Tech Summer Series Kickoff | Transatlantic Tech Trends
The EU Delegation, the Center for Democracy & Technology, and the R Street Institute are excited to be partnering together on the DC Summer Tech Series — three invitation-only events this summer that will convene a bipartisan group of stakeholders for discussions about our shared digital policy priorities. Although we may not always see eye-to-eye on policy decisions, we are in complete alignment about the importance of open dialogue and robust conversation to the policymaking process. And sometimes it helps to have such conversations over a drink on a sunny patio!
We kicked-off the series last week with a discussion about transatlantic tech trends. To take the temperature of the room, we conducted a live poll in which we surveyed participants for their thoughts on the state of transatlantic relations and digital policy priorities. The poll was followed by reactions and comments from senior executives at each of the partner organizations.
The results were interesting! Although 40% of participants saw the current state of EU-US relations as ‘poor’ on a scale of ‘very poor’ to ‘very good’, participants were optimistic about a wide range of opportunities for enhanced cooperation.
We asked participants what they thought should be the highest digital policy priority for policymakers in the EU & U.S. for the year ahead, and built a word cloud of the results. Answers ranged from blockchain and trade to standards and civil liberties, with ‘privacy’ the clear leader.
After the poll we asked experts from each partner to comment on the results. CDT’s VP of Policy, Lisa Hayes, commented on the significance of privacy being a leading concern, and talked about how privacy cannot be considered in isolation but rather ought to be seen as an underlying value, guiding decision-making in other policy areas, notably cybersecurity. The intrinsic connectivity between privacy and cybersecurity is a point that Tom Struble, Manager of Technology & Innovation Policy at R Street, elaborated upon as well. Peter Fatelnig, Minister-Counsellor for Digital Economy at the EU Delegation, talked about the relationship between privacy and artificial intelligence (AI), presenting some of the EU’s recent work in this field including the formation of a group of 52 international experts to draft ethical guidelines for AI.
The live poll was fun and informative, and provided great fodder for spirited conversations throughout the evening. All around it was a great event, and we’re just getting started! Our remaining events in the series will look at Democracy in the Digital Age and the Future of Work, so stay tuned!
