简介作为计算和通讯技术核心的信息技术在发达国家生活的各个方面已经产生了很多影响。在我们进入二十一世纪的时候,无论是在发达国家还是在发展中国家,它都将会产生更大的影响。在史无前列并且是不断向前发展的微电子学和光子学的驱动下,我们发展信息基础设施的能力与力量成指数倍地增长了,而它的成本却是成指数倍地下降了。至少在可以预测的将来,技术进步的成指数增长的步伐很可能会继续下去。这种技术进步产生的影响随处可见,从商业的全球化,到传统商业中为消费者服务的更好的形式,到基于因特网的新的企业经营模式,到由“聊天室”和“多用户网络游戏”所体现的新的社会交往模式,到新的法律和伦理的挑战。这种社会变化的步伐似乎像技术进步本身一样迅速。在此演讲中,我将探讨一些非技术领域的社会挑战, Introduction Information technology, which is at the heart of computing and communications technology, has had a number of implications in all aspects of life in developed countries. As we enter the twenty-first century, it will have a greater impact both in developed and developing countries. Driven by the unprecedented and continuing advances in microelectronics and photonics, our ability and power to grow our information infrastructure has grown exponentially, and its costs have fallen exponentially. At least in the foreseeable future, the pace of exponential growth in technological progress is likely to continue. The impact of this technological advance can be seen everywhere, from the globalization of commerce to better forms of service to consumers in traditional commerce, to the new Internet-based business model, to “chatrooms” and “ The new social interaction model embodied in ”multi-user online games" challenges the new legal and ethical issues. This pace of social change seems to be as rapid as technological progress itself. In this talk, I will explore some of the social challenges in non-technical areas,