Merck CEO Stefan Oschmann analyzes the resurgent sense of techno-pessimism as well as the immense potential of disruptive technologies, particularly the data storage capacity of the human genome. “How do we make sure that future technology is hardwired for human progress?”, he asks. “In my view, we’ll have to tackle three important challenges: efficiency, ethics and collaboration.”
Technological progress inevitably brings disruption. However, “leaving the opportunities untapped would be the greatest risk of all”, Oschmann argues. He closes his talk with the appeal to “innovate boldly”, “act responsibly” and “actively take part in societal debate”.
