World Economic And Social Survey 2018: Frontier Technologies For Sustainable Development

8 October 2018

PDF document available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/WESS2018_full_web.pdf https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/WESS2018_pr_en.pdf

The World Economic and Social Survey 2018 reviews the advances in frontier technologies – automation, robotics, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, biotechnologies and artificial intelligence – and analyses their economic, social and environmental impact. These technologies possess immense potential for fostering growth, prosperity and environmental sustainability and accelerating the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Advances in frontier technologies also present new and unique challenges. While promising prosperity, they also present risks of growing unemployment, underemployment and inequality, and raise new ethical and moral challenges.