Emerging Technology

Framing ethical perspectives

Emerging Technologies are technologies whose development and/or practical applications are still largely unrealized. Carnegie Council’s events, experts, and initiatives 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 these systems are 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

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 ...

Xinyi District in Taipei, Taiwan. CREDIT: <a href=https://pixabay.com/photos/taipei-taiwan-taipei-101-2057818/>Pixabay (CC)</a>.

MAR 31, 2020 Podcast

Taiwan's Digital Response to COVID-19, with Audrey Tang

Despite being close to the initial epicenter of the virus, Taiwan was able to contain its COVID-19 outbreak earlier in 2020. Audrey Tang, Taiwan's digital minister, ...

FEB 27, 2020 Podcast

Carnegie New Leaders Podcast: Cybersecurity, Norms, & Regulations, with Jason Healey

Are there norms when it comes to cybersecurity? How should governments regulate this emerging domain? What's the role of the private sector? SIPA's Jason Healey ...

CREDIT: <a href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/948810">pxhere (CC)</a>

FEB 24, 2020 Podcast

The Future of Artificial Intelligence, with Stuart J. Russell

UC Berkley's Professor Stuart J. Russell discusses the near- and far-future of artificial intelligence, including self-driving cars, killer robots, governance, and why he's worried that ...