NBIC Technologies Research Articles

TECHNOLOGICAL SINGULARITY AS AN ATTRACTOR FOR THE EVOLUTION OF DIGITAL SOCIETY

Technological singularity is understood as the acquisition by the techno-sphere of the quality of self–organization, self-government - a kind of transformation of the techno-sphere into the noo-sphere. The essence of the concept of technological singularity lies in the fact that such processes and events as digitalization, the creation of general artificial intelligence, the development of robotics, the success of genetic engineering, the improvement of convergent NBICS technologies, the integration of the human body and intelligence with technology, etc. will fatally inevitably entail a phase transition to a qualitatively new level of reality. The technological singularity is the attractor of this evolution of the digital world. The uniqueness of this attractor lies in the fact that it is relevant, empirically absent, but at the same time (according to the authors and proponents of the concept of technological singularity) the need for its appearance determines the trajectories of embedding digital technologies in natural and social processes, plays the role of a regulatory idea for most conceptual models of the development of a digital society. The article provides a philosophical, theoretical, and methodological analysis of the fundamental aspects of the concept of technological singularity, and examines the consequences of wrapping its conclusions and provisions in the field of socio-political process.

Strategic instruments for the growth of the industrial sector of the economy in the conditions of the sixth big Kondratiev cycle

An analysis of global trends in economic and technological development shows that there are all signs that the driving force behind the rise of the sixth major Kondratiev cycle has started working – digital technologies of the fourth technological order, which is initiated by the emergence and implementation of innovations in production processes, defi ned as NBIC technologies (convergence of four industries knowledge related to nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, information and cognitive technologies). However, the currently observed slowdown in economic growth rates (both global and national) leads to the need to fi nd growth points, the fi xation and development of which would make it possible to extract the maximum benefi t from the use of digital technologies. The purpose of this article is to identify tools that can ensure the progressive development of the industrial sector of the national economy in the conditions of the predicted crisis and recession.The article analyzes the dynamics of the world’s leading economies, shows that the industrial growth index is dominant in the formation of the gross domestic product of the national economy. It is suggested that one of the key factors infl uencing the slowdown in economic growth is the “digital divide” – the period of time that passes after the emergence of technologies on the market and the beginning of their commercial operation. To eliminate the “digital divide”, it is proposed to use digital platforms that provide the possibility of confl ict-free evolutionary redesign of existing enterprise processes and intelligent integration of implemented solutions in a single information space, due to which there is a signifi cant increase in effi ciency and production growth. At the same time, it is noted that, unlike previous technological paradigms, the modern economy is characterized by the possibility of using digital solutions of equal functionality at enterprises of various industries, it is only necessary to set up routes for the execution of end-to-end business processes, taking into account the specifi cs of production. Examples of a universal corporate digital platform that solve such problems are given.

The Problem of Human Self-Understanding in the Era of Challenges of the Technologically Developing World

Today, in the era of technoscience challenges, while NBICS technologies allow transformation of human nature, the problem is readdressed. What should we do not to lose a human nature while deploying human enhancement technologies? In what way the theme of human nature and the theme of human evolution relate to each other? What is the difference between the attitudes of new humanism, transhumanism and posthumanism, in the context of which the evolution of human being is discussed today? Achievements of science and technology in studying the consciousness, brain, genes, human evolution, as well as the impact of NBICS technologies on humans and programs of human enhancement have actualized the problems of human self-understanding. In the discussion of the problem of human future, several contexts were identified in which various options for transforming a human, human extension, transition to a posthuman are considered. The very idea of formation of the posthuman concept speaks of the acceptance of the human transformation under the influence of high technologies and the will to discuss the mechanisms of its species evolution. The projects of new humanism focus on improving the human being according to the programs of human enhancement. Transhumanism and posthumanism are characterized by the unifying principle of antihumanism, the rejection of human as a measureof all things. The paper presents the concepts of human and his evolution that have developed in classical philosophical anthropology, a comparative analysis of the philosophical attitudes of humanism, transhumanism and posthumanism in understanding human evolution is carried out. We show the danger of the involutional development path, which hides behind many constructs of a person proposed in transhumanism, posthumanism, in the humanological concept of human evolution.

