Can we Trust Technological Progress?

This session will examine the links between technological progress and trust. On the one hand, technological progress is responsible for a substantial part of economic growth, and is as such the main catalyst for the improvement of living conditions in developed and developing countries. On the other hand, each wave of technological progress generates defiance: first, some technological innovations inherently carry negative externalities for the environment (glyphosate), health (breast prosthesis), private life (personal data use); second, data storing, falsification of information or the mere fear that those could lead to a loss of confidence in technological advances.

Furthermore, technological progress can destroy jobs or simply transform employment structures in a threatening way for individuals, e.g. digital technologies and platforms structuring. It can shift the frontier between humans and the ‘artificial’, as some biotechnologies do, and be perceived as a threat to humanity (cloning, genetic manipulation).

Faced with those opportunities and/or dangers, the role of the political sphere is essential, in particular to strengthen trust in technological progress. It must guide societies, regulate when necessary, ensure compliance with the rules of the game. All these topics will be discussed during this session.