Rewarding Responsible Innovators

The key to promoting ethical and responsible innovation lies in rewarding innovators for their behavior. The difficulty in visualizing the consequences of our actions often leads to collateral damage surrounding new processes. Rather than relying on a precautionary approach, innovators should be incentivized through financial support for developing ethically defendable processes. Cultural frameworks that promote responsible thinking can help sensitize innovators and the public to such issues. Critical thinking can be nurtured through blogs while involving the public in decision-making processes requires greater openness from both innovators and the public. Education is also key in promoting responsible thinking.