This decade has ignited a number of evolving digital services and products.  Digital and e-business history is already testament to the need for effective governance alongside innovation. However, it often takes years for governments to respond with legislation, while organisations set their own policies or continue without risk management – often at their own peril.  Ethics of course are essential in effective and reputable policy-making, but are not always deployed. Diligent and impacting digital governance is essential for ‘Central Bank Digital Currency’, data and processing, AI, infrastructure and deployment, as well a digital business. While the protection and processing of data is largely regulated around the globe, there is currently no governance for blockchain (a technology providing unique identification of records).  Regulations for cryptocurrency (which is enabled by blockchain) are in their infancy and evolving around the globe.  While regulations to fight fraud are a primary area of digital governance, another more human element has come to the forefront.  Regulations to protect against online harms, have been evolving for some years, but not swiftly enough. With further pressure on the social networks to manage content responsibly or have legal liability, employees are also taking liability and their own protection more seriously.  According to a recent article by BBC News, a TikTok moderator has sued their employer “over psychological trauma due to the requirement to watch and moderate extreme and graphic violence for up to 12-hrs a day.” With the volume of content posted online, Artificial Intelligence has to be the first mechanism for moderation. If we are to avoid psychological harms to humans, we need more intelligent Artificial Intelligence to moderate and block harmful content, before humans moderate a smaller selection further with limited exposure, combined perhaps with more joyful work.  ‘Content Moderator + X’ could be a hybrid role of the future.

Extract: Digital World Predictions 2022

About the Author

Deborah Collier is a strategic and futurist leader in business, digital and education. She is a media group CEO, Non-Executive Director and President of Digital Skills Authority. She developed a ‘Digital Governance Framework‘ which is delivered throughout the organisation’s management and leadership programs.