Technology convergence is everywhere. It is becoming the baseline scenario given the pace at which multimodal solutions become available. Convergence makes #technology immensely more powerful, whether it is #biotech coupled with #AI to discover new compounds, or brain-computer interfaces enabling people with the Locked-in Syndrome communicate with the outside world. However, as the OECD - OCDE Framework for Anticipatory Governance of Emerging Technologies says, “convergence of technologies results in the blurring of categories in prior frameworks, making it more complex and harder to govern emerging technologies”. I was pleased to speak on the subject at the Paris conference on “Agile Approaches for Governing Emerging Technologies”, organised by the OECD - OCDE and Université Paris Dauphine - PSL this week.
Convergence of #technology is not new but the scale of that convergence is. It was already Schumpeter in the 1930s who understood technological change as a process of combination and recombination, where different new and already existing technologies are integrated resulting in a technological novelty. However, the dimension of the convergence is exponentially higher. This means governments need to invest more in anticipation and understanding of what convergence entails.
For Europe, technology convergence is an opportunity, given the blending of AI with other fields such as #healthcare, green technology, manufacturing, and finance. It opens the window for the EU’s inferior position in AI innovation to be compensated by excellence in throwing AI at societal challenges. Mario Draghi referred to this as #AI verticals and advocated for the creation of an "EU Vertical AI Priorities Plan," focusing on integrating AI into key industrial sectors where Europe has existing strengths.
In my remarks, I advocated for the OECD - OCDE Framework for Anticipatory Governance of Emerging Technologies, to reflect the ongoing technology convergence in its five areas: guiding values, strategic intelligence, stakeholder engagement, agile regulation and international cooperation. As a state-of-the-art reference tool for governments, the Framework should acknowledge that technology convergence brings additional opportunities and risks alike. The sooner they are addressed, the better for everyone.
