The document discusses the intricate relationship between technology and society, emphasizing how technology influences our lives while also being shaped by societal needs. It outlines significant technological trends expected to impact India by 2035, including advancements in education, energy, and healthcare, and stresses the importance of responsible technology development. The document advocates for using technology to enhance quality of life and democratizing access, while acknowledging the inherent risks and challenges associated with technological advancements.

1. Technology: Implications &
Societal impact
S G Deshmukh
ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology &
Management, Gwalior
deshmukh.sg@gmail.com
Based on presentation given on
National Technology Day: 11 May 2017
ITM University, Gwalior

2. Opening thought..
 Technology is affecting all of us.
 We as a society are also impacting the
way technology is being developed and
harnessed.
 Interesting symbiotic relationship between
technology and society

3. Observation..
 Yesterday, we celebrated Buddha Jayanti
 Lod Buddha- thinker, philosopher and path
breaker
 “Thinking is technology of mind”
 Without thinking , one can not develop
technology !!

4. Technology
 Noun : the application of scientific knowledge for practical
purposes, especially in industry.
 machinery and devices developed from scientific knowledge
 Technology ("science of craft", from Greek techne, "art, skill, cunning of
hand"; and -logia[) is the collection
of techniques, skills, methods and processes used in the production
of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such
as scientific investigation.
 Technology can be the knowledge of techniques, processes, and the like,
or it can be embedded in machines which can be operated without detailed
knowledge of their workings.
Source: Wikipedia/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology

5. Technological society !
 Interesting trends..
 Autonomous vehicles
 Graphene material
 3-D printing/additive manufacturing/Industry 4.0
 Drones
 Wearable technologies
 Smart home technologies/IOT etc.
 Virtual currencies (Bitcoin)

6. Technology trends in IT ..
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2016/10/24/understanding-the-top-
ten-technology-trends-for-2017/#2cd2352a55b9
 AI and machine learning
 Intelligent apps
 Intelligent things
 Virtual/ augmented reality
 Adaptive security architecture

7. Remark..
 We have just seen an interesting video in
Siddharth Tungareji’s (*) session
 This video has enlightened us on how
technology is helping to overcome terrible
disease like ALS !
 (* from Impetus Technology )

8. Impacts of Technological
contributions felt..
Adjective Example
Wider Social Networking
Deeper Understanding about
technology
Longer Life Expectancy
Lighter Hand Held devices
Safer Travel
Better Quality of Life

9. Remarks..
 Technology has impacted our lives
 We can not think to exist without
technology
 Technology is also being commodified !

10. India 2035
 India transforms itself from developing to developed,
 Country of 1.5 billion population by 2035 would not only the
most populated but a leading economy as well (as evident
from nay surveys !)
 Projected GDP would grow to 10.5 trillion- implying significant
increase in economic activity and access to modern amenities.
 Technology would make a far greater impact on our lives in
2035 in particular and on society in general !

11. Technolgy vision 2035
 Study by TIFAC
Technology Information, Forecasting &
Assessment Council
http://www.tifac.org.in/
http://www.tifac.org.in/images/pdf/tv203
5/TV%202035%20Doc-Last%20final-
release.compressed.pdf

12. Acknowledgement
 Next few slides are based on
 “Technology vision:2035”by TIFAC
 Personal discussions with Dr Prabhat Ranjan,
ED, TIFAC

13. Vision
Source: Vision 2035/Document by TIFAC

14. Source: Vision 2035/Document by TIFAC

15. Relationship between basic
needs
Source:
Vision 2035/Document by TIFAC

16. Important Technologies
as highlighted in Vision 2035
 1. Educational Technologies
2. Energy Technologies
3. Environment
4. Food and Agriculture
5. Global challenge issues
6. Habitat
7. Information & Communication Technologies
8. Infrastructure
9. Materials & Manufacturing Technologies
10. Medical science & Health Care
11. Transportation
12. Water Technologies

17. Implications..
 Shift to A3 (anyone, anywhere, anytime) connected knowledge
based economy and society and development of appropriate
infrastructure.
 Creating modern amenities, knowledge and value addition
opportunities with supporting infrastructure in rural areas would
need added thrust to at least minimize pressure on migration
to urban areas.
 Manifold increase in the pressure on urban infrastructure,
demand for processed food and consumer goods and also
energy would necessitate paradigm technological shifts in
manufacturing, infrastructure, services and agriculture sectors.

