Open Call for AIWS Youth Fellowship Applications Academic Year 2024

Open Call for AIWS Youth Fellowship Applications Academic Year 2024

by | Mar 8, 2024 | News

1. Board of Organizers

1.1. About Boston Global Forum and AIWS

The Boston Global Forum (BGF), founded in 2012, is a visionary think tank dedicated to addressing global challenges through collaborative efforts of thought leaders from diverse sectors, including government, private enterprises, academia, and civil society organizations, through a wide array of events and discussions. Over the past 11 years, BGF has been focused on promoting responsible behaviors of individuals, governments, and businesses in the digital age. The forum’s invaluable insights and recommendations have been shared with governments and international organizations such as the G7, G20, USA, EU, Japan, and India. Read more

In 2017, the Boston Global Forum introduced the AI World Society (AIWS). AIWS is initiated to advance AI technologies that align with human values, ensuring that AI serves the betterment, efficiency, and acceleration of humanity. It encompasses a framework of values, concepts, ideas, and standards aimed at fostering the peaceful development of AI for the benefit of all humankind and enhancing the realm of politics and society through AI. This ecosystem functions as a collaborative platform that not only rewards innovators and users of these technologies but also stimulates widespread innovation, dismantling traditional hierarchies that have historically been perpetuated. Read more

1.2. Vietnam Institute of Technology and Society Research (VITASR)

The Vietnam Institute of Technology and Society Research (VITASR) is the host organization of the AIWS Fellowship Program for the academic year 2024 in Asia. VITASR, established on June 24, 2023, is the first institute in Vietnam pioneering research on the interaction between Science, Technology, and Society (STS). VITASR aims to: (1) Conduct research, explore, and analyze the interaction and mutual influence between Science, Technology, and Society; and (2) Develop solutions to support and accelerate the digital transformation process of Governments and businesses. Read more

2. About the AIWS Fellowship Program

2.1. Introduction 

The Board of Organizers is excited to announce our fellowship program, which is designed to attract exceptional talent in the fields of AI research and communication. This program offers a unique opportunity for youth to contribute to BGF and our initiatives including AIWS City and AIWS Angel – two initiatives founded on the principle of AI World Society (AIWS). 

About AIWS City

On August 21, 2020, the concept of AIWS City was officially introduced during the United Nations Centennial Roundtable, a collaborative effort between the United Nations Academic Impact and the Boston Global Forum to commemorate the first century of the United Nations. AIWS City is a virtual digital city that brings together the cultural, historical, creative, innovative, and artistic values of humanity enabled by AI and blockchain. One noteworthy aspect of AIWS City is the integration of AI Assistants from the outset to simplify and enhance the daily lives of city residents by providing citizens with quick access to information, automating laborious tasks, and offering valuable insights in real time. Read more

About AIWS Angel

In 2024, introduced by BGF, AIWS Angel is an AI Assistant that transforms the way humans interact with technology in alignment with the principles of the AIWS Natural AI initiative. With its core components encompassing the Human Brain, Spiritual Values, Physical Computing, Interactive Interfaces linking the human brain and physical computing, and a sophisticated Display, AIWS Angel represents innovation with ethical design. It embodies a forward-thinking approach to AI-driven technology, aiming to empower users while nurturing a harmonious and ethical relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence.

Specifically, the AIWS Fellowship Program is organized in 2 rounds per year, each lasting 06 months with an average of 20 Doctoral/Master students and undergraduate students selected. The fellows are divided into two groups: Research Fellows and Communications Fellows to carry out research, reporting, analysis, communications, and event organization within the framework of BGF’s initiatives 

Research Fellows

Research Fellows are tasked with activities to support the development of AIWS City or AIWS Angel by conducting research in one of the four key areas: Human Brain Simulation, Human Brain Machine Interface, Computing Systems, and Leadership in AI. 

AIWS Angel 

Human Brain Simulation: Undertake rigorous studies in brain science and neural cells to formulate computational models replicating the intricate structure, functions, and decision-making mechanisms of the human brain. The research aims to uncover the underlying principles of human cognition and facilitate the development of advanced AI systems capable of exhibiting human-like intelligence.

