Access and Tech for Good
This week Access had the opportunity to attend the Dublin Tech Summit 2019. I am not a tech person, as most of you know, but these days none of us, regardless of which sector we work in, can set ourselves apart from the technology that surrounds us, draines us, excludes us, embraces us.
As I don’t know really in which “category” I fall into, I have been highly involved in the non profit, social, humanitarian, development sectors in the past years. In my journey of trying to make the world a better place and enhancing my scope in the philanthropy world, I am convinced that there is so much more we can do if we use the proper tools of technology. The world can be more inclusive, more peaceful and less miserable.
From astronauts to developers, coders, writers, entrepreneurs... I was mind-blown with all I saw and learned during these very dense 2 days. The speech from astronaut Chris Hadfield, really brought tears to my eyes. Although skeptical at times, this tech is growing fast whether we like it or not. Nothing to fear, if we do it “right”, if we evolve with it, and become more efficient in our “humanness”, creating a life with more meaning maybe for all of us.
Big words like AI (artificial intelligence), blockchain, fintech, cryptocurrency, entrepreneurship, universe, humanity - have been used continuously.
AI: with the right data it can really help us find faster solutions and more accurate diagnoses for the most difficult problems. Blockchain: can help us to end the problems of corruption, centralization and have the necessary transparency in all sectors. Cryptocurrency: it can be a solution to solve the exclusion of poor families in the financial sector.
I believe that all these “technology concepts” used in the right direction by good people can really eradicate poverty, build peace and bring opportunities to all those who live in the most fragile contexts. And not to exclude those who are already “up there”. I believe that this is our fundamental role as humans. I take it as my role.
Are we losing our “humanity”? Or are we becoming more "that" as we let technology do the "rest"? The future is an exciting place and time. It is changing rapidly. It is up to us to direct it where we want it to go. I hope we do this wisely.
