Reuters MOMENTUM

Technology has the potential to transform our urban areas through technologies such as IoT and 5g which can collect and transmit various types of data. Analysis of this data yields valuable insights which power intelligent resource management and delivery of services. This panel will examine how various aspects of a city ranging from utilities and crime detection to education and healthcare can become smart through technology.

Technology can help us all live healthier, happier and longer lives. This diverse panel of healthcare organizations will discuss how technological innovation is revolutionizing drug development, patient care and telehealth.

Tech leaders at the forefront of innovation have a pressing responsibility to ensure that technological innovation improves the lives of everyone living on this planet, not just a privileged few. This panel gathers a selection of experts to discuss the intentional design, development and use of digital technologies to help us achieve our collective vision of building a more equitable society.

Roshan will discuss what the pandemic has taught us all about the importance of agile development, and about designing with a diverse customer base in mind. As part of this discussion, he will showcase insights and perspectives on lessons learned and how tech can shape our collective future moving forward.

AI projects are often expensive, risky, and complex, with many failing to achieve a sustainable impact. To help mitigate and overcome these challenges AI can be used to augment rather than automate human work. Combining human talent with AI Augmented Intelligence reduces the costs and risks associated, accelerating and deepening its impact. Topics to be discussed, include:

• The challenges to achieving a sustainable difference with AI
• Discover the concept of Augmented Intelligence, and hear real-world examples of how EY is leveraging this tool on a number of projects
• Learn how Augmented Intelligence, combined with Expertise Capture, provides an evolutionary path to create efficiencies at scale and improve the employee experience

The tech sector spawns the most innovative, disruptive and successful companies in the world, but entrepreneurs must have big visions and be able to execute high growth plans. This diverse panel will reveal the high-quality business training and networking required for startups to successfully navigate the technology investment landscape.

It is the responsibility of today’s tech leaders to cultivate the tech talent of tomorrow, but underrepresented groups including women and girls are still being left out of the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs in the tech revolution. Education and training is key to levelling the playing field. This panel will delve into interventions from tech leaders, entrepreneurs and NGOs who are working to close the connectivity gap by creating scalable, sustainable platforms and jobs for the youth and women in society.

Companies across a wide range of industries are gathering exponentially increasing volumes of data but only a small fraction of this data is being analyzed to yield insights which transform into actionable insights to drive business decisions. This panel will discuss how data analytics can help businesses optimize their performance to drive growth and efficiency.

The impact of the pandemic on the travel industry has been unprecedented. While travel has begun to rebound in certain parts of the world, the uncertainty of the virus continues to impact travel recovery - affecting millions of people around the world. Eventually, the pandemic will end, but COVID will likely remain a part of our reality indefinitely. In this conversation, Booking Holdings' CEO Glenn Fogel will discuss the role technology has played in the travel recovery, and the role it will continue to play as COVID becomes more and more a part of our daily realities in the future.

• How did the pandemic transform the travel industry?
• What role has and will technology play in the recovery of travel?
• What role does technology have in ensuring vaccines are equitably distributed around the world, and not just to tourist hubs?

Financial services is an industry which is ripe for leveraging technology as a competitive advantage. Organizations able to provide faster, more secure, and customer-centric financial services through technological innovation will thrive. This panel gathers a range of expertise across financial technology and operations to discuss how technology is transforming this highly regulated industry.

Saul will share how disruptive technologies are being tested and applied at scale to transform employee and customer experiences in financial services.

We have been discussing consumer behavior shifting to online for a long time, but nothing prepared us for the almost overnight shift that took place due to the pandemic. Now that everyone is online, the solutions and services needed to replicate and improve on familiar offline experiences need to match customer expectations, as well as elevate that experience with tools that can empower consumers and merchants alike. The future is a seamless experience that caters to users’ needs and wants in the right medium and at the right time.

• Why did you launch a buy-now-pay-later solution for the region in 2020?
• How can merchants improve their use of technology to optimize their customer experiences throughout the journey from exploration to repeat sales?
• What new opportunities are there to elevate financial wellbeing for consumers through technology that was not possible in the 5 years?

Global, borderless, open-source technologies that aim to make the world a better place cannot disregard their impact on the environment. As blockchain will rapidly obtain mainstream adoption, there are increasing concerns about the expanding carbon footprint of this industry, Bitcoin as an example. This Fireside Chat provides insight into the environmentally friendly practices led by Algorand and how it serves as a vital tool to boost sustainability in the blockchain space.

• Identify the underlying reasons of traditional blockchain projects regarding their high carbon footprint.
• How can blockchain power sustainable development and even offset carbon footprint?
• What opportunities are there in the blockchain space for the projects which are seeking a sustainable technology solution?

The global energy transition will require accelerated deployment of new and emerging technologies. Technology historically has been a core strength of the oil and gas industry, but transformational capabilities won’t develop overnight. This discussion addresses strategies from Chevron and the industry to nurture innovation and leverage cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to enable a lower-carbon future.

Technology ranging from carbon reduction to solar panels can help us all live greener lives. This panel discussion gathers a diverse selection of world experts to discuss technology’s role in helping us achieve net zero.

Technology has the potential to help humanity produce enough food for our planet’s population, support the restoration of our eco-system and facilitate regenerative agriculture. This panel gathers experts across food and agriculture to examine how we can shift to a circular business for a healthier planet and population.

The future of sustainable farming is here. Controlled-environment agriculture (CEA)is set to serve the underserved billions who have historically heavily relied on imports from other markets for 70%+ of their food needs. With fast-growing populations, growing middle classes, and climate change threatening traditional food production methods, the import-dependent, climate-challenged countries are exposed to potential future food shortages. CEA has a role to deliver these nations true and tangible food security, to conserve fresh water, to diversify their economies (often natural resource-driven wealth engines), and to offer more sustainable, higher-quality, safer, and tastier fruits and vegetables.

• Discover how innovations in both technology and capital markets have made possible agriculture solutions that make economic food production possible virtually anywhere.
• Identify the fundamental drivers that influence the competitiveness of CEA farming methods versus more traditional farming methods, and how will this change with time?
• Uncover what can versus should be produced in CEA solutions in each region of the world, and what opportunities does this present to both investors and entrepreneurs

Artificial Intelligence is a commonly misunderstood yet hugely powerful technology which will transform our lives in the near future. It is crucial that the stories we tell ourselves and others about AI, as well as the strategies organizations implement to leverage this technology, are transparent, ethical and serve wider society. This panel will gather a range of experts to discuss how algorithmic decision-making systems can be used in a safe, sustainable and ethical way.

In a world of ever increasing cyberattacks and government regulation, privacy and information security have never been more important. This panel gathers leading experts from big tech to address the consumer and regulatory issues on rights we all have to control our personal information, how it's used and how it’s protected.