Human Brain Machine Interface (HBMI): Investigate the nexus between cognition, decision-making, and motor actions to engineer technologies proficient in interpreting and responding to real-time human brain signals. This line of inquiry holds immense potential for pioneering advancements, including cutting-edge prosthetics and brain-computer interfaces, revolutionizing the landscape of human-machine interaction.

Computing Systems: Undertake systematic data collection, processing, and organization to create a foundational chatbot with open-source code, laying the groundwork for AIWS Angel’s development. This chatbot will serve as an initial stage for the future development of AIWS Angel, which requires sophisticated computing systems to process and analyze data in real-time.

AIWS City

Leadership in AI:  Engage in comprehensive research to identify key leaders and influencers who have significantly contributed to the development of AIWS City, while also analyzing their roles in shaping pertinent AI and technology policies. The narratives and achievements of these individuals offer valuable insights into visionary strategies, strategic planning, and collaborative initiatives instrumental in establishing AIWS City.

Communications Fellows

Communications Fellows are tasked with media-related activities to support the development of BGF. Your responsibilities span event coordination, and online resources development such as crafting UX/UI design for the website, managing the website, and ensuring effective communication and dissemination of the program’s findings and insights with well-designed media materials.

2.2. Board of Advisors  

As leading researchers and professors, the Board of Advisors’ goal is to guide the program and advise graduate students during the research process. Members of the Advisory Board are the Boards of Directors of Boston Global Forum, who play key roles in guiding the organization’s initiatives and activities, including 

Governor Michael Dukakis

Chairman of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation

Democratic Party Nominee for President of the United States, 1988

Distinguished Professor J.D., Harvard University

Nguyen Anh Tuan

Co-Founder and Director of The Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI)

Co-Founder of the AIWS City (AIWS.city)

Thomas Patterson

Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press, Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University

Nazli Choucri

Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Principal Investigator and Director of a multi-disciplinary MIT-Harvard research project – Explorations in Cyber International Relations (ECIR)

President of the Scientific Advisory Committee for UNESCO’s Management of Social Transformation Program

Member of the European Academy of Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations. 

David Silbersweig

Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Harvard University

Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals.

Chairman of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Institute for the Neurosciences.

3. Opportunities and expectations

The specific expectations for individual participants in the fellows program will be unique to each scholar, with broad expectations outlined below.

3.1. Expectation  

3.1.1. Research Fellows

Human Brain Simulation

  • Develop accurate and detailed computational models of the human brain that provide insights into its structure, function, and decision-making processes.
  • Identify potential applications of brain simulation research in the development of human-like AI assistants and contribute to the integration of these findings into AIWS Angel.

Human Brain Machine Interface

  • Design and prototype technologies that can effectively interpret and respond to human brain signals in real-time.
  • Collaborate with the Computing Systems team to ensure the seamless integration of HBMI technologies into AIWS Angel.

Computing Systems

  • Collect relevant data from various sources to train and inform your chatbot. This may include text data from websites, books, or other resources that align with the principles of the AIWS Natural AI initiative.
  • Utilize open-source components, particularly those from chatGPT, to create a basic chatbot that can engage in simple conversations and provide information based on the cleaned data.

Leadership in AI

  • Gather information about notable leaders and individuals who have contributed to the development of AIWS City.
  • Create and produce engaging content, including articles, blog posts, and social media updates, to promote AIWS City and its initiatives.

3.1.2. Communications Fellows

  • Plan, organize, and execute various events aligned with the objectives of BGF including seminars, workshops, conferences, and other gatherings. 
  • Develop and maintain a comprehensive online presence, which may include designing and managing a dedicated website, and crafting engaging content for social media platforms
  • Ensure that the outcomes of Boston Global Forum reach a wide and diverse audience by developing strategies for disseminating research findings through various channels. 
  • Enhance the user experience and interface design of digital platforms (UX/UI) associated with Boston Global Forum. 

