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How the Software Revolution Is Changing Our World

Software will dramatically change our lives and our society. We are in the midst of dramatic societal changes driven by software — a revolution propelled by software innovation.

As chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council (GAC) on the Future of Software and Society, I work with experts from business, academia, and development backgrounds to identify and analyze how today’s advancements in software are shaping the world around us. Our Council has released a new report, “Deep Shift: 21 Ways Software Will Transform Global Society.” The report describes software innovation and highlights predictions about the many ways in which software will change our lives and our world. So much of what we do is enabled by software: From building smarter cities by analyzing traffic patterns, to providing rural farmers from Indiana to India with real-time mobile data to improve their harvests, the software revolution is transforming the way we live.

These developments do not come without challenges. Our Council’s mission is to help society navigate these changes, both positive and negative. How can we best address societal impacts related to privacy, security, and job disruption? Greater collaboration between industry, policymakers, academia, and citizens of the world will help us chart our course through these software innovations that are poised to dramatically change our lives.

To read the entire “Deep Shift: 21 Ways Software Will Transform Global Society” report, click here.

Author:

Victoria Espinel is a global leader advancing the future of technology innovation.  

As CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance, Victoria has grown the organization’s worldwide presence in over 30 countries, distinguishing BSA as the leader for enterprise software companies on issues including artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity, and digital trade. She launched the Digital Transformation Network and the Global Data Alliance, flagship BSA initiatives to further BSA’s collaboration with 15+ industry sectors globally. Victoria founded Software.org, the enterprise software industry’s nonprofit partner that educates policymakers and the public about the impact of software and careers within the industry. 

Victoria serves on President Biden’s National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee (Chair of the International Working Group), served as a member of the President’s USTR Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), and chaired the Future of Software and Society Group at the World Economic Forum. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

 Victoria has testified on multiple occasions before the US Congress, European Parliament, and Japanese Diet. Victoria speaks frequently to groups about AI, cybersecurity, and STEM education, including Latinas in Tech, Girls Rule the Law, the Congressional Staff Hispanic Association, Women’s Congressional Staff Associations, Girls Who Code, EqualAI, CSIS, and numerous academic institutions. She has been featured in a wide range of media outlets, including New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Forbes, C-SPAN, BBC, Bloomberg Business, The New Yorker, and NPR. 

Prior to BSA, Victoria was confirmed by the US Senate to serve as the first White House “IP Czar,” establishing a new office in the White House and advising President Obama on intellectual property. She also served in the Bush Administration as the first chief US trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation, a role in which she created the office of Intellectual Property and Innovation at USTR and led negotiations with over 70 countries. 

Victoria launched Girls Who Code’s Washington, DC summer program and serves on the Board of Directors for ChIPs, a nonprofit organization advancing women in technology law and policy. 

She holds an LLM from the London School of Economics, a JD from Georgetown University Law School, and a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is a native of Washington, DC, and the proud proprietor of Jewel of the South, a restaurant in New Orleans. 

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