New Technologies: Hardly a Quiet Revolution

Day in and day out, dozens, if not hundreds, of articles are published around the world reporting on the arrival of new technologies. Whether they’re touted for their benefits or reviled for their dreaded impact on jobs and privacy, new technologies are making waves. Defining them is a challenge in and of itself, to say nothing of the challenges facing individuals, organizations and governments compelled to adapt to them. Where should we draw the lines? Beyond the enthusiasm they generate, new technologies create two obligations for governments. First, they must ensure that their citizens benefit from them. Second, they must enable workers (both current and future) to adapt to them in order to avoid creating an excluded class and increasing inequalities.