Joy Zhang

As an empirical sociologist, I normally avoid speculating about the future in public. But I was immediately intrigued when I received the invitation to give a talk at the Future Trends Forum organised by the Bankinter Innovation Foundation. This is partly because this year the Forum brought together scientific experts from the fields of AI, neuroscience and genome editing. It’s not very often to have an event in which one can talk to leaders in the three fields all at once. But it was also partly because I do have something to say about future innovation: We must change our mindset regarding private investors and the industry’s roles in public engagement, especially in light of the new ethical situations and conundrums that have emerged from new social activism associated with innovations. There is a cultural change in how innovations can forge ahead and what these advancements may symbolise. Thus, there should be a corresponding cultural shift or cultural expectation in how communication and engagement to be carried out. My talk was well received. I really hope there will be more reflexive engagement activities organised by the industry.