The Value Paradigm of the Future: Bioconservatism or Transhumanism?

The exponential growth of technologies and the rapid pace of the introduction of these technologies actualizes the discussion about how human values will change in the future and which of the new concepts of transhumanism or bioconservatism is the closest to explaining and constructing these processes. The article compares the basic values of transhumanism and bioconveratism as diametrically opposed concepts of attitude to human nature and the possibility of its correction. The author uses secondary survey data on the value orientations of the Russians in the study and forms her model of the distribution of values of transhumanism and bioconveratism in two categories – values of conservation and values of development. Based on the study of the distribution of respondents’ choices, we established that the values of transhumanism designated as the values of development are more relevant for the Russians than the values of conservation (bioconservatism). The value of this research lies in an attempt to go beyond the theoretical framework of research on this issue with the help of instrumental methods. The author concludes that studies combining empirical data and their philosophical and theoretical analysis may become promising in the future. The article focuses on the fact that differences in the value attitudes of people of different communities and cultures can become insurmountable obstacles to the formation of a global homogeneous value paradigm in the future. One of the concepts presented might become decisive at this stage of society’s development, which seems premature and unfounded. Interest in the ideas of transhumanism and bioconservatism as a response to the transition to NBICS technologies will grow. However, the author thinks that the change in the value system of society in accordance with one of the concepts may happen very slowly, the traditional values may prevail.

Information and digital transformation of high-tech industries as a source of industrial growth in the United States

The relevance of the study is due to the global trends in the formation of a knowledge economy focused on the actively developing core of high-tech industries of industrial production, as well as knowledge-intensive and innovative-active sectors of the economy associated with their development in the context of changing technological and world economic structures. The sources of the strategic post-crisis spatio-temporal evolution of this core in the United States, which form a set of effects that positively affect economic growth, are cognizable by assessing the dynamic development of high-tech industries in the period 2011–2020, are the key areas of reindustrialization that have replaced the deindustrial-globalist paradigm of development. The purpose of the study is to identify and evaluate various sources of growth in high-tech economic activities that form the material basis for the reindustrialization of the United States (sources of industrial growth) and, associated with them, the territorial distribution of high-tech sectors of the American economy. The methodological tools used in this paper, based on the indicator of company revenue in its ten-year dynamics, made it possible to fully or partially confirm a number of research hypotheses put forward about the advantages of high-tech industries of the American economy in the structure of US economic growth over the past decade. The identified sources of growth, analyzed in the dynamics of the revenue of American high-tech companies and the territorial differentiation of the US geo-economic and geo-innovation space, to a certain extent, are reflected in the strategic measures implemented by the government and large businesses in the field of stimulating the development of relevant industries based on NBIC technologies and digital transformation.

In Search of a New Methodology of Social Regulation and of Knowledge of Law: About Convergent Technologies and Aesthetics of Law

Modern law falls into an “aesthetic” crisis, which must be considered as an expression of the structural crisis of law at the moment of its transformation from the state of a self-regulating system to a self-developing system. Postmodern law needs new legal patterns, which would allow returning the ease of perception of law and the beauty of the formulation of its prescriptions. In this regard, a revision of the methodology of social regulation and of knowledge of the law is required. The starting point is an appeal to the aesthetics of law. The final result is determined by the technological level. The objectives of the study are to establish the possibility of expanding the methodology of cognition of law through the methods of aesthetics and convergent (NBICS) technologies, as well as to determine the nature and extent of their influence on the methodology of social regulation. The introduction of aesthetic methods in the context of the development and implementation of NBICS technologies will allow us to establish the regularities of the genesis of law and the legal order, which will determine the main directions of overcoming the modern structural crisis in law.

