Future Computing – Magic Wand for Innovation or Threat to Humanity?
Falling Walls Circle Tables are lending the spotlight to world-leading scientists, science strategists and policy-makers from academia, business and politics discuss how we can apply science, research and innovation to get the world moving again.
From the rise of artificial intelligence to the dawn of quantum computing, technology will reshape our future. In this Falling Walls Circle Table, the panel asks how we can ensure that these new tools tackle the world’s problems, without posing a fundamental threat to our societies and democracies.
As technology becomes a bigger part of our lives, its environmental footprint also grows, raising the need for improved efficiency and a circular design approach. Future computing could also allow for a concentration of power, whether that’s for companies, countries or governments. There is an increasing threat that this power could be misused, for political gain or personal profit.
It is crucial that future computing technologies are democratised, so that they are as widely available – and accessible – as possible. Tech companies must embrace diversity, so that solutions are found for the full range of humanity’s problems. Given that the future of humanity is at stake, regulation and laws must be put in place as safeguards.
Collaboration must be at the heart of innovation. After all, today’s problems are truly global, so require truly global solutions.