This year’s Tallinn Digital Summit focuses on the future of artificial intelligence

According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the summit is becoming a collaboration platform for digitally advanced countries that share similar views and jointly shape policies and the law for the development of the digital society. “One of the fast-growing global spheres is artificial intelligence, for example, which has a great impact on the well-being of the Estonian state and people – be it more accurate diagnoses in the medical field or the protection of children’s rights in the digital space. That is why we want to be at the centre of discussions on these future prospects, and I believe that Estonia has a lot to say and contribute here,” said Prime Minister Ratas.

Liina Areng, the main organiser of the Tallinn Digital Summit, said that in addition to the invited national delegations, led by IT and digital ministers, there will be renowned experts among the speakers. “Among others, Michel van der Bel, President of Microsoft EMEA, Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, the OECD’s Deputy Secretary-General for Technology, Hans-Christian Boos, CEO and founder of Arago, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies, Nanjira Sambuli, a Kenyan researcher and the digital equality spokesperson for the World Wide Web Foundation, and Stephen Hsu, professor of theoretical physics and researcher at the University of Michigan, will speak at the event taking place in Fotografiska.”

The summit will focus on how to increase the efficiency of the public sector through artificial intelligence, what tricks can be used to develop skills necessary in the labour market, and what impact can artificial intelligence have on the provision of health services.

“The speakers will also give their own insight into how artificial intelligence is changing legislation. There is also a separate session dedicated to the future prospects of the smart city. But besides the aforementioned, it is important to discuss how to maintain everything human in the future,” added Areng.

In addition, there will be a special meeting with the ministers in charge of the delegations. Decision-makers from 15 European countries, as well as from Canada, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia, will outline their vision for the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in shaping the future.

The Digital Summit will take place for the third time. The summit first took place in 2017, when Estonia held the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and organised the Digital Summit, which brought together the EU’s heads of state and government in Tallinn. Last year, the conference focused on global data trade.

The conference is organised by the Government Office in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The knowledge partners of the event are the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), The Future Society, and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Silen, a manufacturer of innovative acoustic spaces, and BMW (Inchcape Motors Estonia), the official car partner of Tallinn Digital Summit, also contribute to the organisation of the summit.