Re-wiring for Democracy: Can We Build Tech Sovereignty from the Ground Up?
Friday, 24 April
15:00 – 16:30
Room: Brel
In a volatile world with democracy under pressure, the idea of technological sovereignty is gaining traction. But what does this actually mean in practice? – and where should we begin? A Green vision for technological sovereignty must go beyond asking who controls the technologies we use to consider how and where technologies can be put at the service of our democratic societies. In this interactive session, practitioners across research, civil society and citizen perspectives will outline their perspectives on the paths forward.
Speakers
Jean Cattan, Future of Tech Institute (FOTI), former Head of the National Initiative, Café IA; former Secretary General of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technology Council
Jean Cattan is currently the Of Counsel at the Future of Tech Institute (FOTI). In the past, he has served as Secretary General of the French Digital Council (Conseil national du numérique), head of the national “Café IA” initiative, advisor to the chairman of Arcep (the French telecom regulator), and lecturer in digital law and regulation at several higher education institutions, including Sciences Po Paris and the University of Panthéon-Assas. He holds a PhD in public law and is the co-author, with Serge Abiteboul, of Nous sommes les réseaux sociaux (Odile Jacob, September 2022), as well as around sixty articles dedicated to digital regulation. From 2021 to 2025, he oversaw all publications of the French Digital Council, including around a dozen major reports.
Karen Boers, FARI, the Brussels AI Institute for the Common Good
Karen is a serial social impact entrepreneur. Building on the experience from creating the Belgian and European startup associations Startups.be and European Startup Network as well as the unique tech education hub BeCentral and the disruptive coding school BeCode, she strives to create scalable and sustainable projects with a societal purpose. For the past 3 years, she headed the joint ULB-VUB initiative FARI, the AI Center for the Common Good, ensuring local stakeholders can benefit maximally from the expertise on Artificial Intelligence, data and robotics available in the region.
Alice Stollmeyer, Executive Director, Defend Democracy
Alice Stollmeyer is Founder & Executive Director of Defend Democracy, a nonpartisan NGO defending democracy from foreign, domestic and technological threats. Alice has a background in social studies of science, technology and society. A former policy adviser, she now works at the geopolitical nexus of democracy, security and technology, in particular on hybrid threats. Besides leading Defend Democracy, Alice is on the Steering Group of the Netherlands Democracy Coalition and she is an associated expert of the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Centre.
Moderator: Namita Kambli, Project Lead, Centre for Future Generations
Namita applies a social and environmental lens to the governance of emerging technologies. Her goal is to ensure both people and the planet have a fair shot in decision-making – now and in the future.
