On Friday 25 October, I was one of the speakers during a high-level panel on “Technology 5.0” during the NEXTGEN AI-Infused Era Conference organised by Chee-Peng Tan and his Team Synthesis staff.
The conversation was on how to harness Innovation, Technology and Artificial Intelligence for progress while making sure that the environment is preserved by having a clear sustainability agenda but also ensuring the wellbeing of all. This is what some people refer to as Society 6.0.
I spoke about how AI will shape our future, how Mixed Reality will become a business imperative (in order to have more and more data-driven decision making) and how robots will become our peers (which is especially important for a country like Mauritius with its aging population). But I also made people understand that most technology projects fail because end-users are rarely consulted during the development process and, as a result, the real problems are not solved.
It is therefore important to use technology as an enabler, not as an end in itself. It is also important to make sure that the fundamentals are right before trying to use AI as a solution. Of course, I mentioned that innovation, technology and AI can make Africa leapfrog other continents if its young population is properly trained for the jobs of the future.
Shateeaum Sewpaul, the moderator, masterfully made sure that the panel discussion was as fluid as possible. My fellow panel members were Sameera Chattun Koyratty, Marc Israel, Eshan Amiran Ashvin Pudaruth, Andre Hoffmann and Zainol Zainuddin. At the end, we had an interesting Q&A session with the audience.