INVENTING TOMORROW: TECH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC PREMIERS ON CNN INTERNATIONAL ON 9TH MAY 2020

Jyothi Venkatesh

Necessity is the mother of invention. And in a world where every day physical human interaction can be dangerous, we need technology more than ever. The global coronavirus pandemic has led to an unprecedented volume of technological advancements, as countries and companies join together to find creative and essential solutions in everything from healthcare to communications to lifestyle.In Inventing Tomorrow: Tech in a time of Pandemic CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout meets the entrepreneurs, experts and businesses developing innovative ways to combat this health crisis. The show delves into the technology and implications of contact tracing, 3D printing and how we are navigating the world virtually – as well as how it will impact and change the way we live.

In this special 30-minute program, CNN explores the different ways countries are contact tracing in the pandemic – and discusses its effectiveness as well as the implications for our privacy with Tufts University’s Professor Susan Landau. Lu Stout also speaks with Google’s Chief Health Officer Dr. Karen DeSalvo about the critical role of technology during this time, as well as how it is helping to support public health experts during the pandemic

Inventing Tomorrow also focuses on how people are using 3D printing to help produce personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic. Lu Stout interviews Rich Garrity from Stratasys about how the 3D printing firm is ramping up its production of PPE alongside a coalition of companies. CNN also speaks to Professor and Maker Czar Martin Culpepper from Massachusetts Institute of Technology about the potential risks of 3D printing protective equipment and the value of innovation during the pandemic.

Finally, the half-hour special delves into the digital divide and how we are staying connected. Lu Stout joins Houseparty CEO and Co-Founder Sima Sistani on the app to find out how the company became the standout social media platform for the social distancing era. With people using the internet more than ever, CNN meets online infrastructure expert Derek O’Halloran from the World Economic Forum to discuss how the pandemic is strengthening the call for universal access to the internet. Alongside communication, the online world also offers much needed escape. Lu Stout takes a virtual tour of the Louvre where Dominique de Font-Réaulx explains how she used VR technology to bring the Mona Lisa to life and into the homes of art-lovers in lockdown.