The second dimension is that of American Tech, a leader in Western countries.
The vision of Tech is ambivalent.
As individuals, we are all consumers, whether personally or professionally. On a macroeconomic scale, the wild hope is that recent developments, particularly those in AI, are the missing links so that these innovations, which have been accumulating for some forty years, finally translate into productivity gains. This change in trajectory would then pose the issue of inequality and insufficient wages in very different terms, and would resolve a large part of the problem of income sharing between workers and retirees.
Yet the other side of the coin requires us to think differently.
Three reasons.
The first, already known, is that these tech companies are accumulating data in a process that may lack transparency. This discussion is the subject of intense negotiations between Washington and the European Commission to ensure that this data is usable by all and not confiscated in democratic debates.
This dimension is essential for an objective approach to economic, social, and democratic issues. Technology must be everyone’s business, not just a minority. Free access to information allows for more effective decision-making at all levels of society.
The issue of data and information concentration does not allow for a healthy democratic debate since the small group that holds this data has a clear informational advantage and biases the democratic debate. Everyone must be able to have a sufficient level of information.
Yet this isn’t necessarily the path we’re heading down. Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House has profoundly changed the behavior of tech companies. In the past, without direct support from Washington, tech was important and visible, but it didn’t carry disruptive visions for society. Now, bolstered by the disruptions brought about by the American president, they have strong political support and the ability to implement disruptive projects.
This bias will certainly increase with the dismantling of public research and the drying up of federal resources for basic research in the USA. From medicine to climate, research funding is weakened and the conditions for this research are profoundly modified. Resources would flow more towards private tech firms. The oligarchy that we saw in Russia over raw materials was formed with tech bosses in the United States.
Given the standoff between Washington and the European Commission, there is no doubt that what happens in the tech sector will have an impact on the overall political balance.
To be continued…