3.2. Opportunities & Benefits

Opportunities

The AIWS Fellowship is a dynamic environment where your contributions directly translate into professional growth and career advancement opportunities. Specifically, your contributions or achievements can earn you a number of AIWS credits. The more you contribute, the more AIWS credits you earn. Eventually, these AIWS credits can be exchanged into opportunities, including (not limited to):

  • Publications mentorship: Fellows will benefit from dedicated mentorship support to guide them in writing and publishing academic articles. 
  • Networking events: Fellows will gain access to a prestigious and influential network of fellows, potentially opening doors to future collaborations, job opportunities, and career advancement.
    • Internship opportunities: Fellows will benefit from internship opportunities in partnership organizations or enterprises partnering with BGF from Sillicon Valley. 
  • Fellowship certification: Fellows will earn the internship certification from BGF.
  • Reference letter: Fellows will receive reference letters from prestigious Harvard, and MIT professors who are project leaders in the AIWS Programs. 

Benefits

To support fellows in their professional growth, the program offers a suite of benefits, including (not limited to):

  • Recognition: Fellows will receive acknowledgment for their contributions by being named in working papers published by Boston Global Forum. 
  • Workspace: To foster productivity and collaboration, fellows will be provided virtual Google office spaces for coworking and flexible use including Google email, Google Drive, etc. 
  • Knowledge access: All fellows receive access to extensive libraries and research facilities through the BGF network. 

4. Eligibility, Vacancy, and Qualifications

The AIWS Fellowship invites applications from youth ages 18-25 who have demonstrated early experience, strong interest, and clear motivation to contribute to the program’s mission. 

4.1. Research Fellow

We accept applications from undergraduate, and graduate students under 30 who are passionate about conducting interdisciplinary research at the intersection of technology and society. Whether you are an ambitious undergraduate looking to get a headstart on research or a seasoned Ph.D. candidate keen to take your work in bold new directions, we welcome you to apply. Your level of education will only partly determine selection – we look for intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, and a genuine drive to grapple with the societal impacts of emerging science and technology. 

Vacancy for Research Fellow

  • Human Brain Simulation (1 vacancy)
  • Human Brain Machine Interface (1 vacancy)
  • Computing Systems (8 vacancies)
  • Leadership in AI (5 vacancies)

4.2. Communication Fellow

We seek creative, strategic students to join our team as Communications Fellows responsible for effectively conveying the societal value of our initiatives to diverse global audiences. If you have proven skills in science communication, journalism, public relations, marketing, social media engagement, and event management, we want to hear from you.

Vacancy for Communication Fellow (5 vacancies)

5. Logistics and administration

5.1. Time commitment

The AIWS Fellowship Program is organized in 2 rounds per year, each lasting 06 months. By that, the AIWS Fellowship Program 2024 starts from 1/4/2024 – 1/10/2024. During the fellowship program, fellows are expected to be free of the majority of their regular commitments so that they may fully devote themselves to the work outlined in their application. 

5.2.Location: 100% remote. 

6. Application Process

6.1. Application Rounds 

The fellowship program application process consists of two rounds, with interviews conducted on a rolling basis. 

Early application round: March 8, 2024 – March 14, 2024

  • Candidates who submit their applications during this period will receive priority consideration.
  • Interviews will be scheduled within two days of application receipt, enabling a more expedited decision-making process.

Regular application round: March 14, 2024 – March 21, 2024

  • Applications submitted during this period will be considered following the conclusion of the Early Application Round.
  • Interviews will be scheduled after the application deadline, and candidates will receive notification of their interview dates accordingly.

6.1. Application Steps 

Step 1: Application 

Applications will be submitted online through LINK

PDF attachments you will be required to upload including the following

  • Current resume or C.V.: Showcase your professional and academic background clearly and concisely. Highlight relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that demonstrate your qualifications for the chosen fellowship track (Research Fellow or Communications Fellow).
  • Recommendation letter: Provide one letter of recommendation from individuals familiar with your work and qualifications. Ideally, these should be academics, supervisors, or colleagues who can speak to your potential for impactful contributions within the AIWS program.
  • Writing Sample or Essay (750-1000 words in English): Choose one of the following options:
    • Option 1: Share a piece of your original writing that best demonstrates your research, writing, and analytical skills. This could be a published academic paper, blog post, book excerpt, or another relevant written work. Remember, originality and freedom from plagiarism are essential.
    • Option 2: Write an essay on one of the following topics:
  1. a) The impact of artificial intelligence on the future job market.
  2. b) The importance of establishing ethical principles in AI development.

