Policymaking for Emerging Technologies

Disruptive Tech. Public Policy. Global Futures.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution with paradigm-shifting technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Biohacking, and Autonomous Vehicles will fundamentally disrupt our social, economic, and governance models and challenge what it means to be human. The global transformation needs us to re-think beyond conventional policy approaches to dealing with technology. This course takes a public-policy first approach to digital transformations including agile policy paradigms and global case studies on data protection, privacy, surveillance and genome editing with a focus on the Indian context. Tailored for young professionals from across domains, it lays a rigorous foundation for modes of thinking about the future of technology policy. Finally, it attempts an Indic way of thinking through these questions for India’s future.

Components

What you will learn

Gain a contextual understanding of technology policy in India
Learn and apply technology policy thought models to regulate emerging technologies like AI, IoT, 5G and Drones
Global case studies and key developments in policy for emerging technology
Get insights into a regulator's mind and understand Indian lawmakers think of technology
Analyse social and political consequences of technology
Gain an understanding of technological design as regulation
Understand systemic interdependencies between technology, society, geopolitics and law
Gear up to participate in India’s emerging tech-policy ecosystem

Curriculum Overview

Structure of the course

Module 1: Conceptual Foundations: Technology, Ethics, Society and Law

● The Great Global Transformation: The fundamental paradigm shifts of our time
● VUCA, Complex Adaptive Systems and Exponential Change
● The need for Technology Policy
● What is technology? Philosophy of Technology
● Information Society
● Code as Law : The legal effects of design
● Ethics of Technology

Module 2: Emerging technology and Public Policy

● From Technology to SocioTechnical Systems
● The traditional policymaking process and its limitations
● New Technology Policy Paradigms
● The Collingridge dilemma and the Precautionary Principle
● Regulating emerging technology: Horizontal Complexity in Policy
● Agile Policymaking: Regulatory sandboxes, Adaptive Regulation and Collaborative Approaches
● Design as Regulation

Module 3: Technology Policy in Practice

● Global Case Study: Data Regulation in the European Union
● Walk-through case study: Drones in India
● Technology as Geopolitics: 5G Across the World
● Strategic Policy Questions: AI, Data and Cybersecurity intertwined

Module 4: Expert Session: Building Digital Public Infrastructure: India’s “Rails” Approach

An expert session on India’s unique approach to building Public Digital Infrastructure.

Module 5: Expert Session: Making Technology Policy In India

This expert session intends to introduce participants to the technology policy ecosystem in India and opportunities to participate.

Module 6: Indian Technological Futures

● India’s Open Questions in Technology Policy:
○ Artificial Intelligence
○ Facial Recognition
○ Data Protection and Privacy
○ Algorithmic Governance and Intermediary liability
○ Digital Rights
● Envisioning Indic Futures: Towards a Dharma of Technology
● Charting Technology Policy Careers in India