Technológiai Jövők Műhely

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Technology & Economy

The course offers a comprehensive insight into the dynamics of industrial revolutions (by applying the works of Carlota Perez, Erik Brynjolfsson & Andrew McAfee, and Richard Baldwin). Based on these, we investigate in detail the main technological changes (robotics, 3D printing, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data analytics, Industry 4.0) and their impact on business and economy. Then, we will discuss some basic narratives around the current industrial revolution, such as the productivity puzzle (Robert Solow, Erik Brynjolfsson), the intangible economy (Jonathan Haskel & Stian Westlake), and the platform economy (Geoffrey Parker & Alstyne van Marshall & Paul Sangeet Choudary).

Understanding the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Society & Geopolitics

The course offers a comprehensive analysis of the new General- Purpose Technologies and their business applications. Based on these insights the course investigates in detail the main narratives with regard to the impacts of new technologies on employment. Finally, it provides an insight into the current global race of technological superpowers (US and. China).

Innovation Economics

Innovation is probably the most important fact about the modern world, but one of the least well understood. Therefore, the course begins with the discussion about what innovation exactly means, the main types of innovation (incremental versus disruptive), and how innovation became crucial driver of economic prosperity. Then, via numerous practical examples, the lectures analyse the essential features of innovation, such as it involves trial and error, it is increasingly recombinant, is rather a team sport than the solely genius in the garage and prefers fragmented governance rather than centralised ones. We will critically discuss the role of the state, the entrepreneurs and the free market forces in innovation and the policy options for promoting innovation.

Nudging: Theory and Practice

Nudging (meaning as any aspect of choice architecture that alters people’s behaviour in a predicable way without forbidding any options or significantly changing their economic incentives) is now everywhere. Hence, this short course offers an insight into the theoretical foundation of nudging, and its practical implementation as well. The course investigates in detail the types and basic principles of nudging and its implementation, such as nudge should be Easy (e.g., by harnessing the power of defaults setting (auto-enrolments), or of loss aversion and scarcity biases), Attractive (e.g., using bold and striking colours for encouraging specific commercial products), Timely (e.g., prompting people when they are most likely to be receptive), and Social (e.g., encouraging people to make a commitment to others). Nevertheless, the course deals with practical experiences of nudging, with the question how governments, especially the British government applied the behavioural insights in different policies. Finally, we are going to discuss the ideology beyond, the so-called ‘libertarian paternalism’, and the advantages/disadvantages and limitations of nudging.

Reading Seminar: Four books about the Fourth Industrial Revolution

While the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is now all over the world talked-of, little is known about how to be prepared for this transformation. Hence, the course provides a comprehensive insight into the dynamics, some basic narratives, and the driving forces beyond the 4IR via reading and analysing four bestsellers on these issues.

From Prediction Machines to Superintelligence – How Artificial Intelligence is transforming Business?

While currently there is a lot of hype about Artificial Intelligence, the practical applications of these technologies (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision) are rather narrow, particularly in businesses. Hence, the short course offers, first, a brief insight into the seven decades long history of AI (and its winters and summers). Following this, the short course provides examples how currently the AI is used to make (economic and business related) predictions, how cheaper and quicker predictions increase the value of data and humans’ decisions, and how business practically applies this kind of narrow AI. In detail, during the course we will make an attempt to identify the potential business opportunities of AI in different contexts. After that, the course critically discusses the future of AI, the possibility of Artificial General Intelligence, which eventually could surpass the human intelligence, but it seems to become reality only in a very distant future (if at all). Finally, the course offers a gist of the global race for AI supremacy between US and China.