“Technology is a tool, a means and an answer, and it is up to us what the question will be. Technologies help us to be better, to have time for ourselves and our loved ones, to enjoy life.” This is what the director of GATE, Prof. Silvia Ilieva, said during the HOMO FUTURO forum, the fourth event of the cycle “Before Tomorrow” of BGLOBAL magazine.
She participated in the first collective narrative with a focus on the universe of man against the background of the rapid development of technologies, together with other established leaders and visionaries, such as Kalin Dimchev, Country Manager Lead in the CEE Multi-Country region and Microsoft Country Manager in Bulgaria; Petar Tornev, managing director of the Accenture Technology Center, Karel Kral, CEO of Electrohold Bulgaria; Assoc. Dr. Vladimir Bozhilov, astrophysicist, deputy dean of the Faculty of Physics of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and teacher in the Department of “Astronomy”; Dimitar Tsotsorkov, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of “Asarel-Medet” and of the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact and Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, CEO of Siemens for Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Ukraine.
Prof. Ilieva explained how new technologies are changing the world and outlined the prospective trends of different areas of the economy, education and people’s lives with the development of artificial intelligence, digitalization and connectivity. She highlighted the role of data and the ways in which it can contribute to a better quality of life.
Prof. Ilieva drew attention to the challenges facing the world such as climate change, the increasing concentration of population in large cities, the huge amount of carbon emissions as a result and the possible solutions by using the potential of artificial intelligence in the areas in which GATE operates – ‘Digital Health’, ‘Future Cities’, ‘Intelligent Government’, and ‘Smart Industry’. She outlined the opportunities provided by the “City Digital Twin” – a digital copy of the pulse of the capital, its dynamics and all the processes occurring in this complex system – developed for the first time for Sofia by GATE. Prof. Ilieva pointed out that the 3D models and possible scenarios, if taken into consideration, could improve people’s quality of life.
In the context of the first Urban data space initiated in Bulgaria by GATE, Prof. Ilieva noted that the guaranteed secure and trusted exchange of data between various stakeholders can contribute to the creation of new successful business models and products based on the added value of data.