Withholding information for commercial interests unethical: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

LONDON: Deliberately withholding information for commercial interests is "very unethical", the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said, underlining the importance of ethics in innovation.

During an inaugural series of the ' World Forum for Ethics in Innovation' at the German Patent Office in Munich, Germany earlier this week, Sri Sri cited examples of misuse of innovation for commercial purposes even at the cost of putting millions of lives at risk.

He also emphasised the importance of ethics in innovation.

"Deliberately withholding information for commercial interests is very unethical. When we've made a discovery that is useful for mankind, then it should be made available to everybody," he said, adding that the ultimate purpose of any innovation is to bring happiness at the individual level.

A joint initiative of Max Planck Institute, one of the foremost research institutes in the world and 'The World Forum for Ethics in Business', the conference brought together multiple stakeholders to seek answers to ethical questions in innovation.

Jaan Tallinn, founder of the 'World Forum for Ethics in Business', cautioned the gathering of the risks that artificial intelligence (AI) brings with it and emphasised that there should be more funding for AI-risk related research.

Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Science in the Vatican, implored the gathering to build a connection with nature, adding that in order to be creative, we merely need to develop the potential that is already present in the nature.

During the conference, global thinkers and leading experts from academics, business, politics and NGOs deliberated on critical concerns about the new era of fourth industrial revolution the humanity is set to enter.