Global Perspectives on Technology and Society

What does a pianist have to say about artificial intelligence? Quite a lot I learned. Thanks to the Aspen Institute España's Tech & Society Seminar, I heard about AI's impact on music and the effects of geopolitics on musicians' rights across different countries.

Madrid welcomed me with open arms last year as I joined the Aspen Institute Españateam for the Collaboration Program hosted by the Aspen Institute International Partners Program. The Aspen Institute, a global non-profit, has a network spanning across 15 different countries. I had the pleasure of embarking on a week-long learning experience with our Spain team to support the Tech & Society Seminar hosted in May 2024. As the Aspen Institute seeks to create a just society by improving dialogue, international networks can help foster social trust through diverse perspectives.

Hosted in a royal villa outside of Madrid, the Tech & Society Seminar: Geopolitics, Security, and Disruptive Technology, brought together leaders from a wide range of sectors, including representatives from corporate, financial, non-profit, and governmental/military backgrounds. The Seminar explored a wide variety of subjects - trending topics, classic parables, world politics, on top of music and AI.

The seminar discussions raised questions about where Europe and Spain can place themselves in the global discussion with the rise of two large competitors - the US and China. As the US debates AI and privacy laws, Spain needs to analyze how it can balance its European values and morals around the protection of people's privacy rights, without fearing "losing the race."

As Spain analyzes where to place itself, it needs to balance pressure from its neighbors amidst rising nationalism and increasing tensions across Europe. To combat this, it matters how younger generations are educated around China as a competitor. Ultimately, the conversation decided that the country with the most prepared youth will drive its society forward. Investing in the youth of one's country ensures that social trust is created as they are prepared to later lead a globally competitive nation.

This discussion resonated with the work of Aspen Latinos, where we focus on fostering economic mobility for Latinos in the United States, fueled by the understanding that American-Latino youth needs to be prepared to drive the country forward. With 1 in 4 Gen Z and Gen Alpha in the United States identifying as Hispanic/Latino, making Latinos one of the youngest cohorts in the United States, investing in their preparation guarantees that the country remains globally competitive, and ready to handle a technology-driven economy. Without preparing this segment of the population, the US will risk losing many advantages, including social trust. Throughout different initiatives focusing on fostering digital equity for Latinos in the United States, Aspen Latinos has highlighted important efforts that are underway toward preparing this group, as well as the progress needed to bridge any gaps. My work with the Hunt-Aspen Fellowshipdoubles down on these preparation efforts with established and rising leaders from the Borderplex Region in El Paso, Texas. Leaders who go through the Hunt Fellowship experience commit to contribute to the region's development, maintaining a competitive binational Mexico-American economy.

The seminar also included the role of governments in regulating innovation, given the power that corporations have, oftentimes holding access to more information than the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). To many American mindsets, it's clear that corporations should drive innovation, but do we spend enough time on the question of whether these companies should overpower the State? This type of regulation is something commonly experienced in the European Union (EU), whether it is privacy policies or how cookies are collected. Is it time for the American government to think of a Charter of Digital Rights, much like Spain has published?

While our society balances the question of innovation and protection, it is key to remember that positive geopolitical relationships held between EU nations provide artists like musicians security through a reciprocal agreement for intellectual property. As I heard more about the European values in the 2024 EU Artificial Intelligence Act, I also learned artists can choose whether their works can be part of data mining and training that informs AI models. The role of AI and technology in our society has profound implications.

Inequities and Technology:

Digital rights and inequities exacerbated by technology were another important topic of discussion. The Seminar leaned on Ursula Le Guin's Omelasparable, which uses the metaphor of a child trapped in a basement to guarantee the rest of society a utopia, to better understand and address these issues. By applying the parable, debates sparked around how to find the trapped child in our Omelas world to foster a more just and equitable society. To some of the roundtable participants, the trapped child in our society is mental health, often overlooked and sacrificed at the altar of technological progress. I find the race for technological progress in the United States often comes at the expense of underserved communities who are poorly represented in the tech industry, and are often negatively affected by algorithmic biases.

These conversations are in line with the global mission of the Aspen Institute: fostering dialogue while creating a just society. If the United States is going to address its own metaphorical "child trapped" in the basement, fostering thoughtful nonpartisan conversations can help individuals and communities deeper explore the issue. Aspen Latinos's work with economic mobility and digital equity attempts to ensure American Latinos are not left behind in efforts to advance society. Understanding the needs of underserved communities reinforces in leaders to reflect, design and implement tech policy that includes consumer protections or open pathways for all in society to thrive.

Takeaways:

My return to the US left me with a few clear things. First, I made newfound transatlantic friends at Aspen Spain who share similar values and passions in addressing some of our most pressing global issues. Second, this immersion gave me a fresh perspective to better understand nuances that influence Aspen Latinos' work around preparing underserved communities in the United States. As our country enters a new era, global competitors might shift, however, our dedication to improving our society should not - the proverbial child in our basement needs to be saved. Finally, we should use the knowledge gleaned from technological progress to reflect on how we serve our communities and use it to further create a just and equitable society. Societal-technological progress is an inevitable must. The question we must all ponder is: What role will we play to address the challenges facing our underserved communities and how do we turn these into transformative opportunities?