Who we are

OPTIC is a research and action network that prioritises human values in the development of new technologies. While such development sometimes raises a range of concerns, and justifiably so, our belief is that technologies can also help build a society that is more respectful of each individual, provided we consider the ethical aspects and assess their real-world impact. While most technologies are not intrinsically forces for good or for evil, they cannot be considered entirely neutral either, in that they are the products of intentions and a vision of human values that are open to question. From this perspective, OPTIC seeks to encourage a renewed social discussion of the role that technologies should play.

The OPTIC network was founded in 2012 under the aegis of the Dominican Order, and today has several thousand members and operates in San Francisco, Paris, Montreal, Geneva, Rome, Oxford, Boston, and will soon be setting up in Toronto.

It is a network of researchers, thinkers and entrepreneurs that is headed by Eric Salobir. After graduating from the ISC Paris Business School and working in management at the head office of the Crédit Lyonnais bank, he joined the Dominican Order in 2000 and became a priest. Since then, his focus has been on the media and digital technology. He has also been a consultant to the Holy See for the last eight years.

Dominique Raphaël op is a professor of pastoral theology and the general secretary for the OPTIC network. He has fulfilled many missions in the field of digital technology within the Dominican Order during the last 20 years. He is currently living in Bordeaux where he accompanies, among other missions, the reflection on the digital transformation in the field of education and pastoral care at the Direction de l'Enseignement Catholique.