Dubai-UAE:– At the sixth World Government Summit (WGS 2018), His Excellency Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, held a discussion with musician Will.i.am on ‘Access to Technology and Development’. Will.i.am, best known as founder of the band Black Eyed Peas, is a vocal advocate of STEM education, and passionate about helping students of all ages to have access to quality education.

The Minister of Artificial Intelligence began by asking what governments could to do better to incorporate technology, so that it serves us better. “At an early age, I was lucky enough to go to a school that gave me access to a better education. It changed my life and showed me the difference in academic opportunities open to the rich and poor. I’ve now started a school so that today’s kids can have access to quality education, and I have seen a dramatic change in my own community, with 100% of a class graduating and 80% going on to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). If I can do this, then governments can do this. Invest in human intelligence and equip our kids with the skills to succeed in the future,” said Will.i.am.

He continued: “People are afraid of AI and the changes it will bring. We are so engrained in yesterday that we cannot see the opportunities for a better tomorrow. So we need to ensure that our children are given the skills and tools to work with the technology of the future and not to fear AI as something that will replace jobs, but to look at it as a tool to actually augment jobs.”

Under the theme ‘Paradigms of Justice in The Age of Technology’, Byju Raveendran, founder of BYJU‘s Classes, India’s largest Education Technology company, held a talk titled “Using EdTech to Globalize Prosperity”.

“Creating lifelong learners is critical in this century, when it is predicted that 65% of current students will go into jobs that do not currently exist,” he said.

Raveendran explained the challenges we face in the current education system and how we can overcome them. “Lack of access, lack of personalization and a focus on exam-oriented learning are the outdated reality of the current education system,” said Raveendran. “In developing countries, we have a highly aspirational youth population with limited access to quality education. We need to capitalize on this aspiration to maximize our children’s potential.”

He continued: “We can overcome the issue of access through the use of smartphones. In India, almost 70% of students have access to a smart phone. When it comes to addressing personalization, we need to look at how each student learns. This is not possible in the classroom but can be captured on a platform, on which a student profile can be built. Finally, we need to gift students a love of learning, rather than learning through fear of exams, by developing high quality, engaging and accessible education.”

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the World Government Summit 2018 runs from February 11 to 13 at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The landmark event had convened more than 4,000 participants from 140 countries, including heads of state and governments, as well as top-tier representatives of 16 international organizations.

Hosting more than 130 speakers across 120 interactive sessions, WGS 2018 features six distinct forums that examine the challenges of vital sectors for the future with a view to finding the best resolutions for the greater global good. Furthermore, over 20 specialized global reports spanning key sectors and topics of the summit are being launched during the event.

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About the World Government Summit

The World Government Summit is the primary global forum dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide. Each year, the summit sets the agenda for the next generation of governments with a focus on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity. The World Government Summit is a knowledge exchange platform that converges governments, futurism, technology and innovation. It functions as a thought leadership and networking hub for policymakers, experts and pioneers in human development. As a gateway to the future, the summit analyzes trends, issues and opportunities that humanity is likely to face in the coming decades, while showcasing innovations, best practices and smart solutions that inspire creative ideas on how best to address them.

© Press Release 2018