ABSTRACT
In Chapter 3, Ken Coates and Carin Holroyd show that Arctic regions have a great deal to gain and, equally, much to lose from the twenty-first-century onslaught of new technologies. Led globally by such large firms as Samsung, Apple, Nokia, Panasonic, Alphabet/Google, Microsoft, Sun Systems, Cisco, TenCent, and Huawei, the recent technological and economic transformation has had profound effects on the global economy. New technologies like food factories, small modular nuclear reactors, autonomous vehicles, and drones are already disrupting existing industries, while high-speed Internet and satellite systems provide the foundation for radical changes in health care, education, governance, and business. Advocates of artificial intelligence (AI) argue that AI, along with 5G wireless capabilities, will have profound economic and social effects globally. Yet, the impact of these technologies on the Arctic are rarely mentioned in international discussions and it remains unclear if the Arctic will see net benefits, dramatic losses, or mixed results from them. To some extent, the impact will depend on how Arctic states and communities approach the challenges and opportunities these new technologies represent.
