Global Technology Governance Report 2021

The report identifies systemic governance gaps across five key Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, including issues of privacy, liability, and cross-border regulatory inconsistencies. It profiles innovative frameworks such as regulatory sandboxes, ethical guidelines, and public-private collaborations used by various governments to balance innovation with risk mitigation. The document emphasizes that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for agile, human-centric governance to ensure these technologies serve society equitably.

• The report identifies eight cross-cutting governance gaps affecting AI, mobility, blockchain, drones, and the internet of things (IoT), including limited regulation, misuse of technology, liability and accountability, privacy and data sharing, law enforcement access, cyber security, human supervision, and cross-border inconsistencies.
• Artificial intelligence governance faces immediate challenges regarding low literacy among policy-makers, algorithmic bias, and the use of AI for disinformation, such as 'deepfakes'.
• Blockchain technology is hindered by regulatory fragmentation, particularly regarding the varying definitions and tax treatments of cryptocurrencies across different jurisdictions.
• The internet of things (IoT) suffers from a market failure in device security, where a lack of consumer demand and government requirements leads to the production of insecure hardware.
• Mobility governance is complicated by the need for data sharing between diverse providers (ride-hailing, microtransit, public transport) and the risk of a 'mobility divide' where underserved communities lack access to new technologies.
• Drone adoption is limited by a lack of airworthiness certification standards for new aircraft types like electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) and the need for drone-specific regulations rather than those borrowed from manned aircraft.
• Innovative governance approaches include 'regulatory sandboxes' used in the UK, Singapore, South Korea, and Malawi to test technologies in controlled environments.
• Ethical governance frameworks, such as New Zealand's PHRaE framework and the Montréal Declaration, aim to integrate human rights and ethics into the design of algorithms.
• The report highlights the importance of 'agile' regulation that iterates based on user feedback, citing the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's revisions to autonomous vehicle guidelines.

APA

World Economic Forum (2020). Global Technology Governance Report 2021. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Technology_Governance_2020.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Global Technology Governance Report 2021. 2020. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Technology_Governance_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Global Technology Governance Report 2021 |date=December 2020 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Technology_Governance_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2020global, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Global Technology Governance Report 2021}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Technology_Governance_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }