Converging technologies
The most consequential technological change now happens where fields combine: AI with biology, computing with energy systems, satellites with sensors and finance, robotics with manufacturing. Convergence speeds discovery and creates capabilities no single field could produce, and it also creates risks that fall between the mandates of existing institutions. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI) studies the scientific and institutional challenges that arise where technologies combine. This page is part of innovation and technological change.
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- 01Draftsources cited, labels attached
- 02Evidence checkevery value traced
- 03Independent reviewconflicts declared
- 04Editionpublished with its limits
- 05Correctiona new version, never a silent edit
The short answer.
Converging technologies are fields that combine into new capabilities, such as AI with biology, computing with energy systems, satellites with sensors and finance, or robotics with manufacturing. GCRI studies the specific intersections where convergence speeds discovery and also creates risks that fall between the mandates of existing institutions.
Draft to published version.
Fig.How a finding is reviewed before it is published. Design, not a record.
Systemic exposure in the Mediterranean.
Where people and networks concentrate, the exposure through which shocks travel between systems, shown for the Mediterranean as an example geography for this subject.
Convergence happens at specific intersections.
| Intersection | What it enables | What it challenges |
|---|---|---|
| AI and life sciences | Faster design of molecules, diagnostics and crops | Dual-use oversight, validation of AI-generated results |
| Computing and energy | Grid optimization, new industrial loads | Electricity and water demand of data centres, grid stability |
| Space and Earth sensing | Frequent, global observation of hazards and assets | Data quality, continuity of missions, dependence on few operators |
| Robotics and industry | Automated production and inspection | Workforce transition, safety of autonomous systems |
Scientific and institutional problems at the boundary.
Validation across fields
Methods from one field are applied in another before their limits there are understood.
Gaps between mandates
No single regulator or ministry may own a converged risk, so it goes unexamined.
People who span fields
Few teams combine the disciplines needed to evaluate a converged system end to end.
Shared methods as the meeting point.
Convergence is studied through methods that several fields share, catalogued in the STEM Commons, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, systems engineering and AI evaluation and assurance engineering. Controlled experiments run through Nexus Labs, and future-oriented work through future-oriented laboratories.
Studying a converged technology is not endorsing it. GCRI publishes findings with their limits and takes no position on products or vendors.
Terms used on this page.
Each term as this page uses it. Where a standard-setting body defines the term, the wording follows that body.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Technology convergence | The combination of advances from several technology fields into new capabilities, such as AI with biotechnology or sensors with networks, whose risks are often greater than those of any part. |
| Dual use | Technology or research that can serve both civilian and military purposes. |
| Collingridge dilemma | The problem that a technology is easiest to shape before its effects are known and hardest to change once they are. |
| Anticipatory governance | Using foresight systematically in policy-making and institutions so they can act on emerging change. |
Related pages.
Individual technologies are introduced in the frontier technology guide. How readiness claims are examined is described under technology assessment. The Global Risks Forum (GRF) examines institutional responses through its Innovation Nexus.
Questions and answers.
Why focus on convergence rather than single technologies?
Does GCRI forecast technology timelines?
How do researchers from different fields work together?
Can a laboratory propose a convergence study?
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