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Bosch Tech Compass: 72 percent believe that technology makes the world a better place

Three out of four respondents worldwide see technological progress as the key to combating climate change

  • People surveyed want technology to be more focused on tackling major challenges
  • Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung: “The Bosch Tech Compass8u shows that people want technology that addresses the problems of our time.”
  • Western countries have high hopes for green tech, Asia for AI and 5G.
  • Beam me up, Scotty: When asked how they would prefer to move around in the future, more than a third of Germans would choose teleportation if feasible.

Stuttgart, Germany / Las Vegas, USA – The vast majority of people surveyed worldwide believe that technological progress is making the world a better place (72 percent). This is a finding of the Bosch Tech Compass, a representative survey of the general public in China, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The survey is having its global debut at CES 2022. In view of the rapid and profound changes technology is driving in many spheres of life, the Bosch Tech Compass aims to encourage people to take a closer look at the positive impact of technological progress on a globalized world.

Technological progress as key to combating climate change Although technology has the potential to make almost anything possible, such as creating a pizza with a 3D printer, global respondents strongly agree that technology should be more focused on tackling the major challenges of our time rather than serving individual needs (83 percent). For example, the survey shows that more than three out of four respondents worldwide see technological progress as the key to combating climate change. “The Bosch Tech Compass shows that people want technology that addresses the problems of our time,” says Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung. “Technology should support us, make life easier overall, and make the world a better place. This is why we at Bosch are committed to technology that is ‘Invented for life’ and serves people.”

Despite global confidence in technological progress, there are regional differences in the perception of how technology is currently being used. While most Chinese (83 percent) and Indian respondents (77 percent) are more confident that technology is currently being used sufficiently to tackle the major problems of our time, only a minority of people in the U.S. (47 percent), the U.K. (37 percent), and Germany (29 percent) believe this.

Western countries have high hopes for green tech, Asia for AI

In the assessment of individual technologies and their impact, there are significant regional differences. While Germany, the U.K., and the U.S. see green technologies like climate engineering, biotechnology, and hydrogen as having a particularly positive impact on society, China and India have high hopes for intelligent and connected technologies like AI and 5G. Around a third of all respondents in the U.S. and Europe, however, say they see AI as the biggest technological threat.

“Easing such concerns is yet another reason why building trust in digital technology will be crucial, and it will have a direct impact on consumer behavior as well,” Hartung says. Four out of five people worldwide believe that a company’s success will depend on building digital trust with its customers in the future. Trust is also becoming increasingly important: for 43 percent of global respondents, trust plays a greater role in the digital world than in the analog world, as opposed to only 20 percent who see it the other way around. “This is also why Bosch has introduced its AI code of ethics, which is contributing to the important public debate around AI and trust in AI,” Hartung adds.

Driving or beaming?

When asked how they would prefer to move around in the future – regardless of technical feasibility – German respondents displayed fewer reservations. Nearly four in ten (39 percent) would choose beaming as their preferred mode of transportation, which makes them more adventurous than the Chinese with 34 percent. Teleportation also has a few fans in the U.K. (27 percent), the U.S. (20 percent), and India (10 percent). Despite respondents being given free rein to daydream, teleportation was not at the top of anyone’s wish list. In first place with 56 percent was the considerably more mundane human-controlled car, followed by planes (40 percent) and trains (32 percent).

About the survey:

For this study, people aged 18 and over were surveyed online in five countries (China, Germany, India, the U.K., and the U.S.) in August 2021 by Gesellschaft für Innovative Marktforschung mbH (GIM) on behalf of Robert Bosch GmbH. In Germany and the United Kingdom, 1,000 people were surveyed, in China, India, and the United States, 2,000 people were surveyed. The samples are representative for the respective country in terms of region, gender, and age (DE, UK, USA: 18–69 years / CN, IN: 18–59 years).

Additional information:

www.bosch.com/techcompass

About Bosch

Bosch has been present in Belgium since 1907. The Bosch Group employs approximately 1,050 associates in Belgium. The main sites are located in Tienen, Anderlecht and Mechelen.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 428,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT provider, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, Industry 4.0, and connected mobility. Bosch is pursuing a vision of mobility that is sustainable, safe, and exciting. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to facilitate connected living with products and solutions that either contain artificial intelligence (AI) or have been developed or manufactured with its help. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which roughly 48,000 are software engineers.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a corporation owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch-press.be, www.bosch.be, www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.twitter.com/BoschBelgium, www.linkedin.com/company/bosch-belgium/ and YouTube: Bosch Belgium

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