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Top 3 Keynotes at CeBIT 2017

1. Japan’s Prime Minister, H.E. Shinzo Abe

This year’s country partner for CeBIT is Japan. H.E. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan opened with a statement. “There are three things that Germany and Japan need to do for a successful future 1. Innovation, 2. Innovation and 3. Innovation.” He went on to outline how Japan is embracing robotics and artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister said “both Germany and Japan were the first to prove that countries with a small landmass and limited resources can be leaders in the global economy. We did this by turning disadvantages into advantages”. Today 118 companies are showcasing their products at CeBIT.

Interesting how the Prime Minister used IoT as an analogy with its connectivity of everything and the growth of the national economies also depending on its connections in every which way.

“We are now entering the 5th chapter of human kind and 5.0 of the global economy”

The Prime Minister wants to create a fair and just economy where everyone wins and not just those who knows how to leverage the laws to concentrate wealth in the few. He is looking for a fair trade agreement between E.U. and Japan that is based on rules that are clear and stands up to democratic principals.

2. Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel

Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany “CeBIT has the potential to develop into an engine for the digital economy”.

The IoT is poised to put 50 billion things into a network. That works out to about 10 things per person. Germany is pushing IT everywhere and standards must be done to ensure its seamless connectivity.

“We need to link societies together so they can help to create the fair trade that works for everyone” Commented Angela Merkel.

Unfortunately Decisions can take too long in the EU simply because of the number or member states that requires everyone to have their say. Things must be done faster and with more cooperation. As we move from the social economy where people primarily did business with people face to face, the digital economy is taking over and changing how people do business virtually. More people and companies need to realize this and act to remain relevant in the future.

People need to be asking themselves some important questions sooner rather than later… Will this technology take away my job? Am I able to operate or be part of this technology to keep my job? What do I need to do to get myself into the digital economy? How much time do I have to make this transition to be part of the new society 5.0? Some very big and important questions that most people need to ask themselves and find the right answers.

“We need the provide the right education, training, schools and tools to help people find the answers. We need to educated our citizens how this will help them and why it important form them to make the transition.”

3. Man on the run, Edward Snowden

Talking about your security. In today’s climate data security and privacy is resonating more than ever. Who is spying on whom? What is real news? What is fake news? What happens when you blend part truth with part lie? What should be classified or private? What should be public? The lines are getting more blurred as each day passes.

What is the future of whistle-blowers? Go through the formal channels and get nowhere? Go rogue and get run out of town? How can society leverage whistle-blowers to get to the truth and help the public?

After the hearings yesterday in the US Congress, we are getting a deeper peek into all of the moving parts. Foreign interference in just about everything seems to be more pervasive than publicly known.

Snowden comments, “We are loosing faith in our institutions and people”

Questions that came in from Twitter…

Do you have any interactions with the Russian government? Snowden replied no. I never planned to end up in Russia.

Do you still want to go back to the USA? Snowden replied yes. It’s my home.

What would you tell the children of the Internet on how to protect themselves? Snowden replied learn magic. Understand what you do not understand. Computer hackers are becoming one of the post powerful forces in the world. To protect yourself from technology, you have to understand technology. Learn how technology functions so well that you can modify it to better control it.

Last question from Twitter…Are you in love? Snowden replied yes…

This is definitely not the last chapter in the Snowden story.