PÚBLICO invited politicians, intellectuals, and academics to reflect on the government’s proposal to dissolve and merge the current Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) with the National Innovation Agency (ANI), the AII (AI2).
The responses collected reveal diverse positions but converge on a common concern: the haste of the decision, taken without consulting an independent advisory council and without listening to the scientific community. The project (still lacking clarity) appears to prioritize innovation, sidelining fundamental research and giving precedence to the hard sciences over the social sciences and humanities.
Among those interviewed, Mário Figueiredo, our senior researcher, well-known for his work in the field of Machine Learning/AI, and Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, warned of the risks of subordinating science to innovation:
Subordinating science to innovation condemns the future and dries up the source of disruptive knowledge. Technological progress without a deep understanding of the human condition is an intolerable risk. The social sciences and the humanities are essential pillars of developed societies: they provide critical tools to face the ethical, social, and cultural dilemmas posed by technology. Moreover, they underpin the success of some of the world’s largest companies.
Mário Figueiredo also recalled statements by leading figures in the technology sector.
The career paths of several top leaders in the sector seem to support this view. Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, studied Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design; Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble and co-creator of Tinder, graduated in International Studies; Stewart Butterfield, CEO of Slack, studied Philosophy, which, according to him, gave him indispensable skills in writing and argumentation applied to all his work. Even more familiar cases, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, reveal non-linear academic origins: Zuckerberg studied Psychology and Computer Science before leaving Harvard, while Gates began Law studies at the same university before dropping out to pursue Microsoft; also, the famous designer Jony Ive, who has worked for many years with Apple, which founded LoveFrom and recently sold his company io to OpenAI for 6.5 billion USD.
For Mário Figueiredo, these examples reinforce the need for a balanced approach:
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