Your essay should demonstrate your ability to research, analyze, and present ideas clearly and coherently. Originality and freedom from plagiarism are essential.

  • Portfolio (ONLY FOR COMMUNICATION FELLOW): Share a Portfolio that best demonstrates communication skills, which may showcase your ability in event coordination, online resources development such as crafting UX/UI design, content writing, journalism, etc.
  • Motivation statement: Clearly articulate your reasons for applying to the AIWS Fellowship. Explain how your goals align with the program’s objectives and how you envision your contributions to the diverse AIWS community. Be specific and passionate about your motivations for joining this enriching journey.

Step 2: Interview 

Following the initial application review, selected candidates will proceed to the interview stage. The interview aims to delve deeper into your qualifications, experiences, and motivations. Details of this round will be announced to candidates through email. 

We appreciate your interest in the AIWS Fellowship program and look forward to receiving your applications! 

  1. Contact 

Contact: [email protected] 

Application Booklet: https://shorturl.at/hKRS4 

Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak

by | Dec 13, 2022 | Global Enlightenment Leaders

Ehud Barak, original name Ehud Brog, (born February 12, 1942, Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz, Palestine [now in northern Israel]), Israeli general and politician who was Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001.

Amandeep Gill

Amandeep Gill

by | Dec 13, 2022 | Global Enlightenment Leaders

‘A pioneer of international cooperation on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI), a passionate advocate of inclusive, responsible and collaborative applications of data and AI to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology’ Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill is Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Envoy on Technology. He leads the UN’s efforts on digital cooperation. He was previously Executive Director and Co-Lead of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation that presented a field-shaping report “Age of Digital Interdependence” in June 2019. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2018, he served as an Ambassador for India. As a diplomat, Ambassador Gill led the negotiations on regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in lethal autonomous weapons systems in Geneva from 2017-2018. The principles and building blocks adopted under his chairmanship by 125 countries by consensus are an important contribution to ensuring that international humanitarian law continues to apply to AI systems and humans remain accountable for life and death decisions by machines. Subsequently, he was part of the group of global experts that put together a draft Recommendation on the Ethics of AI at UNESCO, which has since been adopted by the UNESCO membership in November 2021. He helped set up the first Task Force on AI for India’s Socio-Economic Transformation in 2017. His research and writings as Professor at the Graduate Institute of Geneva have contributed to a greater appreciation of the digital divide and the need to democratize the AI opportunity for all countries and regions. He has forcefully argued that inclusive, responsible, and collaborative use of data and AI can accelerate progress on the sustainable development goals (SDGs). As inaugural CEO of the International Digital Health and AI Research Collaborative (I-DAIR), a multistakeholder initiative based in Geneva, he helped focus attention on access to cutting edge research on digital health and artificial intelligence for clinical researchers, policy makers and patients, particularly in small States and the Global South. Amandeep Gill studied Electronics and Electrical Communications at Panjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He worked as a telecom engineer briefly before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1992 and serving in Geneva, Tehran, Sri Lanka, and at headquarters, including as Director General for Disarmament and International Security Affairs. He has a post-graduate diploma in French language and history from Geneva University and a Doctorate in international learning from King’s College, London. He is a published poet and brings a unique transdisciplinary perspective to questions of technology policy and governance.

Marcel R. Zutter

Marcel R. Zutter

by | Oct 9, 2019 | Executive Board

MARCEL R. ZUTTER, born in 1961 in Basel/ Switzerland, has more than 30 years of international experience in financial services and technology. He is the Founder and Chairman of Parsumo Capital in Zurich, a quant asset management company leveraging investor behavior research. He is also an Angel Investor in the ICT and Fintech area and supports young entrepreneurs in Europe.

Mr. Zutter has worked in the institutional services business in Europe, Asia and the U.S in executive as well as board capacity. He also advised for many years some of the most sophisticated institutional investors across the globe on strategic, technology, asset and risk management topics. Already early in his career he developed a keen interest in understanding how technology can help change business models profoundly. It started at university with the development of a new approach to market research for innovative products and has never stopped to fascinate him.

