At one of the opening sessions of the second day of World Government Summit 2018 (WGS 2018), experts outlined how technology in the digital era can enhance quality of life, if effectively managed.
World Government Summit 2018Osman Sultan, Chief Executive Officer of du, a leading UAE telecoms company, took to the stage with Karuna Gopal, founder and President of Indian think tank the Foundation for Futuristic Cities, debating the opportunities and challenges associated with an ever-increasing digital world.
The session, entitled 'Technology and the future of smart living', focused on how advancements in technology have created a double-edged sword. While connectivity brings significant benefits, the speakers asserted how governments must continue to talk to each other and collaborate to collectively enhance digitalization and smart living for its citizens.
Osman Sultan said: "In today's digital environment, nations need to talk to each other as technology issues become increasingly generalized in a hyper-connected global world. We need to ask the right questions and seek to find the right answers in a world full of uncertainty. If governments and the private sector properly embrace this uncertainty through dialogue and collaboration, we can turn it into digital opportunities for all through smart technologies and ultimately enhanced quality of living."
Karuna Gopal said: "Smart living started more than a decade ago and things have advanced at a tremendous level in recent times. Today, what is needed is extreme collaboration, even more than just protocols achieved through memoranda of understanding. To maximize future opportunities that have been introduced through smart technologies, we need to ensure governments collectively engage in dialogue and focus on collaboration to achieve results."
Gopal was a member of the speaker delegation representing the Union Ministry of Urban Development at COP21-United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Paris 2015