INNOVATION PROCESS IN RUSSIA AND SOME PROBLEMS OF ITS DEVELOPMENT

The main goal for any country remains to ensure economic growth (quantitative changes) and economic development (qualitative changes). The latter is explained by the fact that both the Russian and the world economy as a whole are facing the need for radical changes in all areas of the economy, caused by the transition to the new VI Kondratieff cycle. The upcoming transformations are based on the convergence of NBICS technologies, i.e. changes in basic development technologies. According to the Bloomberg innovation rating, Russia is ranked 24th out of 60 countries monitored by this agency in 2021. The Russian economy has been improving its position in this ranking over the past 5 years. But even patented innovations are not always implemented in practice, they do not become actual innovations. The slowdown in the introduction of innovations in the economy is explained by the lack of an effective institutional innovation infrastructure, Russian relational routines, opportunistic behavior of the participants in the process, the traditional orientation of potential users of technological innovations towards an extensive and less risky development paradigm, as well as resistance to innovations on the part of enterprise personnel. As a result of the sociological study undertaken by the authors, it was found that the majority of enterprises in the city of Izhevsk are prone to innovations of various types and varying degrees of novelty. The most typical reasons for turning to innovations are the desire to secure a higher competitive position. The main obstacles to the innovation process are the imperfection of the institutional environment, the lack of material and moral incentives for innovation, innovation risks, and the resistance of employees to innovation. In their innovative activities, enterprises need state support.

Factors and prospects for the inclusive economy development in the light of the use of NBICS technologies

Factors and prospects for the inclusive economy development in the light of the use of NBICS technologies

Постгуманизм и проблема бессмертия: социально-философский анализ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the problem of immortality in the context of the philosophy of posthumanism. The problem of immortality has always worried humanity. In fairy tales and myths, religious systems and scientific research, it occupies a central place, which relates to the natural desire of a person to live forever. In the philosophy of posthumanism, this problem acquires new meanings, moving from a purely speculative metaphysical field to the sphere of practice. The development of NBICS technologies contributes to this metamorphosis. Processes such as digitalization, the creation of artificial intelligence, the development of genetic engineering, cloning, the design of cyborgs and android robots, and cryonization force us to take a fresh look at the problem of immortality. If in the religious consciousness the immortality of a person is interpreted as spiritual immortality – eternal life after the physical death of the body, then in the worldview of posthumanism and immortalism we are talking about bodily immortality, which modern technologies are capable to bring to life. Thus, a value reorientation takes place in the consciousness of a person, shifting the emphasis from the future afterlife to the current present life. As a result, not only the perception of life is changing, but also the whole model of social behavior. Such traditional values as family and children, gender identity and procreation are fading into the background, leaving a place for the values of posthumanism, which consider a person as an intermediate stage on the path to perfection, that is, to a posthuman.

Проблемы развития инженерно-экономического образования в России

The article considers several aspects of the development of engineering and economic education in Russia are considered. Its initial state and potential are determined. The study is based on the application of the cyclic-wave paradigm, the methodology for diagnosing crisis phenomena by E. M. Korotkov, as well as the general provisions of the theory of system modeling. The logic of the material presentation reflects the problem-target approach: acute problems are considered along with the proposed solution. The following are determined: development vector of engineering and economic education (technological entrepreneurship), a method of structuring the areas of training of industry leaders (NBIC technologies), the principles and problems that must be taken into account when implementing the program for revitalizing a unique Russian industry – the fundamental professional training of specialists for the management apparatus of industry enterprises. The paper presents studies related to solving urgent problems of the modern Russian economy (import substitution, alternative logistics of industrial goods and components, a new model of economic development of the state).

