Digital tech is the future, but new report shows Australia risks being left in the past

Digital technologies are present astatine the bosom of our mundane lives, arsenic anyone who has swapped their bureau for a videoconferencing screen, oregon downloaded a contact-tracing app, knows lone excessively well.

This inclination is acceptable to proceed even successful a post-COVID world. Australia is astatine a crossroads successful processing a strong integer economy to conscionable this changing satellite head-on.

In the words of the computing pioneer Alan Kay, "the champion mode to foretell the aboriginal is to make it." Australia excessively needs to drawback the accidental to leverage its probe and improvement strengths successful emerging digital technologies, and make a "digital future" by amplifying the opportunities for maturation successful this important assemblage and fortify our sovereign capabilities. But Australia is lagging down galore different nations successful shaping this integer future.

In a new study released today, the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering person jointly issued an urgent telephone to action, asking the authorities and manufacture to admit the value of emerging integer technologies.

The study makes respective cardinal recommendations:

1. elevate emerging integer technologies arsenic a nationalist subject and innovation priority
2. include probe and innovation successful emerging integer technologies successful the 2021 Research Infrastructure Roadmap
3. recognize emerging integer technologies arsenic an autarkic maturation sector.

What technologies should beryllium encouraged?

The study focuses connected emerging integer technologies specified arsenic artificial quality (AI), the internet of things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality, blockchain and 5G networks.

These innovations are already starting to alteration industries specified arsenic manufacturing, agriculture, discarded management, transport, finance, acquisition and health. But they are inactive considered "emerging technologies" due to the fact that they person not yet realized their afloat commercialized potential, dissimilar much established technologies specified arsenic 3D printing, mobile computing oregon GPS.

The adjacent question of emerging integer technologies, specified arsenic self-driving vehicles, astute microgrids, 6G networks and quantum computing, volition further disrupt and alteration galore sectors of the economy.

Of course, it is hard to foretell precisely what innovations volition originate successful the future. But by ensuring a beardown nationalist absorption connected cardinal subject and engineering successful this fast-evolving area, Australia tin guarantee it stays up of the curve, nary substance what the aboriginal brings.

What are different nations doing?

The occupation is that Australia is presently doing the opposite. It is falling down countries specified arsenic the United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada and China, each of which are prioritizing integer technologies arsenic a strategy to bolster their planetary competitiveness.

Digital innovation accounts for lone 7.4% of Australia's gross home merchandise (GDP), compared with an OECD mean of 11.2%.

The applications of emerging integer technologies volition proceed to diversify and grow. Research and innovation successful emerging integer technologies should not beryllium artificially bound to circumstantial exertion areas nor overly absorption connected today's needs, arsenic doing truthful limits innovation imaginable that could different make wholly caller industries and jobs.

At the aforesaid time, emerging integer technologies proceed to outpace societal expectations and regulatory frameworks. Australia's integer disagreement continues to widen, and individuals with little income, employment and acquisition proceed to autumn behind. This situation is apt to compound our looming shortage of digitally skilled workers and widen existing inequalities.

Achieving digital literacy and inclusion done acquisition and workforce development are indispensable for Australia to conscionable its commitments to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and to guarantee the improvement of a digitally literate, highly skilled workforce.

Australians are aboriginal adopters and avid users of technology—a inclination that has been accelerated by the COVID pandemic. And the national government's Digital Economy Strategy is already putting A$1.2 cardinal into cardinal integer capabilities specified arsenic artificial intelligence and drone technologies.

This concern is welcome, but the authorities indispensable besides intelligibly admit the value of gathering technological and engineering capabilities successful ways that underpin the full integer economy, not conscionable peculiar technologies.

Elevating emerging integer technologies arsenic a nationalist subject precedence volition assistance their importance, some successful investment and successful narrative, make probe and improvement strengths, present captious probe infrastructure, and beryllium a catalyst for creating caller tech businesses and supporting existing businesses done enhanced linkages betwixt probe and industry. Through designation of a maturation sector, it tin assistance to pull endowment and code aboriginal accomplishment needs of the nation.

A highly digitized nine volition request world-class enactment successful processing integer technologies, and trim our reliance connected overseas exertion and expertise. Coordinated and strategical enactment of this important assemblage of our system volition assistance make a integer aboriginal for Australia that is aligned with our societal and economical aspirations.

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This nonfiction is republished from The Conversation nether a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.