Royal Society President Sparks Controversy Over Elon Musk's Fellowship
The president of the Royal Society, Paul Nurse, has reignited a row over Elon Musk's association with the prestigious organization by defending its decision not to take action against the tech billionaire. Despite claims that Musk had violated the society's code of conduct, including his role in slashing US research funding and his involvement in allowing AI tools to digitally remove clothing from images, including those of women and children.
Nurse argued that fellows should only be ejected for serious offenses such as fraud or defects in their research, rather than for more trivial issues. However, some members of the society have criticized this stance, saying it brings discredit on the organization and makes a mockery of its code of conduct.
Other experts have also pushed back, arguing that the society has a responsibility to hold members accountable for behavior that damages public trust in science. Prof Rachel Oliver of the University of Cambridge wrote to Nurse, stressing the importance of codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated.
The controversy highlights the challenges faced by scientific institutions in balancing free speech with the need to maintain standards of ethics and integrity. Musk's behavior has been widely criticized, with many experts arguing that he is a threat to the values of science and society.
As one fellow told the Guardian, "If his activities at Doge and, most recently, allowing his AI to undress women for all to see isn't bringing science into disrepute I don't know what is. In short, evil prospers when good men do nothing."
The president of the Royal Society, Paul Nurse, has reignited a row over Elon Musk's association with the prestigious organization by defending its decision not to take action against the tech billionaire. Despite claims that Musk had violated the society's code of conduct, including his role in slashing US research funding and his involvement in allowing AI tools to digitally remove clothing from images, including those of women and children.
Nurse argued that fellows should only be ejected for serious offenses such as fraud or defects in their research, rather than for more trivial issues. However, some members of the society have criticized this stance, saying it brings discredit on the organization and makes a mockery of its code of conduct.
Other experts have also pushed back, arguing that the society has a responsibility to hold members accountable for behavior that damages public trust in science. Prof Rachel Oliver of the University of Cambridge wrote to Nurse, stressing the importance of codes of conduct that make clear that sexual harassment is unethical and will not be tolerated.
The controversy highlights the challenges faced by scientific institutions in balancing free speech with the need to maintain standards of ethics and integrity. Musk's behavior has been widely criticized, with many experts arguing that he is a threat to the values of science and society.
As one fellow told the Guardian, "If his activities at Doge and, most recently, allowing his AI to undress women for all to see isn't bringing science into disrepute I don't know what is. In short, evil prospers when good men do nothing."
- i mean, paul nurse's stance on elon musk is pretty weak if you ask me 
. a little slack on the fellows' behavior can bring the whole org into disrepute 
. and let's be real, musk's actions are some serious red flags 
. i think prof rachel oliver has a point, codes of conduct need to be clear and robust to protect public trust in science 
. it's time for the royal society to take a firmer stance on this one 
.
Musk's behavior is getting out of hand. It's not about free speech, it's about accountability 
The code of conduct is in place for a reason, and ignoring these issues only makes a mockery of it. 
. Like, come on, dude! If someone's harassing women with AI tools, that's SERIOUS OFFENSES 101 
. I'm not saying the society should boot him out for a tweet or two, but they need to take a stand against this toxic behavior 
. It's all about setting boundaries and upholding some basic human decency 
. Can't have the likes of Musk ruining the good name of science just because he wants to be seen as 'edgy' 
. I'm with Prof Rachel Oliver on this one, codes of conduct need to be crystal clear and take a stand against harassment 
this guy paul nurse gotta think again lol 
Musk's behavior is straight up bad 
1 person sayin his actions bring science into disrepute 
and i'm like yeah same 
codes of conduct matter 
that's some messed up stuff right there. paul nurse saying that fellows should only be ejected for serious offenses just doesn't cut it imo. the society needs to take a stand and show that they're not just all about being PC 
. It's one thing to be a free thinker who challenges the status quo, but it's another to disregard ethics and decency in your pursuit of innovation 
. The fact that he's been able to push boundaries without being held accountable by the Royal Society is a major red flag 
.
, that's not 'edgy', that's just creepy 
.
and to have it go unpunished because nurse says "trivial issues" is just not right 
prof rachel oliver is totally on point with her stance 
. Not exactly what I want from a scientific institution 
.
...and yeah, if Elon Musk's actions are bringing science into disrepute, then something needs to be done about it 