КОНВЕРГЕНЦІЯ NBICS-ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ ТА ПРОБЛЕМИ РОЗВИТКУ ГЛОБАЛЬНОЇ ЕКОНОМІКИ

The dynamic development of the modern global economy is determined by its close relationship with trends in modern technology, the state of the natural and social environment, the level of development of science. Given this circumstance, business representatives, national governments, the scientific community, the public are constantly looking for ways to integrate scientific and technological progress, innovation, areas of intellectual activity and social issues in a single cluster. Since the studied problem is a relatively new interdisciplinary field of knowledge, hence its insufficient coverage in the domestic economic literature. The lack of tradition of interdisciplinary research, especially in technical, natural, philosophical and economic sciences, is a deterrent to attracting a wide range of domestic economists to the study relationship between the convergence of NBICS technologies and the development of the global economy. However, this problem has received some attention from foreign researchers. Given this, the chosen topic of the article has theoretical, scientific and applied and ideological significance. In the process of realization of the formulated goal of the research the essence, content of convergence of NBICS technologies as a complex multidimensional process is determined and the problems of global economy development in the context of technology convergence are characterized. The scientific novelty of the study is to substantiate, based on a critical analysis of scientific publications of foreign and domestic scientists, trends in technology convergence, highlights differences in American and European approaches to interpreting the role and importance of convergence of nano-, bio-, info-, cogno- and social technologies, of disclosing their interdisciplinary nature and identifying problems of global economic development that are the result of the deployment of convergence of these technologies, which are a consequence of the deployment of convergence of these technologies. A generalization is made about the inadmissibility of the dominance of the technocratic approach to the interpretation of the essence of the convergence of NBICS technologies; of necessity to understand the cyclical nature of the convergence of NBICS technologies as a process that occurs as a result of their integration and under the influence of synergies and divergence; of developing the necessary of an appropriate scientific apparatus to describe trends in this process. The priority directions of further scientific research on this problem are outlined.

Ethical Standpoints in Relation to New Technologies (Neo-Technologies): Classification Plan, Miscommunication, and Perspectives

The moral debate on convergent technologies, or neo-technologies, get a critical place both in the scientific literature and the public debate. Each one goes there from his own positions, by refuting those of the others. The conflict opposes supporters of different ethical positions, and it is difficult to navigate this debate on the usefulness, acceptability, or tolerance for the development of converging technologies. These NBIC technologies are judged according to moral “compartments” which involve both the hopes of humanity and fears which are the source of much resistance. These positions are in reference to moral bases developed and promoted by experts, users, or citizens confronted with the exponential development of these NBIC technologies. Moral positions can be described in four trends: rejection, regulation, letting it happen, or encouraging the development. They are themselves modulated by the ethical value that these experts, users, or citizens attach to the real or fantasized issues of the fields of application: health, nature and environment, nurture and civilization, economic development.

The Aesthetic Doctrine of Law (Aesthetics of Law) in the Context of the Development of Nbics Technologies

The development of NBICS technologies is one of the factors of transformation of the mechanism of social regulation, including law, which acts as a means and as an object of socio-economic modernization. The scientific search creates new contexts in the study of law, serves as a prerequisite for rethinking its es­sence and role in the life of modern society, determines the formulation of a number of questions, inclu­ding the consequences of technological progress for the legal existence of a person. In line with this kind of research, new areas of research have been identified – “legal cognitology”, “functional identify­ca­tion of law”. One of the promising ideas is an appeal to aesthetics, more precisely, to the regularities of the deve­lopment of law, which can be learned through the methodology of this field of knowledge. The sub­ject of the article is the methodology of knowledge of the law. The purpose is to establish the possibility of ex­pan­ding the methodology of knowledge of law through the methods of aesthetics and NBICS techno­lo­gies. The result is a reasonable hypothesis that the development and implementation of NBICS technolo­gies allow us to apply aesthetic methods to the establishment of the regularities of the genesis of law.

