Emerging Technology

Framing ethical perspectives

Emerging Technologies are technologies whose development and/or practical applications are still largely unrealized. If left unchecked, these technologies could exacerbate inequality and empower autocrats, destabilize society, and destroy the concept of privacy. Carnegie Council’s events, experts, and impact initiatives, such as the Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative (AIEI), focus on the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies and aim to map the field, illuminate topics requiring further research, and build a diverse community of experts, with the goal of ensuring that AI is developed and deployed in a just, responsible, and inclusive manner.

Featured Emerging Technology Resources

Artificial intelligence, climate-altering technologies, and more

APR 9, 2024 Video

Algorithms of War: The Use of AI in Armed Conflict

From Gaza to Ukraine, the military applications of AI are fundamentally reshaping the ethics of war. How should policymakers navigate AI’s inherent trade-offs?

MAR 27, 2024 Article

The Specter of EMP Weapons in Space

Visiting Fellow Zhanna Malekos Smith details the danger of electromagnetic pulse weapons. How can nations protect themselves from this catastrophic threat?

Explore Our Emerging Technology Resources

FEB 3, 2022 Podcast

The Doorstep: Hacktivism 2.0, with Joseph Marks

A decade after hacktivists like the Anonymous collective gained notoriety for cyberattacks on U.S. government agencies and multinationals and were later tamped down by ...

JAN 19, 2022 Podcast

AI, Movable Type, & Federated Learning, with Blaise Aguera y Arcas

Are we reaching for the wrong metaphors and narratives in our eagerness to govern AI? In this "Artificial Intelligence & Equality" podcast, Carnegie Council Senior Fellow ...

JAN 18, 2022 Podcast

C2GDiscuss: Governing Solar Radiation Modification Research: Insights from Marine Cloud Brightening and the Great Barrier Reef

In response to climate change risks, scientists are considering the viability of developing and deploying marine cloud brightening (MCB), which seeks to whiten clouds over ...

JAN 10, 2022 Podcast

C2GTalk: How can fiction help people think about solar radiation modification? with Eliot Peper

When author Eliot Peper first heard about solar geoengineering, or solar radiation modification, he knew he had to write a novel. "There are so many ...

JAN 5, 2022 Podcast

"That Wasn't My Intent": Re-envisioning Ethics in the Information Age, with Shannon Vallor

In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence & Equality" podcast, Senior Fellow Wendell Wallach sits down with Professor Shannon Vallor to discuss how to reenvision ethics ...

DEC 9, 2021 Podcast

Ethics, Governance, and Emerging Technologies: A Conversation with the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative (C2G) and Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative (AIEI)

Emerging technologies with global impact are creating new ungoverned spaces at a rapid pace. The leaders of Carnegie Council's C2G and AIEI initiatives discuss ...

NOV 17, 2021 Podcast

AI & Warfare: Are We in a New "Horse & Tank Moment"? with Kenneth Payne

Will AI systems transform the future battlefield so dramatically that it will render existing paradigms and doctrines obsolete, feeding new intense security dilemmas? In this "...

NOV 10, 2021 Article

Why Are We Failing at the Ethics of AI?

As you read this, AI systems and algorithmic technologies are being embedded and scaled far more quickly than existing governance frameworks (i.e., the rules ...

NOV 3, 2021 Podcast

Time for an Honest Scientific Discourse on AI & Deep Learning, with Gary Marcus

In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence & Equality Initiative" podcast, Senior Fellow Anja Kaspersen speaks with Gary Marcus to discuss the need for an open ...

OCT 8, 2021 Podcast

The Promise & Peril of AI & Human Systems Engineering, with Mary "Missy" Cummings

In this episode of the "Artificial Intelligence and Equality Initiative" podcast, Senior Fellows Anja Kaspersen and Wendell Wallach are joined by former U.S. Navy ...