What Makes a Drone “Good”? with Beryl Pong

About this episode

Beryl Pong discusses the ethical implications and humanitarian uses of drones in this episode.

In this episode, we talk to Beryl Pong, UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she leads the Centre for Drones and Culture. Beryl reflects on what it means to think about drones as “good” or “ethical” technologies and how it can be assessed through its socio-political context. Beryl examines the dual nature of drones, looking at both their humanitarian uses and the ethical implications of their deployment in civilian life. The discussion also touches on the aesthetic...

People in this episode

Hosts: Dr Kerry McInerney, Dr Eleanor Drage

Guest: Beryl Pong

Topics covered

• drones
• ethics
• humanitarian uses
• socio-political context
• technology

Keywords

• drones
• ethical technology
• humanitarian
• socio-political context
• aesthetics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Cambridge, UKRI, Centre for Drones and Culture

More episodes of The Good Robot

• Community technology is the future with Dave Griffiths · June 2, 2026 · 34 min
• The Battle Over Data Centers with Tara Merk · May 19, 2026 · 33 min
• The Future of Data Centers and Digital Sovereignty with Friederike von Franque · May 5, 2026 · 27 min
• The Revolutionary Microscopes Powering Global Tech Equality with Richard Bowman · April 21, 2026 · 30 min
• Designers: Let's Create Abolitionist and Black Liberatory Futures! with Terresa Hardaway · April 8, 2026 · 26 min
• Discovering the Universe through Knitting with Elisabetta Matsumoto · March 26, 2026 · 31 min