Giannis Mastrogeorgiou from Delphi: The cataclysmic changes on the planet “ask” to change the way of approaching the future

Humanity is today in a phase of transition to a new, very different world, with shifts in geopolitical power, significant demographic changes and strong challenges in the field of energy, climate crisis and technology, which requires us to differentiate ourselves in the same way, with which we approach and face the future.

This assessment, at a time when the looming end of the pandemic served as a prelude to a war, was expressed today, from the 7th step Delphi Economic ForumGiannis Mastrogeorgiou, Special Secretary for Strategic Foresight in the Presidency of the Greek Government.

“We need to look at the future as a mindset and not as a time frame, that is, as a time horizon. There is no linear evolution of the future, it is not a given and self-evident that things will go better. We need to incorporate into our mentality that the “business as usual” (jobs as usual) is over, that the “back to normal” of 2017, 2018 or 2019 must be forgotten and adapted to the new conditions Pointed out Mr. Mastrogeorgiou.

He added that because the future has not yet been created, we can build it much better. “We also have the opportunity to borrow from the future, to borrow the good developments that we want to see happen and to pursue them,” he said, adding that in a period of catastrophic change, the strategic foresight, which is trying to detect with optimize potential trends and ensure better preparation for the future by considering alternative scenarios based on the “what if”, is an innovation in public administration, politics and the way of thinking and creating policies.

In this direction, two months ago, as he reminded, on the initiative of the Prime Minister, the new special secretariat for long-term planning was established, which in cooperation with international organizations such as the EU, OECD and UNESCO tries to detect future trends, growth and so-called “weak signals”.

Six fields, in which the transition “deepens”

Mr. Mastrogeorgiou presented six more fields, in which a large part of the process of transition to a new world takes place: energy, climate crisis, geopolitical shift of power, fragmentation of the world scene, demographics, evolution of technology and artificial intelligence.

In the field of geopolitics, he pointed out that in his opinion the most important shift of power takes place between the USA and China. “Large international organizations and institutions need to prepare for a changing new world, shifting geopolitical power – and for demographic reasons – to Southeast Asia,” he said.

In terms of climate crisis, pointed out that Greece – as well as the entire Southeastern Mediterranean – will be in a difficult situation, while in the field of demographics he estimated: “The evolution of demographic change throughout the world will not be equal. In Europe and the western world the population will decline, while in African countries there will be a rapid increase. “By 2050, it is estimated that there will be 2 billion people on the African continent and if conditions are not good and there is no security and development, they will be forced to relocate,” he said.

Regarding the evolution of technology and Artificial Intelligence, Mr. Mastrogeorgiou pointed out that this will not only affect production and development, but also man himself: “Our relationship with smart machines and algorithm is entering a new stage. We will be called to answer what differentiates us from the machines, to put aside the rivalry with the algorithm. According to Apple’s Tim Cook, technology can do great things, but it’s not interested in doing anything. This (what he will do) is a matter for us, a matter of defining our relationship with the machine “, concluded Mr. Mastrogeorgiou.

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