OpEd piece in Tech Target
Technology has always existed, but the difference with digital technologies lies in the compressed time frames from development to adoption. With such a fast rate of change, humans have little time to work through personal impacts, let alone broader societal policy issues that arise from commoditized new capabilities. Previous technologies have reshaped society in different ways, and the digital epoch’s impacts will touch parts of society that were previously relatively insulated from automation and technology impacts.
As with any change, there will be winners and losers. But we could be in for truly tectonic shifts in society, driven by a combination of data and digital forces. It is critical that we try to make progress while remaining thoughtful, innovate while being ethical, and foster technology development and adoption while creating policies that are equitable and sustainable.
The promise is huge but so are the risks. And we ignore those risks at our own peril, lest we shoot the albatross and miss the deeper meanings as we continue our journey into a digital future.
