Estonia, Forum, Innovations, Technology

According to Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas, the digital summit is becoming a cooperation platform for digitally advanced and like-minded countries that jointly shape policies and the legal space for the development of the digital society. "One fast-growing global sphere is artificial intelligence, for example, which also has a great impact on the well-being of the Estonian state and people. Be it a more accurate diagnosis in the medical field or the protection of children's rights in the digital space. This is why we want to be at the center of the debate on these future prospects, and I believe that Estonia has a lot to say and contribute to here," the prime minister said.

Among those to speak at the event are Michel van der Bel, president of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Hans-Christian Boos, CEO and founder of AI company Arago, Nanjira Sambuli, Kenyan researcher and senior policy manager at the World Wide Web Foundation, Stephen Hsu, physicist and senior vice president for research and innovation at Michigan State University, and Joanna Bryson, leading ethics expert at the University of Bath.

"In addition to the conference, there will be six thematic workshops in which representatives of the delegations of 20 countries along with experts will discuss, for example, what kind of impact artificial intelligence has on healthcare policy, the legal space, the development of a smart city and democratic processes more generally," Tallinn Digital Summit's main organizer Liina Areng said.

Prime Minister Juri Ratas is to also have separate meetings with the ministers leading the delegation and discuss  their visions of the possibilities of AI as well as areas of risk in shaping the future with the decision-makers of 15 European countries as well as Canada, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

On Monday, Ratas had bilateral meetings with Norwegian Minister of Digitalization Nikolai Astrup, Greek Minister of Digital Governance Kyriakos Pierrakakis as well as the United Kingdom's Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nicky Morgan.

The digital summit will be held for the third time this year. The forum was launched in 2017 when Estonia held the presidency of the Council of the European Union and organized a digital summit that brought together heads of state and government leaders of the EU in Tallinn. Last year, the conference focused on global trade in data.

The event is being organized by the Government Office in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The event's partners include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), The Future Society and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Other partners include modular silent booth manufacturer Silen and BMW.