In this part of the Website I will publish articles about digital policies. It also provides a forum for third party contributions. Occasionally I will include a historical perspective based on 30 years of professional experience in and around the digital world.
AI is a set of techniques with which a computer can programme itself through data processing. Many consider AI as revolutionary and of strategic relevance. Policy makers call for regulation. Many countries have launched AI strategies. How much hype is behind the excitement about AI? Is regulation the best answer? Where is Europe and is the ambition of ‘digital sovereignty’ a realistic one?
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5G is the promised land of the mobile communication industry. What distinguishes 5G from 4G? And yes, what about security? Will 5G live up to the expectations? Optimists need to factor in that industrial 5G applications require considerable investments and compete with alternative mobile technologies.
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Regulation is an essential part of digital policies. It covers a broad range of issues such as telecommunications, spectrum allocation, eCommerce, electronic signatures, net neutrality or copyright. I recommend the service of Cullen International for everyone who needs a regular update. Over the coming months the ‘Digital Services Act’ envisaged by the EU will dominate the agenda.
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Technological progress changes the labour markets. It alters occupations, job profiles and required skills. Digitalisation is no exception. How to respond to the future of work is one of the hot topics both in academia and politics. The former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang claimed that the emerging job inequalities will be so huge that the US should introduce a universal income scheme. Besides those grand designs, policy makers and managers ponder about practical issues, for instance, how to anticipate skills gaps or how to implement re-skilling programmes so they reach people that need it.
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Before a vaccine or an anti-viral is found, the COVID-19 crisis will drag on. Digital has played a part to keep people connected and to work remotely. E-commerce has filled the void of physical shopping. Some AI techniques were helpful to diagnose lung CT images and to analyse the spread of the virus. Contact tracing apps promise to eradicate. Will digital solutions scale up or remain anecdotal?
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The notion of a digital economy describes an economy where products and services are increasingly digitalised. Economics Nobel Prize winner Kenneth Arrow once quipped that he could see computers everywhere but in the productivity statistics. This is an ongoing controversy. Is it a measurement problem? Did digital transformation benefit developing countries more than developed ones? Will it increase social injustices?
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