Tech Diplomacy Network Launches in San Francisco

Tech Diplomacy Network © World Economic Forum

On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in San Francisco, the Diplomatic Corps, representatives from civil society, the private sector and academia came together to honor the official launch of the Tech Diplomacy Network (https://www.tech-diplomacy.org). The Tech Diplomacy Network, a joint initiative of the Berggruen Institute, the World Economic Forum (C4IR) and the DiploFoundation, aims to foster collaboration and dialogue between the diplomatic community, civil society and the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. By sharing best practices and exchanging ideas, covering a broad range of topics such as digital human rights, cyber security, e-governance and others, the Network aims to navigate complex and rapidly-changing technologies in an interconnected world.

During the event, Tech Diplomacy experts discussed what Tech Diplomacy is, the role of Tech Diplomats and how the tech industry influences markets and societies. Martin Rauchbauer, Austria's first Tech Ambassador in Silicon Valley, defined Tech Diplomacy as: “A new tool in international relations between nation states, the private sector, and other stakeholders to collaborate in the fields of AI, cyber security, quantum computing, biotech, web 3,o.a.., and work on shaping global policy frameworks and on tackling common planetary challenges.

Austrian Tech Envoy, Isabella Tomás, emphasized on the importance of inclusion and diversity in diplomacy to address global technological challenges as a multi-stakeholder global community, as well as the human-centered approach towards frontier technologies such as AI.

Deputy Consul General of Brazil in San Francisco, Eugenio V. Garcia; Consul General of Canada to Northern California and Silicon Valley, Rana Sarkar; the Norwegian Consul General in San Francisco, Gry Rabe Henriksen; and professor for technology, media and communications at Columbia University, Alexis Wichowski further emphasized on the importance of public-private collaborations and for diplomats to become “bilingual” – speaking the languages of both, diplomacy and technology - in the wake of technological innovations that have transformed geopolitics, our economy and society.

Panelists © World Economic Forum

Panelists © World Economic Forum