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Dirk Helbing

Dirk Helbing

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Dirk Helbing is Professor of Computational Social Science at ETH Zürich.

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  1. Death by Algorithm?
    helbing4_Yuichiro Chino_getty images_code Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

    Death by Algorithm?

    Nov 26, 2020 Dirk Helbing & Peter Seele argue that increased resilience, not artificial intelligence, is humanity's best defense against crises.

  2. The False Promise of Digital ID
    helbing3_Matthew HorwoodGetty Images_coronavirusfacialrecognition Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

    The False Promise of Digital ID

    Sep 2, 2020 Dirk Helbing & Peter Seele show why Big Data and AI are no panacea for the COVID-19 pandemic, and why a less risky approach is better.

  3. Engineering a More Responsible Digital Future
    A futuristic city Education Images/UIG via Getty Images

    Engineering a More Responsible Digital Future

    Mar 15, 2018 Dirk Helbing says more ethical technology is essential to prevent the digital revolution from enslaving us.

  4. The Hidden Danger of Big Data
    ratti7_John Lund_getty images_big data John Lund/Getty Images

    The Hidden Danger of Big Data

    Aug 16, 2016 Carlo Ratti & Dirk Helbing warn against optimizing society for total efficiency, at the expense of chance discoveries.

  1. durostu1_Apu GomesGetty Images_LAfire Apu Gomes/Getty Images
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    Insurers Must Embrace Geospatial AI

    Pierre du Rostu touts the technology’s benefits for an industry that must shift its focus from paying claims to managing risk.
  2. gelfand4_Andrew HarnikGettyImages_trump_gesture Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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    It’s Time to Abandon Trump’s Flawed Negotiation Playbook

    Michele Gelfand points out that the best dealmakers strive for win-win outcomes, not zero-sum Pyrrhic victories.
  3. bajraktari3_NICOLAS TUCATAFP via Getty Images_fusionreactor Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images
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    America’s Last Chance to Lead in Fusion Energy

    Ylli Bajraktari warns that China's domination of the sector would give it massive economic and geopolitical leverage.
  4. rogoff260_ STRAFP via Getty Images_chinarealestate STR/AFP via Getty Images
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    China Can’t Spend Its Way Out of Trouble

    Kenneth Rogoff

    China’s prolonged reliance on fiscal stimulus has distorted economic incentives, fueling a housing glut, a collapse in prices, and spiraling public debt. With further stimulus off the table, the only sustainable path is for the central government to relinquish more economic power to local governments and the private sector.

     argues that the country’s problems can be traced back to its response to the 2008 financial crisis.
  5. mohieldin33_Xie EXinhuaGettyImages_guterres_debt_report Xie E/Xinhua/Getty Images
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    This UN Debt Initiative Is Different

    Mahmoud Mohieldin, et al. tout an Expert Group’s efforts to prevent a full-blown solvency crisis in developing countries.
  6. fbirol4_UCGGettyImages_south_africa_power_grid UCG/Getty Images
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    What African Electrification Requires

    Fatih Birol & Alain Ebobissé highlight the need for greater private-sector participation to boost investments in power grids.
  7. nye268_John MooreGetty Images_trumpUN John Moore/Getty Images
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    How World Order Changes

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

    World order is a matter of degree: it varies over time, depending on technological, political, social, and ideological factors that can affect the global distribution of power and influence norms. It can be radically altered both by broader historical trends and by a single major power's blunders.

     examines the role of evolving power dynamics and norms in bringing about stable arrangements among states.
  8. buruma226_Picture AllianceGettyImages_tel _aviv_antiwar_protests Picture Alliance/Getty Images
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    Israel’s Blind Spot

    Ian Buruma explains the lack of sympathy, even among the country’s many anti-war protesters, for Palestinian suffering.
  9. sirimanne1_Visual China Group via Getty ImagesVisual China Group via Getty Images_robotelderly Visual China Group via Getty Images
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    Will AI Close or Widen the Development Gap?

    Shamika Sirimanne & Xiaolan Fu call for multilateral action and grassroots pressure to ensure that the technology serves all countries.

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