Prior to founding Parsumo Capital in 2010 he was executive vice president/chief operating officer of State Street Global Markets in Boston and a Member of Executive Management. He had responsibility for strategy development, Fintech business, technology and operations. He led many of State Street’s initiatives to become a global market leader in new, alternative business platforms, thereby using technology, algorithms and processes in smart ways. He was also a key part of State Street Associates, an investment research think tank collaborating with academics from Harvard and MIT which combined unique information with big data processing/analysis

His previous role included responsibility for State Street’s Executive Operations and Strategy Group. During that time he lead key projects that helped to further advance State Street’s global expansion and positioning. Prior to this he was a managing director based in Zurich, Switzerland, responsible for the business build-up in Southern and Eastern Europe.

Prior to joining State Street in 1997, Mr. Zutter was a managing director at Credit Suisse Group. He held various management positions in asset management and securities brokerage over his 10 years there. He also worked as a research analyst for Baring Securities in Hong Kong and Singapore. Prior to his career in the financial services industry he was a consultant for Prognos AG in Basle, specializing in market analysis and strategy development for innovative products/new technologies, supporting major multinational organizations.

Upon his return to Switzerland in 2010 he founded Parsumo Capital and Axopa Partners, a global initiative to create a conflict-free trading platform for buy-side institutions only.

Marcel R. Zutter holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Economics from Basle University, Switzerland. He is a graduate of the International Bankers School in New York and the Swiss Banking School in Zurich and also completed the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School in Boston

He is married and the proud father of three children. He enjoys various sports, music and is curiously learning every day.

 

Brigadier General Kevin Ryan’s Speech at the Conference “Remaking Ukraine – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”

Brigadier General Kevin Ryan’s Speech at the Conference “Remaking Ukraine – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”

by | Jun 5, 2022 | AIWS City and Rebuilding Ukraine

First, I would like to thank the organizers and the people who put together this conference for a herculean effort and for taking the time to do this. I think that most of the people in this conference are familiar with the current state of the war in Ukraine, so I won’t dwell on talking about active battles. Instead, over the next five minutes I will get straight to the issues that you’ve mentioned and that the organizers asked me to focus on, namely thoughts about resolving the conflict in a way that upholds the international order and norms.

Today as we hold this conference, I believe we are seeing the final phase of the current fight which began on 24 February. I call it the current fight because the war with Ukraine, the war with the West, started as the ambassador pointed out in 2014, maybe even before, and it will continue on after this current fighting ends, so we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that the war is ending anytime soon, but the current fighting will end.

And when it does, how do we proceed? Russian president Putin and his military leaders have told the Russian people that they have successfully completed the first phase of their war and are now turning their forces to what they say has all along been their main goal, Eastern Ukraine. And whatever happens in the next few weeks in Eastern Ukraine will determine how and when the fighting ends. Both sides, Ukraine and Russia have achieved major victories, but both have also suffered major losses. Ukraine has held off the largest land forest in Europe with an army one-fourth the size of its adversary. Ukraine successfully repelled an attempt to take Kyiv and has stalled Russian advances in several other areas. It seems certain to me that Ukraine’s military has prevented the disappearance of the state of Ukraine, but Ukraine has lost large swaths of territory in the south and east and will likely not be able to kick Russia out of Ukrainian territory that it has already taken. Russia for its part has seized almost all of Ukraine’s southern land along the Black Sea, from Kherson to Donetsk regions, and they have about 80 percent of the Donetsk in Luhansk regions already, but Russia has clearly failed to get all that it wanted. It failed to take Kyiv or to depose the government.

For a variety of reasons including manpower and equipment losses, Russia is running out of forces to continue their war. Almost all the available ground in airborne forces are already committed to the war, so there are no new units available to replace losses. Ukraine on the other hand has an almost endless supply of materials coming to it from the West, so the clock is working against Russia. Perhaps the most damaging loss to Russia will be the loss of the deterrent power of its ground forces, since during the cold war Russia’s security has rested on two pillars: a mighty conventional ground force and a nuclear deterrent. After the cold war, the ground force fell into decay. Beginning in 2008, the Russian military began an ambitious reform program to restore the ground forces to their role as a co-equal pillar of Russian security. The war in Ukraine was supposed to be the re-launching of that new pillar of power, which would then have become the main tool for threatening neighboring states or NATO. But instead, the ground forces have been shown to be a weak tool. The result is that going forward, Russia will rely more heavily on its nuclear deterrent to coerce NATO or European neighbors and to ensure its security against external threats.

