GeoTech Center

Dr. David Bray, Director of the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center, spoke at GovCon Different on December 15, 2020, about the process of modernizing government processes and infrastructure, drawing on his experience bringing the FCC into the cloud. Dr. Bray discussed the barriers to innovation, from culture and organization to fatigue and policy. The discussion broached topics of navigating change within bureaucracy and large organizations, focusing on the need for improved coordination between the public and private sectors.

Our global food system is complex, with trade-offs existing between efficiency, equity, and human and environmental health. Managing a transition, even without cultural factors and vested interests is highly challenging.

This blog post series will explore the meaning of a “just society” through multiple lenses and in the context of today’s challenges, including but not limited to the coronavirus pandemic. With contributions from multiple authors, it aims to stimulate thinking and questions that distill the prerequisites and responsibilities for “just societies” in our times.

In this episode of the GeoTech Hour, hosted January 13, 2021, we launch the report “Smart Partnerships amid Great Power Competition,” hold a conversation about AI, China, and the global quest for digital sovereignty, and gather experts to discuss regional specifics and the report authors’ alternative futures for global technology cooperation.

On Thursday, December 3, the Atlantic Council’s GeoTech Center and the World Economic Forum partnered to host a private roundtable under the Chatham House Rule to discuss the possible practical policies for improving digital content safety. In the discussion, the panel analyzed how to regulate harmful content more effectively, explored policies content curation practices to protect users and improve trust, and studied new methods of collaboration, governance, and measurement that can improve the online safety.

A discussion featuring The Honorable Secretary James F. Geurts, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development on how leadership will change in the upcoming digital decade. The talk highlights how both the public and private sectors can operate with agility at scale amid global turbulence and change.

The development of space exploration technologies has already benefited Earth in many ways, especially regarding communications, planetary observation, and economic growth. As the space launch and satellite markets continue to innovate swiftly, space technologies are increasingly critical to rapid decision-making for governments, industry, and individuals. With the recent increase in planet-wide disasters such as wildfires, resource shortages, mass migrations, and others, how can space technologies more effectively sustain Earth and life on it?

On Tuesday, November 17 the GeoTech Center hosted AgriTechAction 2020, a three-day conference that explored the relationship between agriculture and technology, with the goal for future solutions to food security challenges to be accessible and sustainable for all. In the conference, experts and leaders in agriculture, technology, and national security came together to discuss and help guide the further deployment of data and technology in agriculture; specifically in food production, processing, distribution, security, efficiency, and sustainability

Theresa Carlson (AWS) and John Goodman (Accenture) inaugurate the first episode of the GeoTech Vlog by describing their work as co-chairs of the GeoTech Commission, and as they find ways to navigate this era of significant change while leveraging the infinite possibilities offered by technology and data.

GeoTech Center and Commission Launch on 11 March 2020. Focused efforts on determining priorities for future investment and cooperation between public and private sector entities seeking to develop new technologies and data initiatives specifically for global benefit.

On-going, private deliberations of the GeoTech Commissioners. Focused efforts on how can either societies or markets characterize new technologies and data choices regarding measurable benefits to people, prosperity, and peace.

Data Salon Series on improving the State of Data Governance with experts from across sectors. Focused discussions on the Future of Work, Data, Trust, Space, and Health.

The first roundtable of the series was held in Paris and brought together high-level delegations from the United States, China, and Europe for a wide-ranging discussion on emerging technologies.

The Atlantic Council’s endeavor to evaluate the implications of modern technologies for society and politics continued in Brussels, where the event was co-hosted by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS).

Unlike previous gatherings where a majority of participants represented government institutions, the roundtable in Germany brought together business- and private-sector representatives. Together with policy experts, they discussed the emergence of new technologies, the rise of China, and the implications of a global AI race.

Two roundtables in Beijing and a third one in Shanghai brought together leaders from government, civil society, academia, and think tanks to discuss China’s role as a global citizen, the country’s use and development of artificial intelligence, and the implications of modern technologies for international relations.

Two digital roundtables with India brought together high-level experts to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and geopolitics of emerging technologies in the South Asian country. While the first focused on AI and health, the second centered on Sino-Indian relations.

The final roundtable of the Smart Partnerships Series focused on the African continent and how AI as well as other emerging technologies can be harnessed there for good.