Change-makers gathered at “DAY ONE” to start an inclusive and revolutionary digital future from the Principality

“Don’t do the good thing; do the brave thing” is just the title of a recent spot conceived and narrated by Lee Clow, world advertising agent guru, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of TBWA\Chiat\Day Multinational Ad Agency. Inspired by these words, Denis Jacquet, digitally and socially engaged entrepreneur and author, created a movement addressed to fearless and smart people aimed at building up a peer to peer decision process.  In this way, they can make a human platform where to debate how society is able to better cohabit with technology in the most proactive, inclusive and balanced way. A powerful message that is meant to release its energies through concrete actions, most of them already started, as testified by the first-edition Day One international panel, under the high patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, held at the Grimaldi Forum on the 29th and 30th November 2018. An inspiring Multimedia Arena, resulting from a more than 5-month preparation, where thoughts and ideas turned into real actions and commitments.

“At Day One, tomorrow starts now, therefore there is no more YOU and US, but WE, altogether, to help the world adapt at the moment”, highlighted Mr Jacquet reflecting the spirit of his Movement open to any motivational feedback regardless of age and field of expertise. Political crisis, lack of jobs because of robotics, climate change effects, social disruptions are only some of the greatest problems we currently have to face in our everyday life. Should we delegate any action to IT equipment? Are we going to be overwhelmed by our smartphones? Do we want to remain human?

It is no coincidence if the great start of this ambitious “man-centred-revolutionary” wave was kicked off from the Principality being at the centre of an unprecedented sustainable development reconversion and digital transformation. Day One movement can really represent a major driving force to keep the world a liveable place by improving its lifestyle and putting high-tech and robotics at the service of human needs and not vice versa. The Prince Sovereign firmly believes in it as testified by His visit to the roundtable section as well as the Gouvernment Princier. The Monegasque digital transition passes through a human-centric connectivity, an ambitious approach to reinvent, starting from its heritage, as well as an open-minded intellectual humility, as stressed by H.E. Jean Castellini, Minister of Finance & Economy. Monaco is working to set up its digital identity being aware that platforms have no value without creating economic, educational, health, mobility and administrative services able to put the Principality in the digital map, as underlined by H.E. Frédéric Genta, Country Chief Digital Officer.

Day One event, in fact, offered the international audience of visionary business man, media partners, NGOs and supporters the unique opportunity to receive feedbacks from first adaptation process movers, major global leaders and founders of start-ups ready to build up mutually beneficial partnerships all around the world with special regard to relations between Europe and Africa, a Continent that can play a crucial role in the digital sector, in the mid-term perspective.

Therefore, Digital Transition is the greatest human transformation after the Industrial Revolution, which affects every societal boundary through “drone” invasions, smart cities or blockchain wider application, just to name some. As a matter of fact, not everyone is prepared to adapt to it, also depending on being digital or non-digital natives. How do we better react to this tech shift?

The imperative feedback of all inputs on stage was that triggering a change is attainable with everyone’s contribution. Thus, Day One project is talking about the starting up of a new era as if we were on our very first day of life, pointed out Leila Ghandi, TV producer and announcer, master of ceremony of the 2-day event. So, let us experience a virtual tour on Day One focusing on the main issues dealt with in the first-edition series of smart speeches.

HelloMonaco: what can we expect from a society increasingly influenced by high-tech?

In order to guarantee a sustainable evolution of a modern society we need to find a proper balance between technology and human spirituality to help social development and to avoid losing contact with real life by taking shelter in the inconsistent loneliness of the digital virtual world. In a nutshell, we should “re-politicize” technology, making room for human lead! “It is not good for Man to be alone”, as duly mentioned in the Genesis (Eric Salobir, Roman catholic priest and president of Optic Technology). We have also to keep “humanity” in approaching to any science debunking the modern “myth” that nothing is riskier today as a result of using computers instead of humans (Aubrey De Grey, chief science officer and co-founder of Sens Research Foundation).

Keeping our free choice as human beings is crucial to better improve our relations with high tech machines to improve their performances towards a good direction. Education and long-life learning will be increasingly considered as pro-active pillars to allow people “learn how to learn” under a continuous change of job qualification requirements (Jonathan Chocqueel-Mangan, chief strategy officer at Pearson).

HelloMonaco: What can we do to take advantage from a robotic future instead of being enslaved by artificial intelligence?

Digital Future is already a present situation where Big Data collection and management are often considered as valuable as “oil” used to be, in the past. A critical point to face urgently is to make people trust data quality and increase their awareness going beyond their business profitability through proper regulations and public-private responsible corporate supports (Yarrow Kraner, founder of Hatch). Transparency must be protected from a governmental level to give a precise indication on data ownership of any kind of data, including digital health to increase everyone’s well-being.

All companies should rethink the way of acting professionally encouraging people to work together for other people benefit as NGO’s and Banks started to do in India to boost green productions, following the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals targets (Antoine Sire, director of the company engagement department, BNP PARIBAS).

Managing private data could be the chance to keep people more “human” respecting their dignity, intimacy and family values (Clémentine Piazza, founder of INMEMORI, the first market place dedicated to commemorations). From a legal point of view, international jurisdictions have to value human soft skills, besides (or more than) technical ones, to keep diversity in cultural backgrounds, so enriching ourselves (Steven Donziger, Lawyer partner and founder, Donziger and Associates). From a financial point of view, we have to rebuild the world investment system via a direct coordinated engagement with local communities, being aware that any action we take has social & environmental impacts. It is all an act of will (Elisabeth Corley, former CEO at Allianz GA). Consequently, people will always need to be aware of their professional skills before delegating to machines and to keep the future scenarios under human control (Julien Muresiano, CEO at Jalgos).

Finally, a digital future has also to respond to the human need of “zero emission” multimodality to allow, for example, passengers and commuters to move faster in total security, offering them more leisure time to spend with families and friends (Jacques Richier, CEO at Allianz and Alexandre Viros, CEO at SNCF).

In conclusion, Jean-Dominique Senard, CEO at Michelin, underlined that digitalization is in the background and we have to cope with it staying always optimistic though digital transition that is not considered positive for part of public opinion. Social, political and economic cooperation is fundamental to bypass any distrust and convert tech revolution into a driving force to push new intermodal means of transport, sustainable actions and new job opportunities to keep people first in modern society, being fully respectful of new generations. Let us keep future in our hands!

To learn more on Day One or join the Movement please visit the official website: www.dayone-event.com