ONLY 39 YEARS OLD, AUTHOR OF “IS AN ALGORITHM GOING TO REPLACE YOU?”, SEASONED ADVISER TO INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE, CONGRESS, AND THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, AMONGST OTHERS. SHE IS A LEADER IN THE HINTERLAND SHARED BY ECONOMY, TECHNOLOGY, AND HEART, TO ENSURE THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION PROTECTS DEMOCRACIES. “WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROMISES OF WELL-BEING AND PROGRESS THAT UNDERPIN THE SOCIAL CONTRACT ARE KEPT”. LUCÍA VELASCO DIRECTOR OF THE SPANISH NATIONAL OBSERVATORY FOR TECH AND SOCIETY “Infrastructure can be an enormous economic multiplier” Europe has placed its hopes in digitalization in a way that has never been seen in economic history... To progress we need ambition, and techno-logy has potential that we are incapable of imagining. It is vital that we align our efforts. We all need to face the same direction to be stronger, and that is what the European Commission is doing with its Digital Decade itinerary for 2030. It has set a specific se-ries of digital objectives, but it’s also gua-ranteeing green digitalization, putting peo-ple at its heart and respecting European values. You can never be too optimistic, and right now we need it more than ever. Is there a direct relationship between business digitalization and better results? The competitive difference comes from digital ability and advanced use of tech because, amongst many other things, it allows you to reach clients more effectively, quickly and in a more personalized way. The risk is in not knowing how to prioritize digital initiatives within a company and not measuring their return. Will infrastructure that is more digitalized and sustainable be more expensive? Innovation should help us to find new ma-terials and tech to ensure we use them more efficiently. The price of materials is usually conditioned by geopolitical factors rather than shortages. Are they essential to restarting the economy? Infrastructure can be an enormous eco-nomic multiplier which not only creates jobs and wealth locally, but also continues providing dividends to the economy long after the initial project has come to an end. But it is also key to growth, whether physi-cal infrastructure such as transport, ports, motorways, or digital infrastructure. The problem is that there is little innovation in this area and financing is often scarce. A couple of years ago, the World Economic Forum forecast a deficit of 15 billion dollars between expected investment and the amount needed to provide adequate global infrastructure by 2040. How can we ensure some parts of society don’t get left behind? The digital transition does involve the transformation of many tasks and of some professionals, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t find alternatives. It’s wrong to think that we are going to create an eco-nomy of engineers, with no space for the rest, because there is probably a need for more engineers and especially female en-gineers, and for more people to look after others or to help them make many of their daily decisions. We must make sure that everyone has their place in society. The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk thinks that “hard times are coming for those who live modern life” ... He also says that anger surges where di-sappointment is imposed. And that di-sappointment grows when promises are broken. That’s why we must make sure we keep the promises about progress and we-ll-being that underpin the social contract. Democracy needs optimism to stay afloat and confidence that it is us who make the times. Even extreme weather caused by climate change. © Samuel Sánchez