The advent of Covid-19 has accentuated digitalisation and its close linkage with automation, algorithms, and artificial intelligence ("the three A's"). The Asian region interfaces closely with this phenomenon, especially because it is the most populous continent. It is also a region with a large number of non-democracies and semi-democracies. This panorama invites care to prevent misuse of those three As.
What of automation? A key consequence of the pandemic has been the shift to automation. The negative side has been rising unemployment and the question of how to revive access to jobs. Yet, machines are taking over work previously done by humans. A key strategy is to enable the displaced workforce to re-skill. In the meantime, there is the exponential growth of the digital economy which demands a more skilled workforce, while necessitating the nurturing of new professions.
