Emerging Technology in U.S. Policy: Biotechnology & Synthetic Biology

• In Event: Poster Session: Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics & Health Politics and Health Policy
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics

Abstract

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) are critical to national competitiveness, security, domestic and international policy, governance, politics, economic growth, culture, and human well-being. Advancements in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biomedical science, and sustainable energy have the power to radically improve the quality of life of individuals, enhance the national defense and security, strengthen the economy, and solve critical global challenges. However, the definition of technology, let alone those that are emerging, is still an actively contested concept, being defined and interpreted in various ways. Thus, emerging technologies are difficult to group and define. Broadly, emerging technologies often fall into eight umbrella groups that tend to overlap: processors, biotechnology and bioelectronics, transducers, robotics, networks, nanotechnology, quantum computing, and all ‘other’ digital technologies. For clarity and simplicity, the OECD has grouped the top 40 emerging technologies into 4 domains: (1) digital, (2) biotechnologies, (3) energy and environment, and (4) advanced materials. To narrow the broad scope of emerging tech, this paper will focus on biotechnologies, specifically those relating to medicine, public health, and environmental health. Moreover, a focus on synthetic biology (including probiotics) versus established biotechnologies (i.e. stem cells) will provide a deeper understanding of who defines and how emerging technology is defined when an innovation is relatively new, and its risks are poorly understood. Through a review of academic and gray literature and a historical legislative analysis of United States congressional documents, this paper aims to explain how emerging technology is defined across different institutions, notably in congress and key regulatory agencies (i.e. FDA, USDA, FTC).

Author

• Kasia Klasa, University of Michigan