Recent technological advancements, such as AI, robotics and biotechnology, have demonstrated significant potential for long-term development. However, who really benefits from these cutting-edge technologies?
There are plenty of countries around the world who have either neglected their technological infrastructure or have no means of funding it. Many places in the developing world still have no access to the internet, let alone “high-speed” internet. Taking this into account, a large number of these new advancements are meaningless for the rest of the developing world. More importantly, these technologies could be exacerbating disparities instead of mitigating them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this divide even further. Although technology has proven to be an effective tool in combating the spread of this virus, not everyone has equal access to contact tracing or specific COVID applications. It’s about time the world considers how we might fully benefit from the current technological revolution in order to close the gaps that prevent inclusive and long-term development.
Over the next few decades, technology will no doubt improve the lives of people at the top of the socioeconomic ladder. This is troublesome for many countries who are falling behind and risk being left behind forever.
The cornerstone of Smartpolis’ philosophy is to provide cutting edge smart city services that are affordable and can be scaled based on the current local infrastructure. We believe that Smartpolis is a viable tool to help solve the problem of technological disparity. It provides those in developing economies with the means to manage their cities without relying on a myriad of different technologies and systems. There are new and exciting technologies popping up everyday, perhaps it’s high time we get everyone up to “speed” before we keep pushing the envelope.
