Innovation at the service of society

Progress is sometimes perceived negatively because of the transformations, sometimes brutal, that it instills. This is true of artificial intelligence, which requires public regulation for ethical reasons. However, innovation and progress are a necessity to reinvent our societies and improve our production methods, especially when we are faced with major changes such as global warming, the scarcity of resources or increasing inequalities. Similarly, the challenges of reindustrialization, relocalization and strategic autonomy are closely linked to innovation and the decarbonization of economies.

Whether it is a question of targeting sectors for innovation or promoting the development of certain technologies, the impetus to be given to innovation is crucial. Which actors have the responsibility to promote or supervise progress? Which sectors of our economy should be favored? Should we concentrate public aid on research per se or give it a downstream boost? Should it be targeted at production factors or should we continue to provide direct aid to companies, with the now well-documented perverse effects of windfall and distortion of competition? What is the best way to take advantage of the contradictory effects of new technologies for the population?