Our research institute, as the UNESCO Chair on Digital Platforms for Learning Societies was invited to a major UNESCO event, where a professional audience from more than 100 countries examined the future and future capabilities of various social subsystems. The plenary session and the work of several workshops focused on the latest technologies, especially the future-shaping impact of artificial intelligence. Our UNESCO Chair was represented by Bernát Török and Árpád Rab at the professional day.
The plenary session aimed to show how future-oriented thinking and foresight can help policy-making in today's uncertain world. The day was opened by Xing Qu, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO. The keynote address was given by French philosopher Éric Sadin, entitled The Future of Humanity in an Era of Omniscient Artificial Intelligence. The presentation deliberately took a provocative stance against the use of generative AI, drawing attention to the value-destroying effects of this technology. The first panel discussion following the presentation examined how predictive methods and complex systems can help societies navigate a future heavily influenced by artificial intelligence while maintaining a human-centered approach. The second session convened thought leaders shaping the future of governance, education, and innovation to discuss how institutions can build "anticipatory capacity" amid accelerating uncertainty. The plenary session concluded with Senior leaders from UNESCO's Secretariat discussing the future of international cooperation and the role of the organization.
In the afternoon, discussions continued in parallel workshops. Bernát Török participated in the Anticipating futures of public administration section, which sought to outline scenarios for the role of machine and human participation in public administration in the coming decades in an interactive workshop. The work of the workshop was closely linked to the activities of the UNESCO SPARK Alliance, which brings together public administration schools and research institutes from more than 60 countries, in which our UNESCO Chair represents the Ludovika University of Public Service. Following the workshop, we had the opportunity to discuss with the SPARK Alliance leadership our UNESCO Chair's participation and other activities, as well as the Hungarian translation of the guiding teaching materials developed within the SPARK initiative.
At the same time, Árpád Rab participated in the workshop The futures of open ecosystems in science, learning, and data, which discussed the future of open ecosystems in science and learning and developed feasible solution strategies and good solutions in this regard. The work of the education workshop focused on the relationship between digital public goods and open educational resources. OER/OA initiatives constitute a broader set than digital public goods standards. However, through detailed examination and analysis, convergence can be achieved, which would provide significant resources and raw materials not only for education, but also for social knowledge and the fight against disinformation, not to mention the authentic preservation of humanity's knowledge assets.