Digital transition, ethics by design: the necessary condition to be proper drivers of change
At the Raisina Dialogue, the ongoing geopolitical forum in New Delhi, India, at the G20, now in its eighth year, 250 decision-makers worldwide are debating the direction humanity will take to emerge from the perfect storms of the present. One of the tools unequivocally helping to steer the compass of this trajectory is innovation, with particular reference to digital and artificial intelligence, which in recent times has come within everyone’s reach with the entry of Chat GPT into our lives.
The event, organized by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and the Observer Research Foundation, brought out the urgency of accelerating the digital transition in every sphere by presenting the research “Micro Matters: Using Data for Development in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” which highlights that emerging technologies, such as AI, need to be optimized for large-scale deployment in essential areas such as health or agriculture. Data privacy and security must be ensured to build trust. Scalability and replicability are critical and alternative solutions must be offered where connectivity and access are challenging. It is necessary to work collaboratively and take a multi-stakeholder approach. These lessons emphasize the importance of leveraging technology, partnerships, and data-driven information to drive social regeneration and improve the lives of citizens.
Technology is changing everything around us, and leaders must be prepared to meet this change’s challenges. We are in a new world that requires new models of leadership that can make bold decisions and sustain effective diplomacy to manage the world’s complexity. India has a key role in the new global scenario and must be ready to lead the Global South innovatively. “India’s digital ID program is one of the best in the world to bring about meaningful transformation,” Tony Blair stressed in his speech. That is why, he said, “we are moving into a new era.” It is a digital ID that measures narrowing development gaps between developed and developing countries. This trend is also clear in the words and actions of Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, who spoke of D4D, or data for development, where a data-driven culture today is the only one really capable of guiding the decisions of the Earth’s powerful for the well-being of humanity and thus for the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. This concept includes the other innovations of the moment: artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and the Internet of Things. It is these tools that help constitute the knowledge economy. Still, it must be integrated with the economy of care and well-being, overcoming the myopia of adopting merely economic-financial indicators to measure well-being.
Is data the new gold? Are digital solutions the bridge to sustainable development and international cooperation? Is the artificial intelligence revolution within everyone’s reach to change social and labor market models? The Rome Call for AI Ethics, which the Pontifical Academy for Life launched on Feb. 28, 2020, and which has been signed by the Future Food Institute and giants such as Microsoft, IBM, FAO, and the Italian Ministry of Innovation, invites us to reflect on the sense of responsibility in the design and use of digital innovation for technological progress so that they serve human genius, creativity, and the human mind, and not vice versa. This ethical premise is necessary to flesh out the agreements and directions from the Raisina Dialogue on digital and innovation. However, it is not enough seeing as humans are at the center of the design and application of such a tool. Therefore, it is education and training for a new humanism that can make a difference. We need to teach how to think about and enhance the talents and values of humans and their social and environmental interactions. All of this without succumbing to toxic digital addictions and forced isolations that have resulted in unprecedented effects on mental health worldwide, a true pandemic to be eradicated.
This article has been published in Italian in the newspaper: https://www.lastampa.it/esteri/2023/03/05/news/transizione_digitale_etica_by_design_condizione_necessaria_per_essere_vero_motore_del_cambiamento-12677297/
Sara Roversi, President of the Future Food Institute
The Future Food Institute is an international ecosystem that believes climate change is at the end of your fork. By harnessing the power of its global ecosystem of partners, innovators, researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs, FFI aims to sustainably improve life on Earth through transformation of global food systems.
FFI catalyzes progress towards the UN Agenda 2030 of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by training the next generation of changemakers, empowering communities, and engaging government and industry in actionable impact-driven innovation grounded in integral ecological regeneration.
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