Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1017392
OPINION maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 AUGUST 2018 8 THE National Youth Coun- cil's second edition of the Innovation and Technology Fair is around the corner. As a Council, this is is the second time we are organizing it, and it falls directly under my re- sponsibility as a National Of- ficer. The original idea behind the fair was to host an event with the primarily involvement of youths for youths. Encourag- ing youths across the island to come forward with their ide- as, projects and start up busi- nesses, and showcase them in order to increase awareness about what is going on in the sector. We also sometimes found that such initiatives are not properly advertised or showcased and that youths struggle to get recognised for their work. Unlike last year, this year the event will take place in the newly refurbished Tritoni area with the aim to reach out to a diverse and larger public. The event is not aimed at just youth. It is however a youth led initiative. Another variation over the previous edition is the idea to have keynote speeches and a debate. These will start around six. The debate will ad- dress Malta's vision on tech- nology. Is it outward looking? Malta has its limitations, we lack natural resources which we can make use of, however we have a strong workforce. Legislation quickly changes to accommodate new mar- kets, sometimes putting us at the forefront of such legisla- tion. This gives the country a competitive edge. However the workforce needs to catch up with such developments so as to address the shortages. Is Malta's vision on technology a holistic one? Therefore does it take into account the vari- ous aspects not just the eco- nomic and legislative? The debate will also deal with artificial intelligence and its impact on youth jobs. A topic which we find is not adequately addressed. What happens when cheaper ma- chines can replace youth in the workforce? How are we to address this? Are our in- ventions replacing us? Should we consider it as threat? Such questions will be addressed during the debate. We shall then discuss how artificial in- telligence will impact our fu- ture. The ideas are not as far- fetched as they may sound. Many jobs have changed while others have become to- tally obsolete with the com- ing of machines. It is impor- tant to start speaking on such issues and address them seri- ously. Especially when they will impact our future. We do not want to enter in a world completely unprepared. On the other hand AI has im- proved our lives and opened up new avenues which pre- viously did not exist. But are the new opportunities making up for the amount of jobs that were lost to machines? Another aspect to be cov- ered, and no awards in guess- ing that, is bitcoin. Malta's vision on technology has al- ways been on the forefront. Whether it was iGaming to blockchain. From a legisla- tive and academic perspec- tive we consider Malta to be a key player in such fields. Technology in that sense re- shaped our economy from a financial perspective opening new niches in a natural re- source limited country with lots of human talent. This led to companies moving to the island and opening shop here, at the same time various new work opportunities opened for youth. This would have not been possible without the instance response of the insti- tutions especially educational ones that responded to the de- mands made by the markets. Dr Joshua Ellul from the University of Malta who is specialised in Blockchain will be joining us on the day as well as Dylan Seychell who is specialised in Artificial Intel- ligence and Computer Vision. With Dr Ellul we shall dis- cuss the transition of Maltese economy from iGaming to blockchain technology. Over the past years we have heard a lot of talk about Blockchain, but do we really understand what it really means? What will its impact be on our economy? How is the country transitioning from iGaming to blockchain? Such ques- tions will be addressed in the debate. As you have probably guessed up to now, is that the success of this event, depends on the active participation from the public. Many have been preparing for the event itself, finalizing the material for the stands and are ready to meet you in order to ex- plain what they have been doing. Moreover the informa- tive panel debate will also give one the opportunity to pose questions on the topics and experts will be ready to answer your queries. Last but not least, we did take into ac- count that some, may be into gaming, and we have a corner set up for that purpose. Jasmine Farrugia is National Officer of the Kunsill Nazz- jonali taż-Żgħażagħ The National Youth Coun- cil (KNZ) and its member organisations have been invited to submit opinion articles on topics affecting youths today. The contents of the article do not neces- sarily reflect the opinion of the Council What happens when cheaper machines can replace youth in the workforce? How are we to address this? Are our inventions replacing us? Sunday is about youth innovation Jasmine Farrugia