Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has established the NTU Institute of Science and Technology for Humanity to study the impact of the technological revolution on society.
The announcement was made by Professor Subra Suresh, who was formally inaugurated on Feb 22 as the fourth President of NTU.
“Unlike the previous three previous industrial revolutions, Industry 4.0 is projecting a pace of technological and societal change that is unprecedented,” he said.
“Such changes will impact nearly every aspect of human endeavour and day-to-day life in the years to come…While the technological revolution we are witnessing today will reshape the 21st century human condition in many positive ways, there is also understandable nervousness about its potential downsides.”
Professor Suresh added that the new Institute will synergise and coordinate campus-wide activities at the intersections of technology, natural sciences, social sciences, arts, policy, regulation and governance, business, medicine and ethics. “It will serve as a forum for discussion groups, research projects, symposia, educational activities, policy development and as a vehicle for a new era of exploration of how humanity will interface with technologies to enrich the human condition.”
The institute will leverage NTU’s multi-disciplinary strengths, with a focus on three key themes. They are: responsible innovation, governance and leadership in the technological age, as well as new urban Asia.
The last theme looks at the impact of technology and how it is transforming the urban landscape in Asia, and how it is affecting the lives of people in the world’s most populous continent.