NGI attracted admirers at the Internet Governance Forum 2019 in Berlin, showcasing support to cutting-edge digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and the Internet of Things to benefit the economy and society as a whole. NGI was right at home in the Forum, whose agenda dovetails with NGI’s aims of creating a human-centric Internet.
NGI representatives were on hand at the NGI booth to provide advice to interested parties, build a strong network of stakeholders and conduct on-the-spot registrations to the NGI Community. This gave a boost to NGI’s profile, attracted potential future projects and spread the core values at the heart of the initiative.
To showcase how NGI funding works in practice, the NGI booth offered visitors an overview of CASPER, a project to identify and apply potentials of using AI to protect young people on the Internet.
Revealing the Future Internet Governance Strategy for the European Union
The NGI team also provided support to the European Commission, whose representatives attended IGF to lift the veil on the EU’s Future Internet Governance Strategy.
Olivier Bringer, Head of the Commission’s Next Generation Internet Unit, explained to participants during an interactive panel session that:
“We will need to reach a mix between governance discussions, investing in technologies and – of course – regulating when it is necessary to create a human-centric Internet”.
The EU plays a fundamental role in setting standards and regulatory frameworks and is therefore a major global actor when it comes to supporting ethical technology development.
In-line with the world’s leading minds
Creating a human-centric Internet is a crucial aspect of achieving tomorrow’s Internet, one which will “enrich society and reduce inequality”, as the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, explained during the official launch of his Contract for the Web during ‘Day Zero’ of the IGF.
Similar concerns were expressed during the IGF 2019 Opening Ceremony by world leaders:
“It’s becoming ever more important to discuss together how we want to use and shape the Internet of the future” – German Chancellor Angela Merkel
“We have a collective responsibility to give direction to these technologies so we can maximise benefits” – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Help create the next generation Internet
You too can help create tomorrow’s Internet: check out NGI’s funding opportunities here.
And be sure to join the NGI Community too!