Posted by Bob Boorstin, Director, Public Policy G-20 summit , where world leaders are gathering in an environment of economic uncertainty, Google CEO Eric Schmidt was in Pittsburgh to talk about what futurist Alvin Toffler described as "that great, growling engine of change -- technology" and its impact on economic growth.Pittsburgh Technology Council and other Pittsburghers:History has shown us that cutting-edge technology and the free, open flow of information are key drivers of economic growth. Call it "Gutenberg's Law": there's a clear correlation between the amount of information available to the average citizen and the economic growth and progress of that citizen's country. From the printing press to the telegraph to the Internet, each has enabled more exchange of ideas and sharing of information, resulting in a corresponding boost to economic progress.Today, we are only at the very cusp of the technological revolution that the rise of the Internet will bring. Technology is changing almost everything about how we live, work, and play. Networks are getting ever-faster, data is being generated at an exponential rate, and devices are becoming faster and more powerful, able to store and do more even as they shrink. That means changes in the way we connect and communicate; changes in how we generate, find, and use information; and changes in how we interact with business and government.Technology has driven down barriers to entry in terms of knowledge, scale, cost, and geography, leading to increased competition on a global scale. Today's entrepreneurs can leverage the Internet and technology in a way that only the largest multinational could afford 10 or 15 years ago. Size is no barrier to competition. This trend isn't unique to the West -- it's visible all around the world, especially when it comes to clever business applications for mobile.EDIT (9/24/09): Check out video of the speech below.
Technology will set us free!!! Thank you Eric Schmidt and the people of Google for embracing change and pushing for freedom of information. All people of the world should have free and equal access to all the worlds information so we can break down the class barriers and become equal partners in our future.
ReplyDeleteAs Ray Kurzweil said in his address on Ted.com - paraphrased - The one thing that is certain through good times and bad is the exponential growth of technology.
Soal.Jack