‘New normality’ of the covid-19 era: Opportunities, limitations, risks

The article considers some key aspects of the current transformation of social reality. The author argues that the announcement of the pandemic determined an unprecedented situation: humanity faces a completely different concept of reality. In particular, the breakthrough in the development of NBIC technologies (nano, bio, new information and cognitive technologies) contributes to the strengthening of the paradigm that absolutizes the technocratic component of civilizational development. Under the general depression and decline in economic activity, there is an explosive growth in the field of bioengineering, information and cognitive research. The new normality of the coronavirus era, associated with the unprecedented development of artificial intelligence systems, video surveillance technologies, geolocation and big data, in an unusually short time has created new existential and legal problems. The proclaimed threat to public health, being a significant goal-setting, has become a dominant justification for the introduction of serious innovations that allow the ruling elites to block civil rights, in particular, to legalize the use of tracking systems. Under the fight against the pandemic, the personal identification systems based on advanced technologies are being transformed from a security tool of law enforcement agencies into a tool of mass social engineering. Russia has come close to a new stage of digital transformation - a state-wide credential management system (the Unified Federal Information Register). Considering the experience of China in digital segregation, concerns arise: will digitalization turn into something dangerous as the algorithms of artificial intelligence improve, the use of biometric surveillance broaden, etc.? The article emphasizes that scanning the appearance and collecting information about citizens allows to create a gigantic array of data, the use of which can have unpredictable consequences, and the problem of their unauthorized use is not the main one. The power of algorithms, which allows to manipulate a person by means of continuously collected information about him, can turn into a new, sophisticated form of genocide.

Identification and Assessment of Country Risks for the Development of Convergent Technologies

The speed of emergence and development of new technologies is so high that it becomes more and more difficult to predict their impact on economy and society. At the same time, new technologies do not develop in isolation; they interact and actively influence each other, generating synergistic effects, which actualizes the need for scientific knowledge of the consequences, as well as the conditions and factors for the emergence of risks and methods of managing them. The aim of the work is to substantiate a theoretical and methodological approach to identifying and assessing the risks of the development of convergent technologies and their consequences in life. The research is based on the methodology of dialectical, system and evolutionary and institutional approaches to the study of the risks of the development of social and economic systems, the theory of factors of production, economic development, and the economic mechanism. This paper examines the conditions and social and economic prerequisites for the new industrial revolution in Russia, as well as the risks that arise in this process. The author carries out the analysis of constructive and destructive economic and social consequences of NBIC technologies rapidly developing in all countries of the world. In conclusion, the author proposes priority directions of the regulation of social and economic processes in the country, ensuring competitive, sustainable and safe development.

State Policy in Converging Technologies: International and Russian Experience in the Growth Strategies Development

The article presents a systematization of distinctions in the converging technologies state policy implemented by foreign countries. NBIC convergence represents a source of a new direction in economic growth, as well as new regional development risks, which require the elaboration of appropriate government policy instruments at all its levels. The authors conclude that effective regional or national innovation policy measures can act as triggers that result in enterprises and scientific organizations entering into a converging technological innovation process, which allow them to take advantage of new emerging markets and industry conditions. In this process, regional or national authorities can play an important role in improving the basic conditions for companies and research institutions in their search for possible application areas, as well as giving them an access to information about modern methods assessing the opportunities and risks associated with converging technologies. The article analyzes the problems and restrictions that enterprises and organizations face on the way to the implementation of NBIC technologies (for example, the lack of specific information about new market opportunities for implementing converging technologies, search and association with new partners outside the sectors where companies operate, etc.) The authors propose directions for the regional specific features analysis, which allow elaborating territorial development programs for implementing converging technologies. Statistical analysis of the digital technologies usage in Russia and cross-country comparison by these indicators carried out by the authors allow concluding that the importance of ICT in the national economy is constantly increasing. The ICT role in building internal business and information interaction between companies and partners is becoming especially important for Russian companies. The level of distribution of cloud services in Russian organizations is comparable to the average for the EU countries. In this area Russia is ahead of France, Germany, and Austria. The industries with the best digitalization rates include the financial sector, retail and communications. At the same time, there remains a significant gap between the achieved level of ICT penetration in Russia and the countries that lead in the broadband Internet access availability, presence in the networks, and the use of information systems.

