Innovations must benefit and not harm humanity, says Stephen Hawking
BUDAPEST — Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, says greater effort needs to be made to ensure that innovation doesn’t create a "two-speed world", where some feel left out of the great gains in certain fields.Similarly, innovation should not be artificially delayed because of those who feel left behind, but more should be done to promote greater equality and access to the gains of innovation, said the 74-year-old. He was speaking at the MasterCard Innovation Forum on Tuesday.The forum with the theme Innovation at the speed of life was attended mostly by financial services executives. Its focus was on digital technology advances, including payments, cyber security and financial inclusion.In SA, the high cost of broadband internet connectivity is seen as a major hindrance to innovation and investment in research and development.The National Development Plan recognises that SA could fall victim to a "digital divide". Making high-speed in...
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