PR93149

BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

    World experts in digital processing and the socio-economic impact of major

technological changes call for urgent progress and concrete actions to ensure

the protection and promotion of people's rights in this area and not just

well-intended speeches. As they did so during the event "Humanism in the

digital age: the urban contribution

[https://barcelonadigitalhumanism.digitalfuturesociety.com/en/]", organised by

Digital Future Society [https://digitalfuturesociety.com/]and the City Council

of Barcelona, where 150 entities and 40 top-level international speakers

[https://barcelonadigitalhumanism.digitalfuturesociety.com/#speakers] took

part. The highly positive feedback received during the event strengthens

Barcelona as a leading technological human-centered perspective globally.

    Digital Future Society's director, Cristina Colom, inaugurated the event

encouraging a call to action: "We need to shift some of our priorities to focus

on some key social pressing challenges. The way we tackle these challenges, the

way we seek solutions, the way we foster international cooperation, will

determine the digital future, will determine our digital future."

    By her side, the writer and philosopher of the Institute of Ethics at the

IA at Oxford University, Carissa Véliz, emphasises the right to data protection

and control: "our democracy is at stake."

    Another session focused on the use of data as a fight against digital

divides. The New York CTO, John Paul Farmer, opts for a strategy that considers

access, connectivity, infrastructure, and affordability, since "tech is not a

luxury, rather a necessity and connectivity must be universal." The Director of

ONTSI, Lucía Velasco, points out the growing digital frustration by stressing

that "we ask citizens to interact with digital administrations regardless of

users and their experience or access."

    The Executive Director Alliance for Affordable Internet, Sonia Jorge,

shifted her attention on gender divides, stating that "The world has missed out

an opportunity of $1 billion for not including girls in digital societies."

Also, Núria Oliver of the Data-Pop Alliance reflects on the lack of STEM women:

"Any field lacking in diversity will not unlock its full potential and

solutions will never be fully inclusive."

    Regarding facial recognition in cities, the European Digital Rights

Initiative advisor Sarah Chander states, "We need to understand human risk, who

will be impacted, how and why." Similarly, the rapporteur and AI Act, Brando

Benifei encourages the European Parliament to "declare a clear position" on

this technology, as the regulation continues "having many interpretations." In

the same vein, the researcher on Human Rights Watch, Amos Toh points out the

need to "empower citizens to understand how technology is designed and its

limits."

    To address the regulation of AI, the cabinet member of the Vice-President

of the European Commission, Werner Stengg, recalls that "AI is not necessarily

the enemy of technological innovation." For her part, the COE of Open Knowledge

Foundation, Renata Ávila, stresses that privacy should "be default, but it's

not enough, we need other values like open innovation."

    The act concluded with the intervention of the CEO of Mobile World Capital

Barcelona, Carlos Grau, who committed himself to "working together and

fostering cooperation between all key actors."

    Media Contact: Emily Henley ehenley@tinkle.es, +34 661 267 495

    Photo:

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1691840/Humanism_in_the_digital_age.jpg

    Source: Digital Future Society