Ημερομηνία/Ώρα
Date(s) - 31/05/2024
12:00 - 13:30

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Critical Thinking and Democracy in Troubled Times
Panel Discussion on Friday May 31, 11:00-12:30 CET

It is several years now that a strong consensus has been built on two issues of major importance:

– The “blossoming” of the Web/Internet at the turn of the century did not usher along a “blossoming” of democracy with better educated and informed citizens engaging in a digital-powered public sphere as was hoped. Practically all studies, though using different indices and weights, show a “backsliding” of democracy over the last two decades with an increasing number of young people living on “islands of disjoint truths”. The advent of generative AI has the potential to further exacerbate this situation unless vigorous and innovative action is taken. This action, in addition to regulation and public investment, should include innovative approaches to education starting at the earliest possible level.

– This brings up the second issue which is how to equip today’s youth with not only the required “digital literacy” but also the critical thought skills that are needed if they are to navigate successfully in the evolving digital ecosystem and harness the positive potential of digital technology while limiting its harms.

Today’s classrooms are tomorrow’s societies (democratic or not)

Digital technology, spearheaded currently by AI, is moving fast and education has certainly not kept pace as AI powers the so-called “extremely connected era” where social networks perpetuate and aggravate toxic effects on the ability of coming generations to think critically and independently.

Independent critical thought is (and has been recognized as such since Socrates’ time) a prerequisite needed to discern true from false premises, and valid from invalid conclusions from these premises. Daring to assume responsibility for one’s own independent thinking (emasculated by today’s garden variety of filter bubbles) is also a prerequisite for avoiding falling prey to the “herding” that is happening measurably and increasingly and leads to observable mob behavior.(The U.S. political landscape and fauna would present an exquisite study case)

There are ,once again, some education pilot programs in some European countries that look very promising with innovative approaches and , very importantly, with a fist glimpse of measurable, positive results.  Finland is playing a leading role in these pioneering efforts

The future of democracy in an AI-powered digital ecosystem may well depend on how successful such pilots are, how effectively they are complemented with digital democracy civics and how fast and broadly they are adapted and adopted. For this, a platform of best practices would be most timely.

The Digital Enlightenment Forum , which had organized related events in the past, reached out to SITRA , aware of SITRA’s excellent track record on addressing challenges related to both democracy and education with a view to joining  efforts (including with other like-minded organizations in the future) towards creating a platform where novel approaches to education are presented, compared, and metrics for measuring their success are developed towards, eventually, broadly accepted best practices.

This panel discussion is only a first step in this process.

Please join our effort.

George Metakides

Panelists short bios:

Dr Lollie Mancey
Lollie is focused on how society flourishes in a digital age.  Lollie has built upon her teaching experience in social justice and ventured into the realm of artificial intelligence and ethics, exploring how society can navigate the evolving cultural and technological landscapes. Her work on resilience and adaptability further demonstrates her commitment to shaping a future that thrives amidst change. With her expertise in innovation, entrepreneurship, teaching, storytelling, and her future focused work in the field of artificial intelligence and ethics, she continues to disrupt education focusing on technological change for good. 

Päivi Leppänen
Senior Adviser Päivi Leppänen works at the Finnish National Agency for Education. She promotes equality among children and young people in the development of digital competences. Päivi has been responsible for a development programme at the Finnish National Agency for Education, where specifications of digital competences have been published for the use of education and early childhood education providers. She is currently working on national guidelines for the use of AI in teaching and learning.

Tiina Härkönen

Tiina Härkönen is a Senior Lead within the Digital Power and Democracy project of the Democracy and Participation focus area at The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. She has a long career in business and has been working with data from the very beginning. Tiina’s jobs have been almost exclusively in the ICT sector (incl. Nokia, SAS Institute and OpusCapita), where she has worked in senior managerial positions in marketing, communications, and business development. She joined Sitra in 2018 after establishing a customer and marketing analytics team at the Finnish Post.

George Metakides
George Metakides  co-founder and Honorary President of the Digital Enlightenment Forum, Professor Emeritus from the University of Patras, Visiting Professor at several universities and Advisor to a number of international organisations. He is involved in the analysis of the economic, political and social impact of digitization, related cybersecurity, data protection and regulatory issues and the promotion of international cooperation towards a digital ecosystem respecting shared human values. He has held senior positions with responsibility for Research & Development policy, funding and international co-operation in European institutions including the Directorship of the ESPRIT program and has contributed to the establishment of international institutions (including the launch of the World Wide Web consortium in 1993), has received a number of awards and honorary degrees and is a corresponding member of several National Academies.

Zoom meeting

Topic: Critical Thinking and Democracy in Troubled Times

Time: May 31, 2024 11:00 CET

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82587261032?pwd=3XZx0hDuqDQs6gFTw9hC5cQeZ3eNbb.1

Meeting ID: 825 8726 1032

Passcode: 070434

Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbkHin0NTd

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