In The News

Growing Chorus of Experts Raising Ethical Questions About the Future of Robotics

Ian Munroe February 25, 2016
Japan, struggling with a labor shortage, leads in developing robotic technology. Robot development is underway in the defense, health care, transportation and other sectors, and as many as half of Japan’s workers could be replaced by robots by 2035, notes one research firm. “Japan remains one of the largest markets in the world for automated industrial machines, and the government is keen to stay...

After EU Deal, British Voters Weigh Costs and Benefits of Brexit

David R. Cameron February 25, 2016
Like other nations, the United Kingdom faces ongoing pressures from debt, demographics, and refugees fleeing the Middle East. Some politicians use the European Union as a convenient scapegoat for their own troubles. In 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to renegotiate terms of Britain’s membership in the EU. A referendum on whether the country should remain a member is set for...

Africa’s Rising Middle Class – And Why It Matters

Tom Jackson February 25, 2016
There are varying reports on the exact size of Africa’s middle class. Depending on definitions and income levels, the middle class could represent 6 percent or 34 percent of the overall population, reports Tom Jackson for New Africa Magazine. Yet analysts agree that consumer markets, opportunities and technological advances are expanding. The population is young, and the continent’s median age...

How Technology Could Unwind a Decade-Long Trend in Global Trade

Luke Kawa February 24, 2016
Globalization pushes production and jobs to emerging economies while automation in technology has reduced jobs in the developed economies, explains Luke Kawa for Bloomberg Business. The article is based on a note to clients from analysts at the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. led by Senior Asia Economist Goohoon Kwon. As robots become less costly, companies will move production closer to customer bases...

Why More Defense Spending Could Slow Technology Growth

Satyajit Das February 24, 2016
Scientific research in any sector introduces innovations that deliver new products and jobs for society. The science during periods of peace may produce more innovations than the science of war, and Satyajit Das, writing for MarketWatch, points to the end of the Cold War as an example: “scientific and mathematical resources previously employed in the defense-industrial infrastructure were...

Sunnylands or Rancho Mirage? ASEAN and the South China Sea

Donald K. Emmerson February 23, 2016
China and its neighbors have competing claims to sections of the South China Sea. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long trusted that regional diplomacy might resolve the overlapping claims and, in the meantime, the United States would keep China in check. But China has been more assertive in recent years, building up small islands and adding military installations. The hope for...

Study Reveals Stunning Acceleration of Sea Level Rise

John Upton February 23, 2016
The 20st century stands out for sudden rising sea levels, much more than any of the previous 27 centuries. “The new study, the culmination of a decade of work by three teams of farflung scientists, has charted what they called an ‘acceleration’ in sea level rise that’s triggering and worsening flooding in coastlines around the world,” reports John Upton for Climate Central. “The findings also...