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

DEC 4, 2020 Podcast

The Doorstep: Opportunities for a New U.S. Policy Toward African Nations, with Ambassador Charles A. Ray

In this week's Doorstep, hosts Tatiana Serafin and Nikolas Gvosdev are joined by Charles A. Ray, current chair of the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Africa ...

OCT 20, 2020 Podcast

AI, the Future of Work, & 21st Century Challenges for the Social Contract, with James Manyika

Can artificial intelligence (AI) be deployed in ways that enhance equality, or will these systems exacerbate existing structural inequalities and create new ones? In this ...

JUN 8, 2020 Podcast

Mysterious Machines: The Road Ahead for AI Ethics in International Security, with Arthur Holland Michel

How do we learn to trust AI systems and what are the implications of this technology as nations confront mass protests in a post-pandemic world?

MAY 22, 2020 Podcast

Agile Global Governance, Artificial Intelligence, & Public Health, with Wendell Wallach

The rapid development of emerging technologies like AI signaled a new inflection point in human history, accompanied by calls for agile international governance. With the ...

Langdon Ogburn presents at Carnegie Council's sixth annual Student Research Conference.

MAY 18, 2020 Article

Drones and Warfare, with R. Langdon Ogburn

On May 8, 2020, R. Langdon Ogburn's presentation on "Drones and Warfare" was selected as the winner of Carnegie Council's sixth annual Student Research Conference. Afterwards, Carnegie ...

New York Army National Guard at a COVID-19 mobile testing center, New Rochelle, NY, March 14, 2020. <br>CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_National_Guard_(49667734346).jpg">New York National Guard (CC)</a>.

MAY 5, 2020 Podcast

COVID-19 & the Future of Health Data, with Mona Sloane

The implementation of contact tracing and the collection of health data may be necessary for life to return to "normal" in the face of the ...

MAY 1, 2020 Podcast

Prospects for Global Coordination in an Age of Pandemics & Emerging Climate Technologies, with Cynthia Scharf

Much like efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, combatting climate change requires cooperation on a global scale. And yet the history of ...

Sheffield, UK, March 2020. CREDIT: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/shefftim/49683551823/">Tim Dennell</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">(CC)</a>.

APR 24, 2020 Podcast

Health Data, Privacy, & Surveillance: How Will the Lockdowns End? with Effy Vayena & Jeffrey Kahn

How should we think about privacy and government surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic? Johns Hopkins' Jeffrey Kahn and ETH Zurich's Effy Vayena discuss health data ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/48899821263/">Marco Verch</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(CC)</a>

APR 20, 2020 Podcast

Ethics, Surveillance, & the Coronavirus Pandemic, with Arthur Holland Michel

As U.S. states and European nations contemplate how to end the COVID-19 quarantine, Senior Fellow Arthur Holland Michel discusses all aspects of surveillance and ...

Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. CREDIT: <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kutupalong_Refugee_Camp_(Maaz_Hussain-VOA).jpg>Maaz Hussain (CC)</a>.

APR 3, 2020 Article

Facing a Pandemic in the Dark

Over 1 million Rohingya refugees living in crowded, unsanitary conditions in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh could soon be facing their own COVID-19 outbreak. Making their situation even ...