Konstantinos Karachalios

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Strategic Advisor for IEEE Executive Director (USA), Former Managing Director, IEEE Standards Association

Title of talk: Leadership Strategies for Innovation and Technology in the Age of Ubiquitous and Permanent Connectedness

Abstract:
At the same time, these same technologies and platforms are used to operate sophisticated invasive techniques of tracking us and everything we do and see, creating thus a historically unprecedented power asymmetry with very visible fault lines of monumental scale and consequences. Meanwhile, two of the most critical collateral damages generated by such platforms threaten to take down entire societies, if not humanity at large. The first is the ongoing deconstruction of the demos through socio-technical systems that deliberately and successfully promote the re-emergence of tribes. These new tribes undermine the cohesion of the collective of active citizens, without which democracy degenerates to an empty euphemism. To find the second, I am asking the ones who have children under the age of 18 to think what is the biggest problem they are facing. I bet that most will say “we cannot get our children off their smartphone screens”. Meanwhile, more than 20% of children are clinically addicted (admittedly, adults too, but this is a different problem). I say that we, the technoscientific communities who are building these systems and platforms cannot pretend anymore that we have nothing to do with the outcome of what we are creating. The question is not one of symbolic repentance. The ones who understand the issues at stake must join forces with legislators and regulators, who are desperately trying to correct the anomalies we are creating at an accelerated speed. Only then there is hope for reversing and attenuating the tsunamis we have set in motion. In my presentation I will bring concrete examples of what is happening at a worldwide scale and what has been IEEE’s role in this fight.
Short Bio:
A globally recognized leader in standards development and intellectual property, Prof. Dr Ing. Konstantinos Karachalios was the managing director of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE SA) and a member of the IEEE Management Council. As the leader of an organization that impacts the lives and imaginations of almost every person on earth, he was constantly pushing the global techno-scientific community to accept their share of responsibility for the outcomes of the socio-technical systems we create. This involves challenging and reframing the commonly-held belief that science and technology are neutral, and instead adopting a paradigm of enhanced awareness and holistic responsibility. To this end, he worked to create appropriate methods and tools to move from principles and good intentions to practically implemented frameworks and solutions. For example, his efforts have contributed to the proliferation of “AI Ethics” and technology ethics more generally, as well as the passage of legislation around Age-Appropriate Design Codes in the UK, California, Maryland and most recently Indonesia. These codes seek to protect children’s online data and pave the way for global governance systems for ICT platforms and the internet as a whole, moving beyond its “wild west” era. Recently, Konstantinos has taken the Chair role for a new pioneering initiative - Resilient Futures Consortium (RFC), a worldwide alliance of visionary organizations and individuals, united by the urgent need to address the multifaceted challenges that define our time. RFC’s mission is to inspire action, facilitate knowledge exchange, promote agency, and advocate for standards and policies that ensure a prosperous future for all. The first coalition was initiated in partnership with OECD, UNESCO, AI Commons, and IEEE SA and other partners as a global challenge, to be launched in late 2024: Building Trust in the Age of Generative AI. Before IEEE, Konstantinos played a crucial role in successful French-German cooperation in coordinated research and scenario simulation for large-scale nuclear reactor accidents. And with the European Patent Office, his experience included establishing EPO’s patent academy, the department for delivering technical assistance for developing countries and the public policy department, serving as an envoy to multiple U.N. organizations.