At the beginning of the 19th century, the idea of ’progress’ became the fundamental reference of the new times. Since then, we have witnessed a constant evolution that has led to the fact that today no one questions the fundamental role that technology plays in society and in people’s lives. Concepts such as ‘artificial intelligence’, ‘big data’, ‘metaverse’ or ‘data centres’ are emerging strongly among citizens not specialised in the subject. Linked to them are others such as ‘cyber risks’, ‘fake news’, unemployment, isolation or addictions, especially in the youngest. So it is worth reflecting: is technology good or bad for citizens?
As a voice of the digital industry, I believe that technology is an extension of the human body’s capabilities, which provides great benefits to businesses, citizens and the country as a whole. Like any other tool, the key lies in the instrumental nature of technological development and the use we make of it. Its introduction has been and will continue to be disturbing at first, but we will see that technology is not against us, but to help us.
With due diligence, we could say that something similar happened in the 1950s with the invention of the seat belt, an element that today has more than proven its effectiveness in saving lives. However, more than half a century ago, citizens were reluctant to change, because the car was seen as a symbol of freedom and mobility, while the seat belt restricted that freedom and was considered only for insecure or fearful drivers. In fact, there were many who believed it was safer to be thrown out of the vehicle than to wear a seat belt.
There is no doubt that good use of technology improves the common good and the progress of our society.
Regulation and information were key to raising awareness about the effectiveness of seat belt use. The same is true of technology. It must be stressed that technology is neither good nor bad, but rather a tool within our reach that must be regulated based on the way and purposes for which it is used. To do this, it is necessary to foster fluid and agile collaboration between public administrations and economic sectors, between the public and private sectors and between the organizations that form part of the industrial sector, because only in this way will we transform the technological landscape of the country and take full advantage of technological evolution.
With this, we will be able to continue innovating and implementing the most creative security technologies we have, develop new innovations to preserve our country’s competitiveness in this field and continue improving people’s lives. Not only for minorities, who thanks to technology are experiencing important advances in social and labour inclusion, but for the entire population. 3D printing, for example, has made it possible to create personalised prostheses or anatomical models for complex surgeries, and also, during the recent Covid-19 pandemic, it provided great relief for the construction of masks for doctors in record time; solar panels or wind turbines have facilitated the transition towards cleaner energy sources; and technology applied to the world of work, despite what one might think, has generated more employment. Specifically, in 2022, according to data from the AMETIC Digital Economy Barometer, the number of workers in the digital industry increased by more than 630,000 people, growing at an annual rate of around 10%. According to our Barometer, the digital and technological industry accounts for 22.6% of GDP with an annual turnover of 122 billion euros, with key sectors such as tour operators, banking, air transport, textiles, and artistic and sporting events; which have accounted for more than 1,348 million transactions in the 2022 financial year. Furthermore, at the international level, Spain is already in seventh place in Europe in the DESI ranking and 26th place worldwide in the NRI index.
All of this means that within institutions such as the one I am part of, AMETIC, we firmly believe in technology, in the imperative need to show and disseminate its benefits and help the rest of the actors to establish robust regulations that allow us to maximize the benefits of the technological opportunity while minimizing its risks. Because there is no doubt that good use of technology makes this tool perfect for the common good and the progress of our society.