So given a war that ends with ambiguous successes and failures on both sides, along with a weakened but still belligerent Russia, we must strive for a resolution of the conflict which does not leave either side unsure of its own security. The US and the West must ensure that Ukraine is as secure and whole as possible, maintaining the end goal of a reunited Ukraine. The US and the West though must also engage Russia to prevent an increased reliance on nuclear weapons in Europe, a situation which could take us back to the 1980s, with medium-range nuclear missiles able to strike all European capitals in under 10 minutes.

So I have five steps to take to begin this process. The first is to make clear to Russia that the use of nuclear weapons will result in, using Putin’s own words when he launched this invasion, consequences greater than any you have faced in history. This is a clear red line stated by the United States, another nuclear power. The second step is to agree to a ceasefire as soon as possible all across the entire territory of Ukraine. The third step is to begin negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and between the United States, NATO, and Russia. The fourth is to remove sanctions on Russia only as Russia itself takes concrete steps to meet the Western and Ukrainian demands. And finally, to begin Western investment in Ukraine’s rebuilding. Many of these steps have been reiterated in the documents that Tuan passed to us last night. Thank you.

EY Global Tax Innovation Leader Jeff Saviano’s Speech at the Conference “Remaking Ukraine – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”

EY Global Tax Innovation Leader Jeff Saviano’s Speech at the Conference “Remaking Ukraine – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment”

by | Jun 5, 2022 | AIWS City and Rebuilding Ukraine, Global Alliance for Digital Governance, News

Thank you very much. Thank you, professor Patterson and Tuan, professor Zaneta. What an honor to be included today. I know that we are running a bit late on times. I will be brief. I really appreciate the opportunity to be here today for such an important event. My family spent five weeks in Ukraine 13 years ago at the beginning of the war. That’s actually that same week we entered the country on an adoption mission as a family of four, and we left a family of five, so this is very very personal for me. My daughter Natasha is from Maryinka just outside of Donetsk, and we have had such a tremendous conflict for a long period of time. So when Tuan asked me to come today and to talk about the role of innovative technology, and we’ve had some discussions today, seeing department from MIT discussed the role that technology can play. I’m a tax lawyer by training, so I’m going to speak in a few comments about tax policy at the end but there are three points that I want to raise about innovative technology, and how the role that technology can play in the rebuilding of Ukraine.

First, we’ve talked a bit today about refugees and the importance of supporting refugees in Ukraine, and we’ve found that there are tremendous technology platforms that have been available for example in Syria to support the Syrian refugees, blockchain and other distributed ledger technology to track refugees so families can stay together, to provide digital identity systems that are so necessary in order to return to life in their home country, and also providing one place to look for work permits and many other devices to receive subsidies from the government, so these technology systems are developed. It’s not as though that I stand here today looking for money to develop more technology. We have these open-source systems in the world, but how do we advance and how do we use this technology to help refugees? so that is the first, how technology will support refugees. The second, and it’s so exciting to see the premise behind AI world society and artificial intelligence, and in our work the most important and I think the huge opportunities in the world for shifting to data-driven decisions that is performed through artificial intelligence. It’s happening in developed countries like the US, the UK, and Germany, and many of the countries represented here today. The council from Israel is a leader of advancement of technologies like artificial intelligence. And we think that as we look forward in recovery in Ukraine, there will be plenty of decisions that need to be made, and the combinatorial creativity of new data that’s available can help make better decisions, and we think as a premise of ai world society how can we encourage that shift from gut making decisions to actual data-driven decision-making. And the last point that I’ll make about technology is the role of new digital public infrastructure. We’ve seen this with the onset of the pandemic and throughout the last two years governments are shifting to new digital platforms that are decentralized, and they’re resilient in the face of resistance. And we think that, as professor [Alex “Sandy”] Pentland pointed out, what can we learn from the government of Estonia, there is an opportunity to shift to a distributed digital public infrastructure in Ukraine as they return and in the rebuilding of the country. It’s important to look at what technologies like blockchain could do. We have examples with countries like Estonia.

