The ‘Intelligent Age’ has arrived. This is how it can accelerate SDG progress

This article first appeared on Forbes.

With just five full years left to meet the 169 targets of the 17 SDGs, progress is – even to the most optimistic – falling far short. Just 17% of the goals are on track, almost one-half show minimal or moderate progress and one-third are stalling or regressing. To have a real chance at hitting these targets, progress must be dramatically accelerated.

The lack of progress on meeting the SDGs has been exacerbated by economic headwinds worldwide. Global economic growth has failed to restart in any meaningful way since the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a situation that has prompted the International Monetary Fund’s Kristalina Georgieva to describe the decade as risking becoming the Tepid Twenties. Following the pandemic, annual productivity growth has plummeted, standing at just 0.4% in advanced economies, 0.8% in emerging economies and a grim 0% in low-income countries.

Historically, technology has offered a path to growth and productivity, and the situation is no different today, albeit with an unprecedented pace of change. In particular, the simultaneous and exponential innovation and deployment of whole sets of interconnected technologies are leading the transition into the Intelligent Age.

The Intelligent Age represents a seismic shift in the drivers of socioeconomic change and growth. It is anchored in deep, multifaceted transformations that emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), the bioeconomy, climate and energy transition-related technologies, quantum, robotics, space and more, are driving within societies, economies and industries.

But this is not simply a technological shift – the Intelligent Age has the potential to far exceed the scope and speed of change of previous industrial revolutions, accelerating progress by transforming many facets of society through the judicious, open and inclusive use of technology to deliver solutions for the people and planet. This is the type of game-changing situation that is required to reverse the current course of the SDGs.

However, the potential of the Intelligent Age is unfolding in an era of heightened fragmentation in which we face societal divides, geo-economic splintering and increasing planetary fragility. These two contradictory forces – one characterized by fragmentation, the other by a technological renaissance – are roughly equal in force, underscoring the need to quickly seize, realize and capitalize on the benefits of the opportunity to build more productive, inclusive and sustainable economies, while minimizing its risks.

Let me share some concrete examples of how the Intelligent Age could help us achieve progress on the SDGs:

The digital economy indicates how technology can underpin global growth. Although a relatively nascent sector, the value of digitally delivered services has in the past 20 years, grown at more than 8% annually, accounting for more than 15.5% of global gross domestic product. At the same time, digital access is one of the few areas of progress noted in the UN’s latest report, increasing globally by approximately 70% between 2015 and 2023 and expanding the market for the digital economy overall.

Another bright spot is the profound impact of green technologies. High levels of investment into technologies like solar panels in the past decade have generated rapid advancements, driving down their price, making them accessible and advancing progress on renewable energy deployment.

With its wide range of applications, AI could play a vital role in unlocking growth. It holds vast economic potential and could add the equivalent of $2.6-4.4 trillion annually to the global economy. If deployed effectively, it could assist with a wide array of specific issues, including managing scarce resources and optimizing soil productivity, enhancing financial inclusion and literacy, democratizing education and much more.

To ensure that the new Intelligent Age propels the SDGs forward and helps build sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies, innovation should be open, affordable and accessible to all across the globe. Equal access to new technologies provides an opportunity for emerging economies to leapfrog, giving them the tools to exponentially scale up and democratize innovative solutions, while at the same time valuably contributing to the technological development and ultimately to global growth.

The interconnectivity of the SDGs demands solutions that involve multiple stakeholders and points to the very real need for cooperation and collaboration to address today’s challenges. Recognizing such a need, the World Economic Forum placed collaboration at the heart of its Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, which coincided with the UN high-level week. It brought together more than 60 communities of purpose to inclusively tackle key areas of the SDGs.

As world leaders gathered in New York, it was critical that we used this moment to find ways to mitigate the drag of fragmentation on the global economy and unlock the full potential of the Intelligent Age. This can accelerate SDG progress by both supporting and boosting overall economic growth and providing technological solutions to specific challenges.

Now is the time to crowd out the Age of Fragmentation and to embrace the opportunities of the Intelligent Age because, if we do, we can realize a more sustainable, equitable and just world.

This article was first published in Forbes here.