Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, director general of DIGITALEUROPE, explains how innovations like AI, 5G and the IoT are powering our increasingly digital world.
DIGITALEUROPE is the association with the responsibility of representing Europe’s digital technology industry with members from the world’s largest IT, telecoms, consumer electronics companies and national associations Europe-wide. In today’s society, DIGITALEUROPE is focused on the transformation to a digital world, and on technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), privacy and connectivity, such as 5G innovation.
The ground pillar of the digital world is connectivity and we are in danger of excluding both companies and society as a whole if we cannot provide high-speed connectivity. Right now, a lot of larger companies have good access to the digital world, however there are those smaller companies who remain totally dependent on public networks.
Meanwhile, connectivity is vital to the inclusiveness of society, and for those people living in remote areas who really need connectivity as a basis for interaction. If we can implement this digital highway – enabling engagement with the outside world – we can ensure an inclusive society where small companies, the elderly and young, as well as citizens living in rural areas, can be fully immersed within the digital world.
The need for digital skills
It is essential that we get the skills to the people so that they know how to act in a digital world with a digital remit. Politicians have left behind a generation of users without digital skills and they need to be educated, and to acknowledge and recognise that the world in which they are regulating, acting and investing in, is moving. On ensuring that these skills are universally maintained across Europe, I believe that AI and such technologies will be built into the developing digital economy, not only in the IT industry, but digitising other industries, such as manufacturing and pharma. The digital transformation is fully underway.
We also need to foster the ecosystem of tech companies and have a diverse network of both larger and foreign businesses, but also European companies and SMEs, enabling them to evolve with a platform to serve other businesses and society.
The transition to a digital world
The digital transformation in society is a three-phase process: fix the highway, fix the skills, fix regulatory fragmentation and ensure that we have a diverse ecosystem of companies in Europe and the open economy. DIGITALEUROPE is the association which connects SMEs with large digital companies, such as the likes of Google. Connections between SMEs and larger companies will facilitate an inclusive ecosystem populated by both foreign and European companies, ensuring that SMEs have the opportunity to remain in Europe and grow.
The challenges of new technologies
There are still many obstacles to overcome, one being public perception of digital technologies and devices which collect data on our location, the things which we are doing and when. Apps such as Snapchat enable us to monitor the location of our children and relatives, and for the younger generations that is a natural part of life. They don’t see any issue and as a result, they expect their friends and family to be able to identify where they are at all times.
We can compare this to the introduction of computers, where there was great concern amongst society that citizens would suddenly become unsociable as a direct result, but it did not happen. Society now has concerns, focused upon whether or not Big Brother is watching us and fears that bad things will happen as a result, but criminal behaviour will always be there and we need to identify how we can ensure that these technologies are not susceptible to exploitation.
There are governments who are using these technologies in a malicious way, but EU policy makers have the right focus and I’m happy to see that we have an ongoing dialogue in the EU whereby politicians are adopting an active stand on fake news.
DIGITALEUROPE’s perspective
As an industry, we stand 100% behind the EU in taking an active stance. For example, navigational surveillance is part of everyday life of the young generation already, so we need to regulate to keep this while making sure it cannot be misused. We have to accept that the world has, and is, continuing to move. We, as industry and politicians, need to take the lead in order to ensure that technological developments go in the right direction, fostering healthy business ecosystems and an inclusive democratic society.
Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl
Director General
DIGITALEUROPE
