ASTANA – Leading international futurists and experts discussed a synchronized vision of humanity’s future, based on principles of harmony and synergy given the rapid development of technology, at the CONNECTED-2024: Conceptualizing the Vision of the Future international conference, which took place on Oct. 18-19 in the Kazakh capital.
Teams from Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Poland and Uzbekistan participated in the competition with a prize fund of $50,000 equally distributed among five winners. Photo credit: CONNECTED
According to the data following the event, over 2,000 delegates from 27 countries participated in the conference, including representatives from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain, South Korea, Singapore, Tajikistan, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, the United States, and the United Kingdom, reported the event’s press service.
According to Ruslan Zhemkov, co-founder of the conference and general producer, the CONNECTED conference united talented thinkers worldwide. Photo credit: CONNECTED
Serik Tolukpayev, the general sponsor of the event, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of the AITAS holding, pointed out that every person is currently going through a stage of uncertainty because the world has changed significantly.
“The world is torn by major problems, conflicts at the levels of geopolitics, religion, and ideology. The most important question we tried to answer together with the speakers is what should people do with their ego? I sincerely hope we continue to seek answers to this question. At the very least, we should pave the way for this search. Our main task is to show the world that there is a community in Kazakhstan that is thinking about the future 20-30 years ahead. This is a very important mission – to understand what world will replace the one we live in today. I firmly believe that the future world should be governed by human values. The new world primarily needs harmony,” he stated.
The CONNECTED conference was held in an Open Mind format, allowing participants to embrace new ideas, critically reassess their beliefs, and learn from others.
The event brought together over 2,000 delegates from 27 countries. Photo credit: CONNECTED
As the organizers note, this approach enables participants to see the interconnections between different areas of life, fosters creative thinking, and effectively addresses complex problems, as well as strengthens empathy and cooperation in a diverse world.
“Responsibility towards the world, respect for people, benefits for society, care for the environment, and investment in education and the development of future generations are not just abstract concepts existing in people’s minds. For our organizing team, these are a part of our DNA. We strive to prove and demonstrate this both within our country and to the rest of the world. Therefore, during the CONNECTED conference, our goal was to unite talented thinkers from various countries on one platform,” emphasized Ruslan Zhemkov, co-founder of the conference and general producer.
Event speakers
One of the headliners of the event was Yuval Noah Harari, a historian, futurist, and bestselling author on the future of humanity. One of the key questions he answered was what technologies represent in the vision of the future – good or evil, tools for creation or destructive forces. According to him, the danger lies in the possibility that one day Artificial Intelligence may begin to create its own values.
Yuval Noah Harari, a historian, futurist, and bestselling author on the future of humanity, spoke about the AI risks. Photo credit: CONNECTED
“For thousands of years, we humans have lived within a human world, where everything around us, from physical artifacts to financial, religious, and political systems, has been a product of human consciousness. Nothing else on Earth could invent such things. But now, Artificial Intelligence can begin to invent new types of values across all spheres — from financial systems to religion. We need to understand now what will happen to governments and human society when people lose control over such essential elements as political or financial systems,” Harari said.
Also, among the headliners of the conference was a Swiss futurist, humanist, and author of the book “Technology vs. Humanity” Gerd Leonhard. Leonhard gave a talk to the participants titled “Humans and Machines, Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence: The World by 2030”.
According to him, AI is broadly applicable technology, much like fire or printing presses. It is also a new technological platform that can become either a paradise or a hell, depending on whether these tools will dominate us or whether the human telos (purpose and meaning) will prevail. Leonhard believes that the more power and capabilities we have, the more wisdom we will need.
Swiss futurist, humanist, and author of the “Technology vs. Humanity” book Gerd Leonhard was among the headliners of the conference. Photo credit: CONNECTED
“We must embrace new opportunities while protecting and preserving our humanity. We need to redefine values and goals that go beyond increasing efficiency or financial gains. In the coming era of AI, we will be valued not for our ability to manage technologies or become faster with their help, but for our androrhythms – our unique human skills and qualities,” said Leonhard.
The conference also hosted a competition for ambitious EdTech startups from Central Asia and Eastern Europe called Startup Battle. Teams from Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Poland and Uzbekistan participated, with a prize fund of $50,000 equally distributed among five winners.
In the future, the CONNECTED conference will aim to become a permanent global discussion platform where agents of change from various sectors of society will discuss major global narratives and the challenges they pose.
The general sponsor of CONNECTED is AITAS – the leading agro-industrial holding in the country. The strategic partners of the event include the Foundation for Sustainable Development of Education, the Kazakh Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Kazakh Ministry of Education.
