The Ukrainian people are currently enduring an unprovoked war that has resulted in tens of thousands of combatant and civilian deaths. Many cities and towns have been destroyed by indiscriminate Russian bombing. The free, democratic nations of the world have rallied around Ukraine to provide military and humanitarian assistance. The focus of the Boston Global Forum is to call on and coordinate world leaders, distinguished thinkers, innovators, governments, companies, and organizations in helping to end the war and provide for the basic needs of the Ukrainian people who remain in the country and those who have fled. As soon as the war ends, there is an opportunity for Ukraine and its allies to rebuild the nation as a model of peace, stability, and prosperity. The Boston Global Forum is starting to build strategies and programs for Rebuilding Ukraine, and AIWS City can provide a conceptual model for the rebuilding process.

About AIWS City

The AIWS City is an online digital city built on the foundation of AI technology and blockchain, with a view to bringing together cultural, historical, creative, innovative, and artistic values ​​of humanity, as well as offering a venue for world leaders, including thinkers, political leaders, creators, innovators, and educators, to promote a more civilized and prosperous world, one based on fundamental human values. AIWS City is guided by the principles of the [Social Contract for the AI ​​Age | Link to another page about Social Contract for the AI Age]. Thanks to AI technology and blockchain, the virtual City of AIWS will connect with activities and events in science, technology, culture, history, architecture, art, and economy at physical cities such as Boston, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Rome, Athens, and other epitomes of human civilizations. Thereby, AIWS city draws upon the diverse knowledge, experiences, lessons, and especially the vast human intellectuality, expertise, and creativity from these connected cities.

The sharing of diverse knowledge and expertise allows AIWS City to pioneer initiatives in higher education with the application of AI and Blockchain: The AIWS University. AIWS University will be a place of lifelong learning, deep reflection, personal growth and recognition, and studying with the world’s great professors. At the individual level, each “resident” of AIWS City citizen will have a Digital Home for storing and processing personal data and will work with others to build the AI World Society, dedicated to improving the lives of all through innovative and prudent applications of AI.

 

Objective

To rebuild destroyed cities in Ukraine as smart and democratic cities, where:

• citizens are directly involved in the political decisions of the country,
• institutions and structures promote kind, humane, civilized, creative, and innovative policies and practices,
• the rule of law protects equality of opportunities for all people,
• engagements with civic institutions are open and transparent, and
• the system of taxation is transparent, equitable, and provides sufficient certainty to citizen taxpayers to aid in Ukraine’s recovery.

Strategies for Rebuilding Ukraine

As Ukraine turns its attention to rebuilding the nation and society following hostilities, it is imperative to apply standards, norms, and common values outlined in the Social Contract for the AI Age and pioneering ideas and concepts contained in the book “Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment,” with contributions by distinguished leaders and thinkers. The book “Remaking the World” advances pioneering ideas that could help reshape the world as the United Nations progresses toward its centennial in 2045 and addresses the standards that should govern the development and use of AI and digital technology. These ideas and standards have been the subject of several recent conferences, including the World Leadership Alliance-Club de Madrid Policy Labs on September 16-18, 2020 and September 7-9, 2021, and the Riga Conferences in 2020 and 2021.

As Ukraine rebuilds, it will have the opportunity to incorporate the features above into its cities. While physical facilities must without question be reconstructed, the operations of these facilities could be connected to those of other cities that are currently alliances of AIWS, and AIWS City itself, through AI technology and blockchain. For example, as Kharkiv rebuilds the universities that were destroyed by Russian bombardment, it could connect with AIWS University and other universities in Boston, Berlin, Rome, and even Kyiv (if intact). Students in Kharkiv would then be able to take a wide range of virtual courses offered by top universities around the world. As Mariupol rebuilds the hospitals that were targeted by Russian artillery, medical professionals from these hospitals can connect with doctors from hospitals around the world to collaborate virtually, given that virtual medication or “telehealth” has been underway. Virtual meetings with psychologists might also fill the demand for post-war psychological conditions in the population. Additionally, based upon the Estonian model, Ukraine can develop an e-government platform, using blockchain technology, to enhance the efficiency and transparency of identification, taxation, and other governmental processes. A more detailed plan is outlined below.

