by Editor BGF | May 11, 2026 | Shinzo Abe Initiative for Peace and Security, News
Yasuhide Nakayama
I also wish to express my deep respect for AIWS Lumina.
To me, AIWS Lumina is a beautiful and necessary vision.
It reminds us that the future cannot be shaped by technology alone.
The AI Age must also be guided by culture, by beauty, by reflection, and by the noble values that elevate the human spirit.
In this, I feel that Japan is deeply close to the standards of AIWS Lumina.
The spirit of harmony.
The respect for beauty.
The discipline of culture.
The value of reflection.
The connection between tradition and the future.
These are qualities deeply rooted in Japanese civilization.
As early as the 7th century, Prince Shotoku taught us:
“Harmony should be valued above all, and discord should be avoided.”
At the same time, he also reminded us:
“Every person has a heart, and each holds their own views.”
In other words, diversity of thought is natural —
and true harmony does not come from uniformity,
but from respecting differences and seeking balance.
And harmony, in its true sense, does not mean silence or compromise at any cost.
We must have the courage to recognize what is right, and to call out what is wrong.
This spirit — to harmonize differences, to respect each other, and to uphold fairness and integrity — resonates strongly with the ideals of Love, Creativity, and Nobility. For this reason, I believe Japan can and should become an important home for the annual activities of AIWS Lumina.
I would be very glad to support the organization of AIWS Lumina annual events in Japan, in close connection with Boston, helping to build a living bridge between Japan and the United States — and beyond that, a bridge of trust, culture, and shared human values for the world.
Let us work together to ensure that the AI Age will be not only more advanced, but also more trusted.
Not only more intelligent, but also more humane.
Not only more powerful, but also more noble.
by Editor BGF | May 11, 2026 | News
May 7, 2026
John Quelch
“The skies over Baghdad have been illuminated.” The words in 1991 of African American CNN news anchor Bernard Shaw brought the start of the Iraq war live into our homes through the power of 24/7 cable news. Non-stop coverage of the Iraq War cemented the importance of CNN on the world stage. Now there’s hardly a decent hotel in any country that doesn’t include CNN (Cable News Network) as an option on its guest bedroom televisions. This was all thanks to the vision of one man, Ted Turner.
I never really knew Ted Turner but on three occasions, I learnt an important lesson from him.
In 1983, as a young Harvard Business School professor, I wanted to write a case on the recently launched Cable News Network. All the top professors were calling Ted but being rebuffed, so what chance did I have? One day, I saw CNN’s VP of advertising quoted in the New York Times. I called him and proposed a case which went up to Ted for approval which he then gave. From this, I learnt that, if you want something, it’s not always smart to go to the top guy. A good boss, Ted let someone down the organization take the initiative and draw the limelight.
Seventeen years later, I was one of a hundred people invited to a Deloitte reception at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Ted and Jane Fonda were the guests of honor. I managed to introduce myself to Ted and mentioned the case and my friendship with his old VP. When Ted started his remarks, he introduced me to the Davos elite as “the most important person here, who wrote the first Harvard case study on CNN.” You can’t buy that kind of endorsement. Ted had an ego but he was also nice to mice.
In 1988, Ted was the guest of honor at the annual Reebok human rights award ceremony in Boston. It was the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and I was a Reebok board member at the time. A thousand people were looking forward to being entertained with some salty remarks and juicy anecdotes. Ted, who had then pledged $ 1 billion to support the United Nations Foundation, started with a question: “How many of you here have read the UN Declaration of Human Rights?” Only around six hands were raised. Ted then spent the next fifteen minutes reading word for word the thirty articles in the Declaration. That was his speech. Ted despised hypocrisy and stuck it to the audience. That was another good lesson.
It seems paradoxical – though it shouldn’t – that a man so quintessentially American, dedicated to preserving lands in Montana and restoring the bison population, could also be a global visionary, inventing CNN, championing the UN and launching both the Goodwill Games and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Being American versus being global is a false dichotomy. For America to continue to lead abroad, we need more patriots like Ted Turner who see bringing harmony to a diverse world as their responsibility.
by Editor BGF | May 11, 2026 | World Leader for Peace and Security, News, World Leaders in AIWS Award Updates
At the America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age Conference, held on May 1, 2026, at Harvard University’s Loeb House, Vint Cerf accepted the 2026 World Leader for Peace and Security Award as the symbolic representative of the American people. The award honored the leaders of the United States and the American people for their enduring contributions to peace, security, innovation, democratic values, and human progress.
