The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, and gene editing will bring immeasurable benefits and advances to billions around the globe. Yet what happens when things go wrong – or new technologies fall into the hands of bad actors?
This two hour exploration on the unintended impacts of technology on society will feature a keynote address by Ash Carter, former US Secretary of Defense and now the Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School. Secretary Carter will be followed by a panel discussion of business, government, and academic leaders on how we can work together to ensure the next generation of technologies serve overall human good. Confirmed panelists include David Eaves, Lecturer at HKS and Director of Digital HKS, and Chris Lynch, Founding Director of the Defense Digital Service at the U.S. Department of Defense, Steve Strassmann, Senior Architect of Kyruus and former Chief Technology Officer of Massachusetts, and Laura Manley, Director of the Technology and Public Purpose Project at Harvard's Belfer Center.
Co-presented by Technology and Public Purpose (TAPP) Project and the Harvard Innovation Labs. This event is open to the public.