- The City Council of Barcelona and Digital Future Society organise this November an event where international experts will assess the impact of digital transformation in the city via 6 topics: digital and gender divides, ethics of Artificial Intelligence, data privacy, digital innovation in the wake of Covid-19 and the path towards a green digital transition.
- Werner Stengg, Cabinet Member, Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, European Commission; Morten Meyerhoff, EGOV Advisor UNU-EGOV; Sarah Chandler, a senior political adviser at the European Initiative for Digital Rights; Carissa Véliz, researcher, philosopher, writer at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford and Anne Kaun, researcher and lecturer at the Södertorn University; are some of the first confirmed speakers.
21 October, 2021
Barcelona, Octubre 21st, 2021.- Digital Future Society and the City Council of Barcelona will present the event “Humanism in the digital age: the urban contribution” on November 15th at the former Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona. The event focuses on the digitalization of society and aims to examine the urban environment to explore new solutions and therefore combat inequalities caused by the current digital transformation. This conference seeks to encourage a needed debate and explore the best way to find unified solutions to build a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive digital agenda that places citizens at the centre of this revolution.
Critical thinking within social impacts of technology is becoming increasingly urgent, especially in a scenario where emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and algorithmic automation grow at an unprecedent speed. Global digitalisation continues to increase inequalities and the digital divide gap, phenomenon’s that grow at different speeds around the world. Faced with this accelerated and asymmetric digital transformation, solutions that focus on technological humanism and prioritise citizens empowerment in the urban environment must be promoted.
The “Humanism in the digital age: the urban contribution” event will bring together some of the main public administration figures, political leaders, experts, researchers, activists and community organizers, emphasising the importance of an urgent call to action. Some of the confirmed speaker are highly recognized international voices in the sector such as: Werner Stengg, Cabinet Member, cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, European Commission; Morten Meyerhoff, EGOV Advisor UNU-EGOV; Sarah Chandler, a senior political adviser at the European Initiative for Digital Rights; Carissa Véliz, researcher, philosopher, writer at the Institute for Ethics in AI, University of Oxford and Anne Kaun, researcher and lecturer at the Södertorn University.
During the event, several sessions and round tables will be organized to identify, explore and discuss how to deal with the challenges generated by the current digital transformation.
The six main topics introduce issues of great relevance that include challenges arising from the consequences of Covid -19 such as the digital divide, an accentuated reality risen during the early weeks of confinement; the increasing use of data and the need to guarantee citizens’ right to privacy in an urban environment; or the lack of ethical regulations surrounding emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Even future challenges with pending questions marks, such as the employment of women in ICT, a highly masculinised sector, or the environmental challenges of technology to achieve a green digital transition.
However, this technological revolution has also shown that digitalisation can be an enabling tool capable of boosting solid networks between public and private entities to ensure essential services and promote social cohesion.
The program of the seminar can be previewed in the following link:
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