INN 311 Innovation and Entrepreneurship

MARC VENTRESCA Welcome to Module 4. Module 4 is really the start of the second set Of three mites in the p‹ogrwnme. The topic for Module 4 is increasingly elevant for all of us to think about and know something about. That ia, innovation and ethics and governance.

The material that we'll be sharing in this module starts from many of the emerging technologies: artifical intelligence, CRISPR, machine learning, additive manufacturing, in other words, the remarkable scientific and technologicaI transitions, breekthroughs, and accompIishments, which colleagues it tha World Economic Forum have called the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

In this module, I want lo think with you about the Fourth lndustrial Revolution as a case. In a sense, I want to ask you to thinK about what tha Fourth Industrial Revolution means, we'Il locate it with regard to earlier and prior industrial revolutions, and we'll pace die question That's at the heart of thinking about the work of innovation.

We'll also use material and insight from Modules 1.2, and 3. So I'm relying or you having dona that work, recalling, and using those idea Early on, the debates aver the meaning of innovation, the division of labour, how do we organise for innovation, and Oiat set of iaauea in Module 3, beyond disruption, beyond technology, beginning to really appreciate and be able to analyse and use institutional context, complimentary assets, and broadly inovation systems.

Here I'Il flag for you the week of the philaaopher of science collingridge who kas written quite extensively about an interestng point. When and how do we equate? when and how do we intervene in emerging technologies and new science? Do we intervene early on and potentially stymie or change the trajectory of those easy innovations, or do we wait and intarvene later? And often at that point, its more difficult to intervene at all. 

In other words, the rise of new forms of control at a distance, and the technologies of information that reach a high point with computerisation, computing, large-scale information technologies.

So again, keep in mind the Fourth Industrial Revolution is not an agreed-on term I think for our purposes though, it raises this question of, how do we govern? how do we manage the potential of these emerging 21 century technologies?

What's interesting from the Fourth Industrial Revolution argument in the World Economic Forum is that we don't have an adequate vocabulary of governance. In other words, the technologies in themselves promise many, many possibilities and promise much value, but also things of comm.

And so, this is why we now begin to say, whafs the governance of that? Who gets to decide? What are the institutions? What are the regulatory initiatives? Who geb to understand and decide the impact these technologies have on our lives, our work, the nature of work, our organisations, our societies?

• In every era, innovation has had a complex impact on business and society. How does this period of emerging technologies differ from previous eras?
• Think of an area of work, or activity, relevant to your professional life. Are new technologies changing the current way of doing things? Are these changes positive?
• What ethics and governance challenges are arising in this period of emerging technologies?

In 150 to 200 words, write your thoughts on the above questions in the submission box below. Note that these submissions will not be graded. The purpose of these journal reflections is to encourage critical thinking before starting the module content.