Accompanying technology development in the Human Brain Project: From foresight to ethics management

•The paper addresses the management of catastrophic and existential risks potential of general and specialized AI.•It does so through the perspective of an EC Future and Emerging Technology Flagship, the Human Brain Project (HBP).•It builds on Foresight, Researcher Awareness and Ethics Management work in the HBP Ethics and Society subproject.•It illustrates key aspects of the dynamic approach to questions of ethics and society in the HBP.•Its self-reflexive, practice-based evidence aims at guiding policy makers and communities who engage with such questions.