A roundtable discussion on the current landscape of biological risks posed by technology advancement in the fourth industrial revolution was recently hosted in New York City by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the World Economic Forum (WEF).
While the first industrial revolution centered on water and steam power and the second centered on electric power for mass production, the third used electronics and information technology to automate production.
The fourth industrial revolution, as characterized by the WEF, is a digital revolution that includes a fusion of technologies that blur the lines between physical, digital and biological spheres.
Chaired by former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest J. Moniz and WEF’s Head of Industries Dr. Cheryl Martin, the event examined the current biological risk and the steps that could be taken to spark additional attention, education and innovator-driven developments toward biological risk reduction.
Attendees each discussed opportunities, exchanged varying viewpoints and began planning the next steps to address emerging risks to public health.
Founded in 2001 by former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA) and Ted Turner, NTI works to address risks related to attacks with weapons of mass destruction and disruption, including nuclear, biological, radiological chemical and cyber-based threats.