MetaScan 2: Building Resilience in the Transition to a Digital Economy and a Networked Society

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Executive Summary (excerpt)

Purpose of this study: Over the last year, Policy Horizons Canada prepared foresight studies and exercises on The Next Economy and Driving Policy on a Shifting Terrain. What clearly emerged cross all these studies is how influential digital technologies – including virtual telepresence, sensors, data analytics, robots, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing – will be shaping our world. This study picks up where the others left off and takes a closer look at how five rapidly emerging digital technologies will shape the economy, society and governance. How might our economy and institutions change? What policy challenges and opportunities should we prepare for?

MetaScan 2 does not predict the future. The study, however, explores a range of plausible futures and identifies a number of potential “surprises” or policy challenges, and assumptions that may no longer be appropriate to help shape public policy. The objective of this study is to encourage dialogue and debate on these challenges to help develop robust policy strategies to address them.