About
The Digital Future Society Summit 2023 is an event organised by Digital Future Society, a programme of Mobile World Capital Barcelona and with the support of the State Secretariat for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (SEDIA) of the Government of Spain. The event aims to offer global insights into the steps needed for a digital transition based on the respect of human rights, ethics and security with the objective of building an equitable and sustainable digital era.
The relationship between society and technology is constantly evolving. Therefore, we must consider the impact that technologies have on our societies – from the interactions we have daily to the global efforts we undertake to ensure a safe and healthy future for our planet. Emerging technologies are key in addressing evermore complex problems that societies face today. The possibilities that technology offers us are endless and have a range of applications that can improve our lives on all levels, whether it be related to individual well-being to greater challenges that require multilateral efforts such as climate change. However, the increased use of digital technologies may present challenges, as we are starting to see the effects of constant digital interaction in our communities and experimenting with new immersive realities.
This event brings together international thinkers, leaders and doers to explore how we might design and use these new technologies and digital innovations in support of a better quality of life and a sustainable environment, by placing people and the planet at the centre of technological innovations.
When
Wednesday, March 1st, 2023
Where
Keynote Stage (Hall 4), MWC Barcelona 2023
Watch the conference here:
Speakers
Nadia Calviño Santamaría
First Vice President of Spain and Minister for Economy and Digitalisation
Carme Artigas Brugal
Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, Government of Spain
Francesc Fajula
CEO, Mobile World Capital Barcelona
Poonacha Machaiah
Co-Founder & Chief Metaverse Officer at Seva.Love, Chief Executive Officer at The Chopra Foundation
Carissa Véliz
Researcher, philospher, writer- Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford
Rafael Yuste
Professor, Columbia University
Álvaro Pascual-Leone
Professor of Neurology, HMS
Guillermo M Gaunas-Vivas
General Director of Ayúdame 3D
Jordi Serrano Pons
Founder of UniversalDoctor, CEO of UhDA Health
Ana Maiques
CEO at Neuroelectrics
Mónica Taher
VP of Marketing, RocketFuel
Ricardo Baeza-Yates
Director of Reserch at Institute for Experiential AI, Northeastern University
José Carmena
Researcher and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Neuroscience at the University of Berkeley.
Chris Fabian
Co-founder, Co-lead Giga (UNICEF)
Lara Urban
Principal Investigator, Helmholtz Pioneer Campus
Moderators
Elsa Punset
Philosopher and communicator
Pipo Serrano
Master of Ceremonies: Journalist; Head of Innovation & New Business at Broadcaster
Esther Paniagua
Associate Director, IE Center for the Governance of Change
Programme
| 3:00 pm | WELCOME & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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| 3:05 pm | KEYNOTE: Spain leading the way to a trustful rights-oriented digital transition
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| 3:35 pm | Tier 1: Neurotech: the next frontier
Moderator
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| 4:20 pm | Tier 2: Ethical approaches for inmersive realities
Moderator
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| 5:05 pm | Tier 3: Sustainable technology for good.
Moderator
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| 5:50 pm | CLOSING
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Keynote: Spain leading the way to a trustful rights-oriented digital transition
Day-to-day globally, our individual relationship with technology is changing, and different generations communicate remotely with different means and in very different ways, modifying our behaviours and affecting our expectations from the growing number of systems mediated by technology. This inspirational keynote raises key questions such as: How are digital means evolving and where are we heading in terms of reliable digital transition mechanisms? How is each one of us transmitting information, knowledge and empathy online? How future generations are prepared to work in professions that do not yet exist? How are we learning tasks that machines will not do? How are we recovering philosophy, ethics and everything that critical and creative thinking represents to address the important challenge that is going to be defining the role of the human being, in this digitization environment, protecting fundamental rights, which will have to be redefined for the digital.
Tier 1: Neurotech: the next frontier
When science and technology redefine the borders of our bodies and our actions, what role will the humanities play? Neurotechnologies are based on the principles of the human nervous system and are modeled on the human brain. Some NeuroTech applications are focused on enhancing cognitive performance, treating neurological disorders, and improving brain health for longevity. Advances in AI could revolutionize NeuroTech over the next decade. If the AI platform is able to understand the “language” of the nervous system, it could be used in closed-loop experiments to test neuromodulation therapy on new targets. This progress could create a new way to investigate medical conditions, accelerate the detection of neural biomarkers, and open the door to a new generation of AI-based neural medical procedures. Advances in AI and increased integration of computers and biology could lead to improved brain health for people all over the world. But some questions need to be addressed. How is the concept and perception of ”individual” changing? Where does our responsibility as individuals end? Who can declare me responsible for an action if my mind is no longer an impenetrable place? Who defines these new limits?
Tier 2: Ethical approaches for inmersive realities
The digital divide and the Impact of digital architecture and the construction of the web3.0 & metaverse requires an ethical cross-cultural approach. Experts are split about the likely evolution of a truly immersive ‘metaverse’. Some of them expect that augmented- and mixed-reality enhancements will become more useful in people’s daily lives and assess the new hype about multiverses as an opportunity to explore the new frontiers of digital technologies. While this will turn into concrete explorations and realizations in the form of immersive realities, other experts and practitioners raise awareness about how current online problems may be magnified if web3 development is led by those who built today’s dominant web platforms. The ethical approach around the design and the measured impact of new digital media, such as metaverse, requires addressing the current digital divide with a social dimension with a polyhedric approach, and raising the right questions today, as today is the right time to do so. Considering this approach, this panel will address global social well-being, considering robotization and privacy, and more in particular technology with an interdisciplinary view.
Tier 3: Sustainable technology for good
The social and economic paradigm shift towards a model where digitization is at the centre opens new doors for inclusion, economic development, and environmental protection for a better quality of life. At the same time, the green transition is here to turn climate and environmental challenges into opportunities for a better planet. The coming-together of this twin transitions as a whole is vital for the future of the humankind, and it will only happen through the means of technological humanism. This session will explore how innovative solutions can be a force for good both for the people and for the planet. What is the expected impact on education, finance, environment, or health? What are the challenges to address, both in the short and in the long term? We will meet innovators using technology to have a positive impact in our personal and our planetary well-being; we will know real examples of digital social business models that are both trustworthy and sustainable. They will show us how committed individuals can accelerate the twin transitions towards a better, more liveable, fair, and sustainable world for a better present and future.
Venue
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