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Participating in a panel on progress through AI and sustainability during the NEXTGEN conference

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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.

Mon opinion sur l’Internet gratuit aux jeunes de 18-25 ans (Wazaa FM)

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Le jeudi 4 septembre 2024, j’étais sur Wazaa FM pour l’émission « On en discute ». Nous avons parlé de l’accès Internet gratuit à tous les jeunes de 18-25 ans de Maurice.

Wazaa FM est évidement une radio pro-gouvernementale mais j’ai accepté l’invitation en tant que citoyen apolitique parce que cela me donnait la possibilité de partager mes idées en public.

J’ai parlé des diverses façons de rentabiliser cet investissement, ce que cela va demander comme adaptation dans notre système éducatif et comment les jeunes entrepreneurs (et pas seulement les étudiants) peuvent mettre à profit cet accès gratuit à Internet pour, par exemple, faire du commerce électronique. Bien sûr, j’ai aussi mentionné que certains sites Internet, comme les réseaux sociaux, peuvent être très addictifs et ainsi représenter une perte de temps et d’opportunité.

S’il est bien utilisé, cet accès permanent à la connaissance peut augmenter le niveau de créativité et d’innovation de nos jeunes et faire d’eux des personnes pouvant mieux aider à transformer Maurice en un « Smart Mauritius ». Cela suppose que ces jeunes s’inspirent de « role models » mauriciens et étrangers pouvant les aider à découvrir leurs passions, à comprendre la complexité du monde et à trouver des solutions. J’ai parlé des métiers du futur, dans le domaine du divertissement en particulier. J’ai aussi mentionné que cette contribution doit pouvoir être mesuré pour justifier cet investissement de l’État.

J’ai exploré les éventuels avantages à étendre cette mesure à toute la population. Cela représenterait évidement un coût énorme mais pourrait être un bon investissement si cela nous permet d’atteindre nos objectifs de développement et de croissance.

Pour finir, j’ai mis l’accent sur la nécessité d’avoir des structures de conseil apolitiques, constituées de professionnels, pour formuler et proposer des stratégies aussi bien pour le gouvernement que pour les entreprises.

Merci à Harshani Mahadoo et Javed Sobah pour leur invitation et leur accueil.

My thoughts on Cloud Native Strategies for Mauritian Businesses during Developers Conference 2024

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On 18 July 2024, I was on a panel on “Cloud Native Strategies for Mauritian Businesses” during Developers Conference 2024 organised by the Mauritius Software Craftsmanship Community at the Caudan Arts Centre.

My other panel members were Dawid van der Merwe, Solutions Architect at SUSE, Viv Padayatchy, Managing Director of Cybernaptics, Delphine Bissessur, Head of Digital at a Mauritian bank, Dhaneshwar Damry, Founder & CEO of Bhumishq and the panel was moderated by Ish Sookun, one of the co-organisers, together with Jochen Kirstätter, of Developers Conference 2024.

I spoke about the most significant technological advancements that Mauritius needs to focus on in the next five years to stay competitive. While I am in favour of always pursuing the latest trends, I also understand, given my experience in policy-making, that the fundamentals need to be right for a country to prosper. There are key areas where the education system in Mauritius needs to evolve to better prepare students for the demands of the IT industry. And, as a whole, the population needs to become more innovative. This is not only a question of policy.

I also shared some thoughts about whether Mauritius has the potential to position itself as a major cloud-native expert and solutions provider to African companies in the coming years. I think Mauritius has an important role to play but we will have to better understand the African countries, their people and the problems that need to be solved.