Plan to build AI World Society (AIWS) City for Ukraine:

• Apply the conceptual model of AIWS City to rebuild Ukrainian cities as smart cities.
• Connect historical, traditional cities as Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, LA, Chicago, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Rome, Athens, Vienna, Paris, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Edinburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Prague, Dubrovnik, Zurich, Geneva, Jerusalem, Tokyo etc. to the AIWS City for Ukraine.
• Build a digital platform and components of AIWS City for Ukraine: digital homes, art and cultural institutions, smart digital and AI universities, innovation ecosystems, smart healthcare centers, markets and exchanges.

Infrastructure:

As Ukraine reconstruct physical infrastructures, it can incorporate the following strategies:

• Use advanced analytics to minimize costs and maximize effectiveness
• Connect virtually with institutions that serve similar functions around the world
• BGF connects and calls on cities, governments, companies, foundations to support Ukrainian government and cities to reconstruct cities and transportation system of Ukraine.

Projects and Programs for Rebuilding Ukraine:

Phase 1: Civic and Social Engagement

1. Michael Dukakis Leadership Fellows for Ukraine

Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation develops and supports young Ukrainian leaders

2. AIWS Leadership for Ukraine

Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation educates leaders to lead and rebuild Ukraine

3. AIWS University for Ukraine

• supports Ukrainian students and universities,
• builds “Online Center of Knowledge for Innovation” to support Ukraine,
• builds online resources to help connect and guide Ukrainian refugees so that they can quickly rebuild their lives,
• applies AIWS Awards to recognize contributions of students and scholars to Ukrainian students and universities,
• led by Harvard Professor Thomas Patterson, Professor Francesco Lapenta, Former Japanese State Minister Yasuhide Nakayama, Bui Thanh Nhon, Coordinators

4. Creating and building global brand names for Ukraine

Advise and help promote PR high quality products and services of Ukraine become global brand names.

Professor John Quelch and Nguyen Anh Tuan, Coordinators

5. Building a Digital and AI Platform for Ukrainian cities (AIWS City for Ukraine)

• Every citizen has one digital home
• Bring values from cities of the world to Ukraine
• Bring solutions to reconstruct infrastructure of Ukrainian cities
• BGF connects and calls upon cities, governments, companies, foundations to support Ukrainian government and cities to reconstruct cities and transportation system of Ukraine,
• Led by Governor Michael Dukakis, Prime Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija and BGF CEO Nguyen Anh Tuan, Coordinators

 

Phase 2: AIWS Government for Ukraine

• Build a “smart” government aided by AI and Digital technologies, guided by concepts of AIWS Government
• Develop the next generation of digital public infrastructure, modeled after Estonia and other leading digital government nations
• AIWS Citizen and Information Ecosystem for Ukraine
• Ukraine Community Innovation Ecosystem, including new distributed systems for greater national resilience
• AIWS Financial System, with a reimagined set of tax policies that encourage future growth and prosperity for Ukraine

Led by Jason Furman, Mats Karlsson, Alex Sandy Pentland, Jeff Saviano

Resources for Support of Ukraine

• AIWS Network of distinguished leaders, thinkers, innovators (AIWS.net) and AIWS.city
• Call on companies, universities, and foundations for support
• Connect and invite top universities from across the globe
• Coordinate private companies: Google, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, Apple, EY
• Encourage students and professors in Ukraine and countries around the world to join the rebuilding of Ukraine
• Cooperate with Harvard Shorenstein Center, Niemann Foundation, Berkman Center, and MIT Media Lab
• Connect governments to support Ukraine to build AIWS Government and AIWS Citizen system.

Advisor: Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to President Obama, Harvard professor

Contributors: Professors Alex Sandy Pentland, Thomas Patterson, Nazli Choucri, David Silbersweig, Francesco Lapenta, former Vice President of the World Bank Mats Karlsson, former Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina Zlatko Lagumdzija, former President of Latvia Vaira Vike-Freiberga, father of Internet Vint Cerf, Assistant Secretary of Massachusetts Government Nam Pham, EY Global Tax Innovation Leader Jeff Saviano