Ethics as the “red button” of AI
Ethics as the Red Button of AI
“Should ethics be the boundary that determines how far the application and development of Artificial Intelligence can go?”
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Building 14, Concepción Arenal, Room 14.0.11, Getafe Campus
Admission: Free until capacity is reached
Language: Spanish
As part of the UC3M India Week, this roundtable discussion aims to reflect on one of the major challenges associated with the development and expansion of Artificial Intelligence: what role ethics should play in establishing the limits of its application.
At a time when AI is playing an increasingly central role in the international debate and is transforming fields such as geopolitics, security, the financial system, public administration, business, and research, development, and innovation, it is essential to ask what is being done, what risks we are aware of, and to what extent ethics can become a shared framework that allows us to move forward in the development of a technology that is already changing our societies and that will play a decisive role in the future.
Should ethics serve as that “red button” capable of signaling when a particular application of artificial intelligence should not proceed any further? Who should set those limits? How far can regulation, corporate responsibility, scientific research, or the developers themselves go? How can we reconcile innovation, competitiveness, and technological progress with the protection of fundamental rights and values?
In the context of the Spain-India Dual Year, the dialogue will also incorporate a comparative perspective between the two countries. How are Spain and India approaching this debate? Are there different ways of understanding the ethical boundaries, regulation, risks, and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence? What can we learn from both contexts, and what opportunities for cooperation might arise between them?
The roundtable will bring together perspectives from the fields of scientific communication, law, academia, and the technology sector, with the aim of fostering a diverse conversation about the criteria that should guide the development and use of AI.
Coordinated by
Lorena Sánchez Romero
Head of Science and Events Coordinator at The Conversation.
Participants
Juanita del Pilar Pedraza Córdoba
Professor in the Department of Public State Law at Carlos III University of Madrid. She is the coordinator of the course “Ethical and Legal Implications of AI” in the Master’s Program in Applied Artificial Intelligence at UC3M and is a faculty member for the university micro-credential “Ethics of AI: Approaches from Philosophy, Law, and Engineering.”
Antonio Mosquera Rodríguez
is the AI Lead for Service Operations at Tata Consultancy Services Spain.
A Matter of Limits
Artificial Intelligence opens up new possibilities in virtually every field of activity, but its development also raises questions regarding accountability, transparency, bias, privacy, security, individual autonomy, and the social impact of automated decisions.
This roundtable invites us to ask a question that is simple in its formulation but complex in its implications: When technology makes it possible to do something, does that necessarily mean we should do it?
Activity offering academic credit for UC3M students through the Activity Passport.
For the activity to count toward your credits, you must register in advance through the Activity Passport—in addition to reserving a spot, when applicable—and sign in at the end of the activity.
You can register for UC3M India Week activities through: Activity Passport Registration
Section: On Campus / Other Activities