Microsoft official urges UAE to adapt technology to reach next level of evolution

Addressing Master of Public Administration (MPA) students at the Dubai School of Government (DSG), a research and teaching institution focusing on public policy in the Arab world, Murray highlighted the key drivers of technology growth, its adaption and its impact on society.

The "Technology, Society and the Next Transformation" lecture was part of DSG's program for its MPA students, and was attended by senior government officials and policy makers. Microsoft Regional Technology Officers Cathy Menees and Khalid Lootah were also in attendance at the session.

Tarik M. Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government, said:"We are honored to host Jonathan Murray for this event, which marks another stage in our collaboration with Microsoft. The collaboration between DSG and Microsoft has become a fruitful partnership, and we believe this exchange of ideas and knowledge will help the region to understand and adapt technology for the benefit of the entire community."

Jonathan Murray, Worldwide Technology Officer, Microsoft Corporation, said:

"The trend towards automation offers both significant opportunities and some serious challenges which in many ways resembles those experienced after the introduction of mass production techniques in the early 1900s."

"We are likely to see a new wave of technology transformation in the near future, with technology platforms such as "cloud computing," which will drastically change the way information is stored, accessed and shared, and will lead to the automation of many formerly manual processes. These technologies offer an opportunity for a major transformation of both the global and local economies, but come with a number of social and ethical challenges which will need to be addressed." he added.

"I believe that there are three issues that UAE should address in its ongoing effort to leverage technology in support of economic growth strategies. First and foremost is the need to ensure that the existing economically important industries and sectors can and do take advantage of the latest and best technologies to help them remain globally competitive. Second, there needs to be an active, public, debate about to adopt and absorb these technologies for their economic benefits while respecting societal, economic, moral and ethical obligations. Last but not least, there needs to be a very clear focus on educating the country's population to manage this transformation so they can drive the economic growth agenda forward."

Murray also highlighted the move toward a greater service economy worldwide, especially in the developing world. He said: "In the IT sector, not only is the processing capacity of computer chips doubling roughly every 18 months, following Moore's law, but the storage capacity is also increasing rapidly. This means that the world of IT is evolving at an even more accelerated pace, bringing far-reaching implications in terms of automating even jobs that are done by highly specialized professionals."

The Dubai School of Government was established in cooperation with the Harvard Kennedy School to promote good governance through enhancing the region's capacity for effective public policy. It is committed to the creation of knowledge, the dissemination of best practice and the training of policy makers in the Arab world.