Coronavirus pandemic is pointing to how technology will transform the future – and some of its drawbacks
- Big data and artificial intelligence have been deployed to help contain the virus and hunt for a vaccine. But concerns persist over the threat to privacy and tech’s promotion of misinformation
As we focus on Covid-19’s health and economic hurdles, the environment and social changes loom in the background. What can we expect from technology?
The internet itself has evolved and allows access to the most up-to-date and accurate information on prevention, infections and deaths.
The same technology that can be used to fight the virus could also be used to weaponise it. The same combination of big data, 5G and AI – crucial in controlling the spread of Covid-19 – is also a challenge to people’s privacy.
Economically, people will need to be shifted into fields where they can be productive and there is enough demand, such as design and other creative fields where technology cannot currently replace human beings.
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On the positive side, on the economic front, technology – especially AI, big data and 5G – will transform the efficiencies of commercial processes. Smart contracts will replace legions of lawyers, and taxation at the point of transaction will replace armies of accountants and book-keepers.
Agricultural yields will rise due to drones employing GPS navigation and directed by AI to minimise water and fertiliser use. Productivity gains can be directed into more leisure time and activities. Even fewer people will be employed in the fields.
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Politically, real-time information will be available. With less time spent assembling reports, and tracking and guarding data, fewer bureaucrats will be needed. More time can be spent planning the successes of the future, rather than making excuses for the failures of the past. Governments can be held more accountable, as the need for guesswork is reduced.
Socially, assuming that resources are put into education and training people for the future economy, there will be shorter weeks and more leisure time. Hopefully, with fewer resources devoted to providing subsistence necessities, economic disparity will decline. In essence, advances in technology will enable socialist goals.
To ensure that technology better serves mankind, greater compatibility, international standardisation, efficiency in information and communication technology value chains, and international cooperation and teamwork should be promoted and encouraged, rather than disrupted and sabotaged.
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Technology is like a surgeon’s scalpel: when wielded by a trained practitioner, it can save lives, but used irresponsibly, it can do the opposite. The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic should remind us that whether the future is a “brave new world” or a better new world will be up to us, not technology.
Victor Gao, former interpreter for Deng Xiaoping, is chairman of the China Energy Security Institute and vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation. He is also chairman of the Yale Law School Association of China. Einar Tangen is a commentator, author and columnist. He is the founder and chairman of China Cities Bluebook Consulting