The Conversation BRAD SMITH, PRESIDENT AND VICE CHAIR, MICROSOFT

THE UNABATED GROWTH OF BIG TECH COMPANIES HAS MADE AUTHORITIES BRING REGULATIONS TO KEEP THEIR POWERS IN CHECK. BRAD SMITH, PRESIDENT AND VICE CHAIR AT MICROSOFT, BELIEVES THAT WHILE TECHNOLOGY CAN SOLVE ALMOST ALL PROBLEMS, IT DOES NEED REGULATION, THOUGH HE WELCOMES INDIA’S DECISION TO PAUSE ITS PROPOSED PRIVACY LAW. “PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT RECOGNISE THAT YOU CAN’T THINK ABOUT PRIVACY IN A VACUUM, SEPARATE FROM EVERYTHING ELSE. SO, THE GOVERNMENT HERE IS USING THE PAUSE TO THINK ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT REGULATORY FIELDS SHOULD CONNECT WITH EACH OTHER.”

- ASMITA DEY

“We must build a future where machines are accountable to people and people who build machines to society.”

The world order is going to be increasingly dictated by technology. Tech companies will have to assume greater responsibilities. How should they gear up for this shift?

Technology is a tool for solving almost any problem. Unfortunately, it has also become a weapon or in some cases a factor that can exacerbate the world’s problems. That has profound implications for responsibilities the tech sector needs to embrace. Unfortunately, many millennia of human civilisation have demonstrated time and again that one can never rely solely on goodwill of men and women to do what’s right. That’s why we have laws, governments and regulations. So, we need a sense of responsibility, and a healthy dose of law and regulations. That’s the only recipe for ensuring that technology serves the world.

Is there one technology which you think is going to make the biggest impact on humanity?