The last point I want to make, and I promise just a few points, and we’ve not had much talk today about taxation, but tax will be incredibly important. Now is the time, I believe, to be thinking of a redesigned taxing system for Ukraine. There are examples of countries that, as they are in the conflicts, they need to find ways to raise taxes. We heard today there’s a 70-billion-dollar deficit. How can they tax? For example, natural resources is one place that other similar fragile states have decided to impose taxes on extraction rates. There are opportunities to raise some revenue today, but the importance in the recovery is to go the other way, to keep taxes low. How do we encourage foreign domestic investment within Ukraine by keeping a low stable tax base? We want to make sure we at least had some discussion of taxation because I believe now is the time to form teams to actually redesign what that taxing system could be ideally coming out of this crisis.

So I want to thank you again for the opportunity to provide some remarks. Technology, innovative technology, will be incredibly important, and Ukraine will need a new tax system as well. Thank you.

Speech of German Consul General Nicole Menzenbach at the BGF Conference “Rebuilding Ukraine”

Speech of German Consul General Nicole Menzenbach at the BGF Conference “Rebuilding Ukraine”

by | Jun 5, 2022 | Global Alliance for Digital Governance, AIWS City and Rebuilding Ukraine, AIWS and the Age of Global Enlightenment

Good morning, everyone. I would like to start with a huge thank you to the Boston Global Forum for putting on this conference together. I would like to start with the fact that the horrors of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine mark a turning point in German foreign policy. This turning point, or Zeitenwende, as chancellor Olaf Scholz called it, is truly a sea change a sea change in foreign policy, a sea change in security and defense policy, and a sea change in energy and energy policy in Germany. For the first time, the German government is supplying weapons to a warring party, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a plan to spend more than one billion euro to modernize our military force.

The approval is brought not only in the German parliament but also in the German population. The German government has announced on Tuesday that it will always also deliver tanks to the Ukraine. Kiev is only two hours away from berlin by plane the war crimes committed by the Nazi regime against the people of Eastern Europe are part of our collective memory. Those historical memories and seeing that an outside aggressor is bringing death and suffering to the people of Ukraine once again are the reason why Germany fundamentally changed its course of its foreign policy. The German people are doing everything they can to support refugees from Ukraine. So far more than 330,000 refugees have arrived, and the German people are welcoming with open arms.

Putin’s war of aggression also marked the end of an illusion for Germany. The assumption that we can achieve change within Russia and its government through diplomatic engagement and trade has failed. In January 2022, Germany took over the presidency of the G7. We understand that G7 is a group of democracies based on common values and global responsibility. During its one year of G7 presidency, Germany aims to tackle global challenges in a multilateral way together with our partners. We are working towards a global energy transition, a strong post-COVID economy recovery, and the prevention of the next pandemic. The war in Ukraine has dramatically shifted the attention of the G7 in the light of Russia’s unjustifiable unprovoked and illegal aggression against an independent and sovereign Ukraine. Our main objective has become to strengthen and the coordinated action of G7 along with our allies and partners in the world. The G7 nations are bringing together their collective economic weight in order to end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. As a result the G7 in coordination with the EU has implemented and is implementing unprecedented sanctions against Russia and Belarus. My colleague, the consul general of France Arnaud Mentré already spoke about this. And of course at the G7 level we also coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Let me end by saying it has been two months since Russia launched its unprovoked attack against its people and its peaceful neighbor. Faced by the horrifying war crimes committed by Russian troops, the people of Ukraine are fighting back heroically. This war affects the world, the whole world, whether you go along with the sanctions or not, whether you believe in international rule-based order or not.

As one of the largest industrial countries in the world, Germany has a responsibility to Ukraine. Two months after the start of the war, the crimes committed by Russia continue to dominate every headline in Germany. The German people are watching, and we are horrified by the suffering inflicted on the Ukrainian people. We are determined to work with our partners and allies to end this war as quickly as possible by imposing the heaviest possible sanctions on Russia and sending civilian and military aid to Ukraine. At the same time, Germany is addressing the humanitarian crisis by welcoming Ukrainians that needed to flee their own country. We will remain in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and we are taking a long-term perspective on assisting Ukraine with military defense. I can also assure you that Germany will take a leading role in rebuilding Ukraine. Thank you.