April 9th, 2019 by

On the occasion of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature where Gerd presented “Technology Vs Humanity”, Gerd was speaking with Arabian BusinessShayan Shakeel about how he is telling governments to consider technology as a tool to truly transform and add collective human value, rather than to chase efficiency.

Here is the full article, plus a small selection of the top quotes from Gerd:

“A Digital Ethics Council is basically a collection of wise people who look beyond the money toward what is best for humanity. Because if you only look at the bottom line then you will always do things that are not necessarily going to be good for everyone.”

“This is region is not going to be like Silicon Valley or Singapore. It has to plant its own flag. And that will mean being more proactive.”

“Currently, there is always a short-term idea of promoting the location. But imagine if Dubai did incorporate an ethics council. That would be a truly big message because it would be looking at things a bit further. Ethics does not involve just being digital but human rights and the environment. This is a much bigger story.”

Guest post by The Futures Agency content curator Petervan

Here is the audio version of Gerd’s talk in Dubai on Saturday March 2, at the Emirates Litfest 2019 in Dubai. The audio volume is a bit low on this, sorry:)

Download the MP3 (50MB): gerd leonhard technology vs humanity at dubai litfest 2019

 

 

Author: Gerd Leonhard

In the words of American poet John Berryman, “the possibility that has been overlooked is the future”. Most of us are far too busy coping with present challenges to explore the future in any depth – and when we do our own cravings and fears often run away with us, resulting in utopias or dystopias that are not very helpful in terms of planning and decisions. Today’s professionals, leaders and their organisations need a dedicated, passionate long-term understanding of the future if they are to successfully navigate the exponential waves of change. For countless individuals and organizations that intelligence is called Gerd Leonhard.

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