Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Coronavirus pandemic is pointing to how technology will transform the future – and some of its drawbacks

Big data and artificial intelligence have been deployed to help contain the virus and hunt for a vaccine. But concerns persist over the threat to privacy and tech’s promotion of misinformation

The world faces a paradigm-shaking set of economic, political, environmental and social issues. They include rising populations, the environment and failing post-World War II metrics and economic models; what each of these factors share is that technology offers both solutions and challenges.

As we focus on Covid-19’s health and economic hurdles, the environment and social changes loom in the background. What can we expect from technology?

Big data allows governments to track people in unprecedented ways and provides raw information, which can be used to find commonalities, trends and genetic markers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and help develop vaccines.

5G speeds up information sharing, facial recognition, contact tracing, distance learning, GPS and social media, for example, allowing artificial intelligence experts to create real-time models that drive more accurate and targeted decision-making.



It took around five months to decode the severe acute respiratory syndrome genome; Covid-19’s was decoded in a month. AI is already speeding the process of finding a vaccine by going through the various antiviral combinations and selecting high probabilities that can be pursued in the lab.

The internet itself has evolved and allows access to the most up-to-date and accurate information on prevention, infections and deaths.

On the other hand, technology has also enabled the spread of false and misleading information. In some instances, the media and the internet are being used to push political or economic agendas, or deflect blame for incompetence.

The same technology that can be used to fight the virus could also be used to weaponise it. The same combination of big data, 5G and AI – crucial in controlling the spread of Covid-19 – is also a challenge to people’s privacy.



Covid-19 is seen as the straw that broke the camel’s back, which brought the world to the doorstep of a recession. What people often overlook is the role technology has been playing in our economy. Beyond unicorns and tech titans, technology has changed, and will continue to change, the way we work, live and govern ourselves.

So far, technological changes have largely affected factory jobs but, in the future, its impact will be felt in logistics and services like law, banking and accounting. This will lead to a massive dislocation of existing labour and economic, political and social change.

Economically, people will need to be shifted into fields where they can be productive and there is enough demand, such as design and other creative fields where technology cannot currently replace human beings.

Politically, people will expect and receive more information, but not all of it will be accurate, as we have experienced. For example, jobs lost to automation are often blamed on other countries.

Socially, we are interacting with each other increasingly online; remote working, meetings and learning are experiencing a massive boom, which may subside slightly, but will not disappear due to economic efficiencies.

On the positive side, on the economic front, technology – especially AI, big data and 5G – will transform the efficiencies of commercial processes. Smart contracts will replace legions of lawyers, and taxation at the point of transaction will replace armies of accountants and book-keepers.

Agricultural yields will rise due to drones employing GPS navigation and directed by AI to minimise water and fertiliser use. Productivity gains can be directed into more leisure time and activities. Even fewer people will be employed in the fields.

Politically, real-time information will be available. With less time spent assembling reports, and tracking and guarding data, fewer bureaucrats will be needed. More time can be spent planning the successes of the future, rather than making excuses for the failures of the past. Governments can be held more accountable, as the need for guesswork is reduced.

Socially, assuming that resources are put into education and training people for the future economy, there will be shorter weeks and more leisure time. Hopefully, with fewer resources devoted to providing subsistence necessities, economic disparity will decline. In essence, advances in technology will enable socialist goals.

To ensure that technology better serves mankind, greater compatibility, international standardisation, efficiency in information and communication technology value chains, and international cooperation and teamwork should be promoted and encouraged, rather than disrupted and sabotaged.

A case in point in the fight against Covid-19 is that different standards of protective masks by different countries and regions have hindered the efficiency of the fight against the virus and put more lives at risk. Divided technologies in general, and in information and communication technology in particular, will make the world of tomorrow more dangerous.

In the future, technology companies should be treated fairly and freed up to innovate. Politicising any technology company – be it Apple, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia, Samsung or ZTE – without due process not only undermines the rule of law itself, but inflicts harm on consumers and mankind as a whole.

Technology is like a surgeon’s scalpel: when wielded by a trained practitioner, it can save lives, but used irresponsibly, it can do the opposite. The experience of the Covid-19 pandemic should remind us that whether the future is a “brave new world” or a better new world will be up to us, not technology.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
×