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

Andrew Yang. CREDIT: Billy Pickett.

MAR 21, 2018 Podcast

The Case for Universal Basic Income, with Andrew Yang

Automation is causing the greatest shift in human history and will put millions of Americans out of work, says entrepreneur and 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. ...

FEB 26, 2018 Podcast

It's Better than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear, with Gregg Easterbrook

Today, many feel paralyzed by the constant stream of bad news. Yet as Gregg Easterbrook shows, statistics on crime, poverty, and longevity prove that things ...

Sophia the robot, speaking at the AI for GOOD Global Summit, 2017. CREDIT: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/itupictures/34328656564/">ITU Pictures</a> (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC</a>)

FEB 26, 2018 Article

Artificial Intelligence's Ethical Challenges

"Like the situation with nuclear power, the world will likely only confront the ethical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technology after ...

CREDIT: <a hfer="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratospheric_Particle_Injection_for_Climate_Engineering#/media/File:SPICE_SRM_overview.jpg">Hughhunt</a>. SPICE research project on solar radiation management (SRM). (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">CC</a>)

FEB 26, 2018 Article

Errors of Omission, Commission, and Emission: Moral Culpability in Climate Change and Considerations of Solar Radiation Management

"As it becomes clearer that we can't stop the repercussions of climate change through mitigation alone, an ugly question rears its head, presenting perhaps the ...

CREDIT: Via ,a href="https://pixabay.com/en/dna-string-biology-3d-1811955/">Pixabay</a> free images

FEB 26, 2018 Article

International Regulation of Genetic Engineering: Ethical Considerations in the 21st Century

"Though it may be tempting to advance this new technology as far as we can, we must realize that genetic engineering may come at significant ...

FEB 22, 2018 Podcast

Does Fake News Matter? with Brendan Nyhan

What are the real facts about fake news? Brendan Nyhan is co-author of an important new study on fake news consumption during the 2016 U.S. ...

Detail from book cover

FEB 21, 2018 Podcast

Virtual Reality for Social Good, with Jeremy Bailenson

In this fascinating conversation, Jeremy Bailenson, director of Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab, describes how virtual reality (VR) can be used as a force ...

Ian Bremmer. CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni

JAN 12, 2018 Podcast

Top Risks and Ethical Decisions 2018 with Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer

Probably the most dangerous geopolitical environment in decades-China, AI, Trump, end of Pax Americana--yes, it's very bad. But all these challenges energize political scientist Ian ...

Stephanie Sy and Philip Alston. CREDIT: Amanda Ghanooni

JAN 10, 2018 Podcast

Extreme Poverty in the United States, with the UN's Philip Alston

The UN's Philip Alston traveled across the U.S. recently and found appalling conditions, from homelessness in California to open sewage in rural Alabama. He ...

The Pentagon. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_030926-F-2828D-089_Aerial_view_of_the_Pentagon.jpg">U.S. Navy/Public Domain</a>

DEC 20, 2017 Podcast

Trump's National Security Strategy, with Julianne Smith

"I would say most of the people I have talked to outside of government, including some people in Congress, have been a little taken aback," ...