When it comes to software, society faces three key challenges. We need to design policies that can stay ahead of cutting-edge technologies. We need to prepare for the workforce of the future. And we need to better support diversity, inclusion, and economic opportunity for all. Software.org: the BSA Foundation will tackle all of these challenges head on.
Launched today, Software.org is a nonpartisan international research organization that will help policymakers and the public better understand the impact software has on our lives, our economy, and our society.
Software is everywhere. It’s in the places you’d expect, like the phone in your hand, the TV on your wall, and the laptop on your desk. You’re using software to read this blog post right now. But software is also a critical component in places that you might not realize, from the financial and manufacturing sectors to healthcare and infrastructure. Software is so seamlessly woven into our everyday lives that it can be easy to forget all the ways it affects us.
Software.org will not only inform people about innovative software – AI, IoT, and blockchain – but also posit answers to the big questions we are facing. The foundation will foster conversations about how policies affect groundbreaking technologies. By supporting efforts to increase STEM training and skills for people of all ages and backgrounds, the foundation will help prepare the future workforce.
Our software is constantly updating and evolving. We need to consider how our society will evolve with it. Software.org will help do just that.