Guidelines for the ethical assessment of interventions on the human body in view of the emergence of NBIC technologies for enhancement

The recent development of NBIC technologies has led to the emergence of new techniques that allow the modification of genetic, morphological, and physiological aspects of the human being to improve their capacities. In light of this situation, the eternal debate continues: is everything technically possible ethically acceptable? To answer this question, an ethical reflection is needed to assess the scope of enhancement techniques and to direct them to the service of human progress and the common good. Many authors have already begun this reflection, opting for a case-by-case evaluation. However, there is a great lack of specificity in the definition of the criteria that would allow an ethical analysis of each technique, in order to determine the licitness of its application. In response to this need, a practical guide for the ethical assessment of not only human enhancement techniques, but of any intervention on the human body is proposed. This guide is based on the four principles of personalist bioethics proposed by Sgreccia: the principle of defense of physical human life, the principle of totality or the therapeutic principle, the principle of freedom and responsibility, and the principle of sociability and subsidiarity. These principles are the common thread of some questionnaires that serve as support in discerning the licitness of a technique, by virtue of the overall good of the person in their three-dimensional structure: body, mind and spirit, and the respect for their inalienable dignity.

Improving the information resource management strategy in the process of modernizing an industrial enterprise

For a more successful formation of industrial production systems, an effective system for managing intellectual capital, knowledge and information is needed. An indispensable condition for the development of modern industry is the creation and use of information and knowledge. Industrial modernization requires an organizational and economic mechanism for resource management. When solving the problems of improving and technological development of production systems of industrial enterprises or business groups, a method for selecting a strategy for managing corporate information resources was developed. It is based on the consequences of economic monitoring of the state of the production system, which provides for the primary processing and assessment of the reliability of the results, creation of alternative predictive scenarios for changes in the state of the external and internal environment of the production system, expression of strategic goals and objectives of modernization, development of target criteria for achieving the results of modernization, alternative competing strategies for information and knowledge management, checking competing strategies against the target criterion, choosing a strategy to be applied in the improvement process. The transition to promising paths is permissible only under the condition of intensive modernization of industrial enterprises, carried out on the basis of those technical and economic decisions that will lead to the development and use of the latest NBIC technologies.

Convergent technologies as a factor in the formation of a new technological mode and structural changes: contribution to the formation of a pleasure economy

The authors determine the essence and perform a review of convergent technologies: nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, information technologies and cognitive technologies; they present characteristics of NBIC technologies. Convergent technologies are treated as factor in the formation of a new technological mode and structural changes. It is justified that as a result of technology convergence automation of all economic activity becomes widely accessible and used. This is instrumental in easing social tension and providing additional opportunities to enjoy business activities. Business processes that are routine and unattractive for a man, are being automated, while a man gets more free time and the ability to unlock his/her creativity. The sixth technological mode is currently being formed in contemporary society, which opens up opportunities for total automation and securing the functions of a manager and an entrepreneur for a man, while the labour function will be automated. This will maximise the pleasure from professional activity.

Convergent technologies as a factor in the formation of a new technological mode and structural changes: contribution to the formation of a pleasure economy

The authors determine the essence and perform a review of convergent technologies: nanotechnologies, biotechnologies, information technologies and cognitive technologies; they present characteristics of NBIC technologies. Convergent technologies are treated as factor in the formation of a new technological mode and structural changes. It is justified that as a result of technology convergence automation of all economic activity becomes widely accessible and used. This is instrumental in easing social tension and providing additional opportunities to enjoy business activities. Business processes that are routine and unattractive for a man, are being automated, while a man gets more free time and the ability to unlock his/her creativity. The sixth technological mode is currently being formed in contemporary society, which opens up opportunities for total automation and securing the functions of a manager and an entrepreneur for a man, while the labour function will be automated. This will maximise the pleasure from professional activity.