IGF 2020 Pre-Event #54 Digitisation of the economy and society - an antidote to the international economic crisis?

The coronavirus pandemic has shown that the future of the global economy will be determined by its digitisation and a new approach to society's digital skills. Thanks to the accelerated digitisation process, business will be able to get back on its feet and give impetus to the recovering economy. The economic crisis, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, is the result of many bad patterns - most companies, even in times of prosperity, rely on a traditional work model that does not make full use of the possibilities offered by digital tools. Companies working in models based on offline activities have already, for the most part, reached the maximum efficiency level, and further search for development paths should continue in the area of modern technologies. The need to make greater use of digital solutions requires knowledge, selection of appropriate tools and the experience of companies which have already gone through this process. Government/European Union assistance is essential for all entrepreneurs who decide to develop their activities online, because such companies will become the flywheel of the economy (a friendly legislative environment, dedicated tax reliefs etc.) and will be more resistant to economic fluctuations. Business is currently encountering many barriers, and the dynamically changing situation related to the global crisis poses further challenges for entrepreneurs. Without an impulse from decision-makers, the process of digitization of the economy will be crawling.

Together with invited experts, we want to discuss the possibilities of speeding up the digitisation process and the desired directions of regulation, so that they favour innovation. Will the new initiatives taken by the EU to regulate new technologies such as data, AI or digital services be conducive to these objectives? Or, conversely, will greater regulation and promotion of European champions lead to overregulation, instead of market decisions on which the success of a product/service will depend.

Moderator: Włodzimierz Schmidt, IAB Poland

Speakers:

• Daniel Knapp, IAB Europe
• prof. dr hab. Grzegorz Mazurek, Koźmiński University
• Justyna Orłowska, The Chancellery of the Prime Minister
• Marta Poślad, Google 

Online moderators:

• Katarzyna Łukasik, IAB Poland
• Magdalena Bublewicz, IAB Poland