Technological innovation has been a primary engine of human progress and advancement. But the exponential acceleration of technological change is raising profound issues for individuals, the economy, and society. Questions include the impact of automation and AI on the future of work, technological dislocations across industries and geographies, growing concentrations of power amongst technology companies, and implications of technology for how we measure, organise, and regulate the economy. INET Oxford researchers are exploring these topical issues as well as working at a fundamental level to understand what drives technological progress, and how networks of knowledge evolve and create growth in the economy. Some of the practical and policy applications of this work include analyses of what jobs and geographies are at risk to technological disruption, how might we better forecast technological progress, how technology might accelerate the transition to a green economy, and how policymakers might develop more effective strategies for growth.
Work on this theme is reflected in the projects listed on this site and also in the Oxford Martin School programme on Technology and Employment, and also the Santa Fe Institute event on the growing gap between our physical and social technologies.
