American Philosopher Eric Hoffer has been quoted, “In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” With the new year that just started, what issues will continue to influence our life in 2024? How will we be adjusting ourselves to disruption of all sorts? How can we build resilience and thrive in the face of disruption?
The idea of disruption doesn’t necessarily have a negative connotation, although the change it implies is often unwelcome. The key question is, how do we handle disruptions? How can we adopt an intentional mindset when dealing with disruption? Are we willing to shift our minds and behaviors and understand disruptions as possibilities? Are we able to adapt and take disruptions as an opportunity to grow, to expand our horizons, to accept other ways of thinking? Are we ready to step out of our comfort zone and challenge our beliefs and assumptions? How can we turn disruptions into a positive impact and extraordinary innovations?
How do we navigate digital disruptions, in particular? Digital disruption encompasses almost all areas of life: The emergence of AI-supported systems, as seen in smart devices such as the smartwatch you use when going jogging, a robot vacuum cleaner, AI in mobility (think GPS-devices, autonomous systems); AI in the medical field. Are we willing to learn to understand the new technologies behind it? How can we ensure that the advancement of the new technologies is in line with our ethical values? How can we ensure that the new technologies are safe and trustworthy? Or, as Digital Anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush asked in her keynote at Kulturpalast Dresden in October last year: Are we holding ourselves accountable for the impact of our technology?
Johanna Wolter, M.A., Project Manager at Barkhausen Institut
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