This text discusses the role of technology and data-driven solutions in mitigating the pandemic and helping societies return to normal. It highlights various technologies such as quarantine bracelets, pandemic drones, predictive cleaning, bio-patches, and syndromic surveillance that have been developed to address pandemic-related problems. The text raises questions about the trade-offs and implications of relying on these technologies and emphasizes the importance of understanding the societies we are building. It explores the narratives, values, and propositions of technology companies and their promotion of these pandemic technologies. Ultimately, it points out the dilemma of whether our technological response offers greater control and understanding of the virus or of ourselves.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pandemic Technologies | Faith in data and digital tools | More advanced and widespread use of pandemic technologies | Faith in data-driven solutions to solve problems |
| Snapshot of pandemic technologies | Rapid shifts in data and intelligence uptake | Archive of advancements in ambient, behavioral, and biometric data | Desire to mitigate the pandemic and return to normalcy |
| Controlling the virus or the host? | Widespread faith in big data | Companies promoting technology solutions for pandemic-related problems | Belief in the power of big data to restore normalcy |
| Creating new forms of intelligence | Trade-offs between safety and surveillance | Advanced technologies analyzing data from different angles | Desire for greater control and understanding of ourselves. |