18. Insights
 Technology is a key driver to empower individuals,
societies and countries, facilitate development and
enhance capabilities, while taking advantage of the
democratic dividend
 Technology as an enabler for meeting the
aspirations of individuals vis-à-vis society
 Technology is NOT value neutral ! .
 We have to consciously choose which
technology, for whom and How?

19. Projected non-exclusive segments of
India: 2035
source : Vision 2035 document of TIFAC

20. Role of technology
 For those who are ‘Left out & left behind”
 As an instrument of change
 As a catalyst for improving our quality of life
 Challenge : To bring Left out/Left behind in
main stream as a part of the development
process

21. 21
Technological Challenges
 Information: Proliferation
 Technology development: Multidisciplinary
 Markets: Globalized
 Environment: Endangered
 Social responsibility: Everyone
 Corporate structure: Participatory
 Change: Rapid!

22. 22
Engineering Social
Responsibility ?
 Why think about the interaction of technology
and society?
 One reason: Because engineers are the ones
who create all of the technology
 Responsible persons are supposed to think
about the effects of their own actions and
creations especially if they impact others and
society in a big way !

23. 23
Impacts of Technology on Society
 All technologies trigger side effects; many being
harmful to some groups of people (set of
stakeholders)
 All technologies pose risks from accidents triggered
by technical, human factors, organizational systems,
or socio-cultural factors. Some of these risks are of an
unprecedented scale and geographical distribution
 Some technologies trigger unintended consequences,
many being harmful to some groups of people (set of
stakeholders)
 Look at the public protest for nuclear plants !

24. 24
Views on Technology- Society
Relationship
 Technological Optimism – All technology is good
 Technological Pessimism – All technology is
bad/harmful
 Technological Democratism – Value-Laden Technology
must be controlled democratically and with aview to
benefit large populace !

25. 25
Technological Optimism
 Technology gives rise to powerful enabling
factors which greatly enhance human powers
and helps maximize human freedom,
decreases human disease, and creates
abundant material wealth and well-being which
enhances social standards
 Examples: developments in Biotech, nanotech
, IT in general !

26. 26
Technological Pessimism
 It exhibits momentum of development that makes it
autonomous and beyond human control
 Technological development takes place without a plan and
without regard to values and to the final “ends” and purposes
of technology (example: Nuclear power ambitions of a few
countries !)
 The influence of technology is all-pervasive
 The comforts and advantages of technology are like
addictions that “hook” us (look at some school of thought
which looks down upon the social media and its “ill effects”)
 It is better to live “without’ technology and recall & “cherish”
our days without technology !!

27. 27
Technological Democratism
 Technology is interesting , both acting on and acted
upon by society. Technology is so powerful that
philosophical thought about its development and use
is seriously needed
 Responsibility of being accountable for the effects of
technology ,especially for engineers, corporations,
and society to deliberate together about how
technology can best be developed and used to
promote the social and human good, especially in a
democratic set up like India !
 Technology as an instrument for social change !

28. DRDO Technology for masses – Bio-toilet
BACTERIA
(INOCULUM) Anaerobic microbial consortium
developed by acclimatization /
enrichment of microbes at low
temperature and bio-augmentation with
critical group of bacteria
BIO-DIGESTER
We should be proud; DRDE Gwalior has developed this
technology
Look at the huge impact : Villages, Railways, part of
Swachh Bharat
Source: An Eco-friendly Solution for Human Waste Management,
Bio Digester - A DRDO Presentation, by S Radhakrishnan, OS &
Director, Industry Interface & Technology Management
http://drdoficciatac.com/Biodigester/index.asp#
17

29. Remarks..
 Technology may not always be “glamorous”
as evident from Bio-toilet !
 BUT: It could have huge impact on society
 Technology for masses – one way of realising
the process of democratization !!
 Look at the huge impact of “Mooc” –again an
educational technology democratizing the
“education “

30. Interesting development..
UoPeople: University of People
http://www.uopeople.edu/
World’s first Tuition free , accredited online
university
Started in 2009
UC Berkeley partnered with UoPeople in
2016

31. Closing thought..
 Why National Technology Day ?
Because : In a diverse country like India, we
need to celebrate contributions of technology.
Despite challenges, we have established our
supremacy in : Nuclear, Space and Missile
technology- we need to celebrate
In India, there is a huge impact of technology
affecting masses

32. Happy Technology Day
https://www.slideshare.net/SanjeevDeshmukh/
Thanks a lot…