The Disruptive Technology Perspective At The Washington Ideas Forum
Influencers in politics, academia, and business converge once a year at the Washington Ideas Forum to discuss the challenges and potential solutions America faces. This event held November 14th to November 15th pulled together over 1200 attendees and was sponsored by The Atlantic in partnership with The Aspen Institute and the Newseum.
(Photo: R Wang, All Rights Reserved)
Working Group Highlights Seven Themes Impacting Policy Decisions In Disruptive Technology
As part of the event, a disruptive technologies summit convened the morning of the 14th. Moderated by The Atlantic’s President, Scott Havens, participants included influencers from Arnold, Brewster, Children’s National, CH2M Hill, FCC, Google, IMdB, KBS, MIT, National Science Foundation, Paper, Rose Park Advisors, Sony Music Entertainment, US Department of Energy, United Technologies, Washington Post. Amidst a lively discussion, seven clear themes emerged:
- Massive tension exists between disruptive technologies that displace jobs versus disruptive technologies that create new jobs.
- New ecosystem models must encourage collaboration and incentives with incumbents and disruptors to create a climate of success.
- Long term investment strategy often threatened by short term pressures for maximum monetization.
- The average American lacks access to basic educational skills for new economies and jobs influenced by disruptive technologies
- Many industries will be disrupted, hence, government policies should focus on broader policy implications, not detailed purpose built programs
- Policy making must consider the ramifications of the new winners and losers in a societal re-balance.
- Policy should focus on supporting a culture of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.
Figure 2. The #IdeasForum Flickr Photo Stream
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(Photo: R Wang, All Rights Reserved)
The Bottom Line: Policy Failing To Keep Up With The Rapid Pace of Change
The mindset gap between Washington policy makers and disruptive tech influencers continues to widen. As more and more disruptive technologies emerge, key policy makers fail to understand the ramifications of these shifts. Instead of treating Silicon Valley and other entrepreneurial centers as ATM stops during campaign season, a more concerted conversation and relationships would help. One solution – create more frequent opportunities for interaction and updates in a “cross-cultural” exchange. Further, the creation of more think tank’s such as Nigel Cameron’s Center for Policy on Emerging Technologies (C-PET) should help shape policy markers going forward.
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