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How technology will change the world

    Meeting and debate with con Silvia Candiani
    • Milan
    • 8 February 2018

          It was noted, at this Aspen Junior Fellows meeting and debate session, that twenty-five years ago in December 1993, the Delors’ White Paper on “Growth, Competition and Unemployment” imbued the expression “Information Society” with political significance. In those years, a great wave of innovation was, through the spread of the internet, about to trigger a profound transformation. Never before in history has such intense change taken place in so short a time. Yet this was described as just the beginning, with technological innovation, especially digital advances, driving this change. Kicking off with this widely-held perception, a debate unfolded that considered the affirmation of universal values ​​in correlation with the effects of new technological applications. Cited as cases in point were the sometimes contradictory relationship between socio-economic development and scientific innovation, and that between the duties and rights of citizens in the digital age. Examined alongside this was the quest for a fresh approach to reconciling new forms of internet control with personal freedom. It was also observed that the ability to foresee and regulate the effects of automation in the workplace (both in quantitative terms and as regards new skills and professional roles) has now assumed particular importance.

          The debate focused on three key aspects of this change: the role of technology, the new frontier of Artificial Intelligence, and the ethical and social implications of the transformation underway. It was highlighted that four of the top five “big companies” by market capitalization are from the hi-tech sector, while the other lorge firms have also become “software companies”, considering the intensity of smart and digital services associated with or integrated in every product. In addition, the production phase itself has increasingly become characterized by processes shaped by the Internet of Things.

          Artificial Intelligence was viewed as a highly topical issue owing to three pivotal factors: the greater volume of data available, cloud storage/computing, and predictive analytics, with the latter based on algorithms that determine predictive analyses which transform data into valuable information. For instance, by cross-referencing forecasts regarding the weather and their passenger load, cruise ships can make significant savings by choosing the most efficient routes. Other examples cited included the ability to anticipate car breakdowns or for companies and public authorities to provide valuable information to their users through services automated by Artificial Intelligence.

          One significant difference to the past highlighted in the discussions was the democratization of these technologies. Indeed, although they were once only available to the largest private companies, today they are at the disposal of everyone, whether researchers, startups, students, “makers”, or small and medium-sized businesses. It was acknowledged, however, that while on one hand there has been a widespread leveling of access to information, the ability of companies to differentiate themselves – described as “the new gold” of our times – will depend on their capacity to interpret and exploit data strategically.

          It was stressed that these sudden technological changes call for regulatory adaptability on the part of institutions, which has thus far failed to materialize – or at least, has not done so at the same pace. Only a few are seeking to understand the phenomenon, including the government of the United Kingdom, with its new national advisory body on artificial intelligence, but also Italy, which was the first in Europe (12 years ago) to establish an eGovernment Code setting out a complete, coordinated, and unified regulatory framework of new rights for citizens and businesses on the one hand, and the principles and obligations governing authorities on the other, together with the organizational and technological resources required to give effect to these.

          Certain organizations are emerging (Open AI being one such example) aimed at ensuring that the prerogative of deciding the limits of Artificial Intelligence always remains in the hands of human beings. It was recognized that machines adopt past experiences as a model and replicate them, but that this process needs to be governed with an approach that necessarily tempers the “decisions” of these powerful algorithms with an ethical dimension, integrating elements of diversity and improbability.

          These technologies will, without question, replace many jobs – whether manual or intellectual – that feature constantly repetitive tasks, such that they are like to evoke new Luddite sentiments. It was thus deemed crucial for individuals to prepare themselves by acquiring new skills with which to face the workplace of the future: STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), but also aptitudes linked to creativity, problem-solving, and empathy were seen as essential to coping with increasingly “fluid” and constantly evolving jobs.

          In conclusion, it was suggested that the only way to understand the impact of this transformation will be to look at the history books, a useful compass with which to find one’s bearing in an uncertain future which, though fraught with challenges, is as never before replete with solutions to the major problems of the world.

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