Techplomacy

[rslade]

Denmark has created a "Tech Ambassador."  What does he do?

"TechPlomacy is an acknowledgement of the key role that technology and digitalisation plays and will increasingly play in the future for individuals and societies alike."  But what does he do?

"We need a stronger multi-stakeholder discussion on how we want these new technologies to shape our societies in the future. This requires us to rethink the relationship between governments, civil society and the private sector."  But what does he do?

"In the view of the Danish Government, this necessitates that we establish a formal diplomatic platform in order to engage in dialogue and collaboration on a broad range of topics with the tech-industry. Tech Ambassador Casper Klynge and his global team will therefore work to build strategic partnerships and engage directly with tech-hubs, governments, international organizations, civil society, cities, regions, world-class universities and other stakeholders. Concrete initiatives cut across foreign and security policy, including cyber, development policy, export and investment promotion, and a range of sector policies. The opportunities and challenges of the technology agenda will be pursued and addressed in bilateral relations with other countries and in the EU and multilateral fora."  OK, there's a lot of talking going on ...

I watched the CBC's interview with Casper Klynge, and it seems he is fairly knowledgeable about commerce stats and business leaders, but I detect a lack of any real understanding about technology itself.  And that could be a problem.  We have, over the years, seen numerous instances of governments trying to legislate for, or address, problems in technology, only to make the situation worse because they don't really understand it ...