Widely known as one of the “Fathers of the Internet” and co-designer of the TCP/IP protocols, Vint Cerf represented the creativity, openness, civic spirit, and technological imagination of America in the digital age. His remarks, titled “Building Information Trust Infrastructure for Democracy in the AI Age,” connected America’s 250-year legacy with one of the most urgent challenges of the future: how to build trusted information systems in a world transformed by artificial intelligence.
Cerf’s message carried special meaning for the Boston Global Forum and AI World Society. Having previously been honored by BGF in 2019 as a World Leader in AIWS, he has long embodied the principle that technology must serve humanity with responsibility, openness, and wisdom.
His acceptance speech reinforced a central theme of the conference and the book America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age: America’s leadership in the AI Age must be measured not only by innovation, but by its capacity to build trust, defend truth, protect human dignity, and strengthen democratic society.
Vint Cerf’s remarks helped elevate the May 1 conference from a celebration of America’s past into a call for action: to build AIWS Information Trust Infrastructure as a foundation for peace, security, and a more trustworthy civilization in the AI Age.
Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxdlwPyF5wI
by Editor BGF | May 11, 2026 | News, Shaping Futures
Trust as the Foundation of Society
At the America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age Conference, held on May 1, 2026 at Harvard University’s Loeb House, one of the most significant discussions was the panel “Building AIWS Trust Infrastructure for the AI Age.”
This panel brought together distinguished Alex Pentland, Cynthia Dwork, and other America 250: AI Pioneers to explore how trust can become the essential foundation of governance, technology, and civilization in the AI Age.
Watch the Panel Discussion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj0nMkYKP_I&t=4109s
by Editor BGF | May 11, 2026 | Global Alliance for Digital Governance
A distinctive feature of the official launch of the book America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age at the May 1, 2026 conference at Harvard University’s Loeb House is that the book was presented not merely as an intellectual work, but as the beginning of an international movement for implementation.
Co-authored by Governor Michael S. Dukakis and Nguyen Anh Tuan, the book calls on America to lead in the AI Age through trust, human dignity, ethical responsibility, and service to humanity. Its central message is that the future of artificial intelligence cannot be shaped by technology alone; it must be guided by values, culture, accountable institutions, and a new global architecture of trust.
What made the May 1 conference especially significant was that the ideas of the book were already being translated into action by partners from three important regions of the world.
From Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party’s Global South initiative, under the leadership and support of Yasuhide Nakayama, has become a strategic partner in advancing AIWS Trust Infrastructure, AIWS Trust Order, and AIWS Lumina. Japan contributes a unique combination of strategic vision, cultural depth, and the enduring values of harmony, discipline, and beauty.
From Vietnam, Vietnam Report has joined as an implementation and support partner for developing AIWS Trust Rating (ATR), AIWS Trust Index (ATX), and practical trust standards for Vietnam and ASEAN. This partnership provides a concrete pathway to transform the book’s vision into measurable standards, operational platforms, and real-world applications.
From Europe, Media Tenor contributes world-leading expertise in media intelligence, reputation measurement, and public trust analytics. Its participation is particularly important in building the AIWS Information Trust Infrastructure, helping democratic societies address misinformation, deepfakes, and the erosion of trust in the digital age.
Together, these partnerships demonstrate that America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age is far more than a commemorative book for America’s 250th anniversary. It is a practical blueprint for cooperation among America, Japan, Vietnam, and Europe to build the trust infrastructure needed for the future of humanity.
The May 1 conference marked the beginning of this new phase of global collaboration. America contributes moral leadership and innovation. Japan contributes strategic and cultural wisdom. Vietnam contributes implementation capacity and regional connectivity. Europe contributes analytical rigor and information trust expertise.
Together, they are helping to build a world in which technology serves humanity, trust becomes infrastructure, and civilization is elevated by responsibility, compassion, and human dignity.
The Boston Global Forum and the AI World Society warmly invite leaders, scholars, innovators, policymakers, and citizens around the world to join this historic effort.
We welcome ideas, partnerships, and contributions to help advance the implementation of America at 250: A Beacon for the AI Age, AIWS Trust Infrastructure, AIWS Information Trust Infrastructure, and AIWS Lumina.
Please share your thoughts, proposals, and expressions of interest with the Boston Global Forum at: [email protected]
Together, we can build a more trustworthy, humane, and enlightened civilization in the AI Age.
