harvard, SOAS, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Science Po Bordeaux, and a Fulbright Scholar at Brown University. Prof. Chen taught the course “Chinese Philosophy” for CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange) students for several years. She also served as the chairperson for the section of Daoist philosophy at the 24th WCP in Beijing. Her specialty is in Chinese Philosophy and Religions, concentrating on Daoism.

 

LAI Lili, Associate Professor of Anthropology, the School of Health Humanities, Peking University, 2023-2024 Berggruen Fellow

Lai’s research interests include the body, everyday life, and medical practices. She has done extensive ethnographic and interdisciplinary research on health-related issues in rural and urban communities of Northern and Southwestern China. Lai’s monographs include Hygiene, Sociality and Culture in Contemporary Rural China: The Uncanny New Village (Amsterdam University Press, 2016), and Gathering Medicines: Nation and Knowledge in China’s Mountain South, co-authored with Judith Farquhar (The University of Chicago Press, 2021). Lai received her MA and PhD in Anthropology from UNC-Chapel Hill.

 

WANG Yuzhou, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Peking University

Wang’s recent research interests include AI anthropomorphism, gene editing, and moral, enhancement. He received his MA in bioethics at New York University, and PhD in applied, philosophy at Bowling Green State University.

 

ZHU Zijian, Lecturer, School of Philosophy, Beijing Normal University

Zhu works on mind, time, agency and morality. He received his DPhil in Philosophy from the University of Oxford in 2024.

 

Sara Kijewski, Health Ethics & Policy Lab, ETH Zurich

Sara Kijewski serves as Director of Operations of the ETH AI Ethics and Policy Network and is a researcher in the Health Ethics and Policy Lab at ETH Zurich. Her research focuses on AI governance, responsible innovation, and digital health, with particular expertise in practical tools for AI governance and the ethical dimensions of artificial intelligence in healthcare settings. Her academic background includes a PhD in Political Science from the University of Bern, providing her with a strong foundation in policy analysis and ethical frameworks.

Dr. Kijewski’s research portfolio spans AI governance frameworks, decentralized clinical trials, and the broad spectrum of ethical considerations in medical AI applications—from personalized medicine to clinical decision-making systems. Her work examines the intersection of technological innovation and ethical responsibility in healthcare AI development. Through her roles in operations and research, she contributes to advancing the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies across both healthcare and broader societal applications.

 

Václav Pechtor, ZHAW School of Management and Law

Václav Pechtor, Researcher AI & Data Engineering at ZHAW School of Management and Law Zürich. He is a PhD Candidate and Researcher specializing in the application and impact evaluation of Artificial Intelligence (including Large Language Models and intelligent agent systems) within public administration and public health. His work leverages expertise in causal inference methodologies for robust policy and program evaluation. With a strong background in leading technology and data initiatives, he is passionate about bridging advanced AI research with real-world governance challenges and fostering international academic-industry collaborations.

 

Jonathan Andrew, Geneva Academy

Dr. Jonathan Andrew is a human rights and data protection law expert with a diverse background (international public law, development economics, business management, IT/data security, bioethics) that provides a unique insight into complex legal questions and facilitating multifaceted analysis of issues demanding an interdisciplinary approach. As a Research Fellow based at the Geneva Academy in Switzerland, Dr. Andrew works on the implications of neurotechnologies developments for human rights and collaborates closely with the UN Human Rights Council and its Advisory Committee on resolutions and reports to guide the deliberations between the UN Member States. He is currently a Visiting International Fellow at the Pufendorf Institute and the Medical Ethics department at Lund University, Sweden. As Ethics Mentor for the COMBAT Dengue EU Horizon medical research project, he collaborates with the clinical team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Dr. Andrew also sits on two ethics advisory boards for the EU Commission monitoring privacy, data protection and fundamental rights concerns regarding developments and the implementation of emerging technologies for European research projects.

Dr. Andrew has extensive experience working with the Special Procedures of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and has assisted six mandates/Special Rapporteurs as a Senior Adviser. He is currently a Consultant advising the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism on the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for counter-terrorism operations. He has authored and contributed toward publications for UN agencies including OHCHR, IOM, UNCTAD, UNICEF, and with NGOs such as ICNL, and the EU Commission/European Parliament on a wide range of international law and human rights issues.

 

Michael Conrad, Swiss Center for Design and Health

Michael Conrad is a data scientist. At the SCDH, he is responsible for the visionary further development of the Living Lab’s digital capabilities – including motion capture and sensor technology capabilities. He brings extensive experience in designing and delivering deep learning solutions across diverse domains. Having worked in both technical and leadership roles, He has developed a unique ability to bridge the gap between what’s technically feasible and what drives real business value. His approach is simple: listen first, build trust, and deliver solutions that actually work.

 

Alix Wasilenko, University of Zurich / Children’s Hospital of Zurich

Alix Wasilenko, MD MPH PhD(c) is a physician and researcher from Germany, having graduated from the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg with her medical degree in 2022 and her doctoral degree in 2023. She is a recent graduate of Harvard University, with a master’s in public health and research methodology & quantitative methods, focused on biostatistics, bioinformatics and applied mathematics in the biomedical sciences. Her past research lies in the realm of fundamental and computational neuro-oncology, with prior research at the Neurocenter of the University of Freiburg, Harvard University as well as at Harvard affiliate medical institutions. She is currently working as a researcher at the Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich and the Children’s Hospital of Zurich, where she focuses on novel treatment options for rare diseases, specifically challenges in clinical translation of novel gene therapies and their implications for responsible development and therapeutic roll-out. She additionally works at the World Health Organization Collaboration Center for Ethics in Zurich, on projects with a public and global health focus, and lectures at the medical faculties of the ETH and University of Zurich.