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The session will explore how advances in technology are impacting social interactions and human behaviour particularly in a country with strong traditions and deeply ingrained patterns of thinking. Digital technologies carry the promise of democratising societies, empowering marginalised sections of society and opening up new opportunities for women. These trends are already apparent in India. However, there are also certain negative aspects to the use of these technologies which may strain the social fabric and even undermine the institutions and processes of a democratic state. The session will aim to address some of these very topical issues and promote a well-informed public discourse with particular reference to India.
Due to unavoidable circumstances, we have some changes in the panel. The panel for this discussion is as follows:
Chair: Ambassador Shyam Saran- Life Trustee, India International Centre
Speakers:
Mr Osama Manzar- Founder & Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation
Dr Sunil Abraham- Vice-President, Mozilla Foundation
Ms Yamini Aiyar- President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research
The talk will be livestreamed on the IIC website; available on Facebook-live on the Metamorphoses Facebook page; and video recordings will be available on YouTube, as well as disseminated through social media channels hosted on the Metamorphoses website. The promotional video for Metamorphoses can be accessed here.
Questions will be taken on a special number through SMS, provided at the venue, and selected ones will be answered given time constraints.
Metamorphoses is a modest effort to try and bridge the gap between digital technologies, which are transforming our lives, and our understanding of their multiple dimensions. It will unfold in a series of nine interactions covering different aspects of the digital revolution.
This series will examine the impacts of digital technologies on the human psyche and on societies – exploring ways in which some of the negative elements may be mitigated. There will be a peep into the future – of what machine learning and artificial intelligence may bring to human experience – and the moral and ethical dilemma associated with these. It will also delve into issues relating to data privacy and cyber security as well as the emerging legal regime to regulate this critical domain.