AI, smart cities and investment in people: what awaits participants of the II Open Dialogue

The II Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth" will take place at the National Centre RUSSIA in Moscow from 27 to 29 April. This international project is aimed at shaping a new model of global growth and discussing the economic development of countries. It serves as a platform for exchanging experience and ideas about the future. Participants will attend lectures by leading speakers from around the world, as well as pitch sessions and discussions with guests from more than 40 countries. Registration for the event is already open, and applications can be submitted via the link.

The programme of the dialogue is structured around four strategic directions, which also define the thematic tracks for the finalists:

— Investment in people: development of human capital, education and demography;

 — Investment in technology: artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and smart cities;

 — Investment in the environment: human-centred territorial development, ecology and the circular economy;

 — Investment in connectivity: the future of trade, digital currencies, infrastructure and logistics.

More than 300 essays from around the world focused on ideas for the development of the global economy were longlisted on the Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth". The greatest interest among participants was shown in the topic of investment in people, which is one of the key priorities of today. The entries were distributed as follows: investment in people — 40 percent; investment in technology — 24 percent; investment in connectivity — 20 percent; investment in the environment — 16 percent.

To reach the in-person stage, essayists had to pass a rigorous selection process. More than 1,600 authors representing around 100 countries applied to take part in the contest. These included Argentina, Brazil, China, India, the UAE, Ethiopia, Japan, and many others. Russia will be represented in the final by 22 essayists from different regions — from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin.

The dialogue will feature recognised international thought leaders as speakers, including:

— Selina Neri (UAE) — Co-Founder and Rector of the Future Readiness Academy, Visiting Professor at the SKOLKOVO School of Management.

 — Joseph Potvin (Canada) — economist.

 — Jian Liang (China) — Founder and Head of Hengce Economic Research.

 — Michel Bauwens (Thailand) — Founder of the P2P Foundation.

 — François Ndengwe (Cameroon) — Chairman of the African Advisory Board and Deputy Secretary-General of the Eurasian-African People's Assembly.

 — Yevgeny Osadchuk (Russia) — Head of the Artificial Intelligence track at the Department for Technology Development and Additional Professional Education Programmes at SKOLKOVO.

 — Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr (UAE) — expert in digital transformation and smart cities.

Experts from Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Spain, Indonesia and other countries will also take part in the discussions.

The event will be held at the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Cross-Industry Expertise Centre "Third Rome", with the support of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation. The initiative was previously endorsed by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, who emphasised its importance for shaping a new global agenda.