ReFocus Austria: Roundtable in New York as First Initiative in the U.S.
On his stay at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Foreign Minister Schallenberg held a roundtable event with Austrian and U.S. entrepreneurs to exchange ideas. This was the first of the ReFocus Austria initiative events in the U.S. aimed at strengthening the Austrian economy. Read more about ReFocus Austria and what was discussed at this event.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg: "In the cyber realm, too, we must stand up for human rights, the right to privacy, democracy, and transparency. The digital world must not be a lawless space." / Picture: © American and Austrian crossed flags by Vindobona
During his trip to the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg took the opportunity to exchange ideas at a meeting with Austrian and U.S. entrepreneurs about future-oriented economic sectors.
The event was the first event of the ReFocus Austria initiative in the US to strengthen the domestic economy.
As previously reported by Vindobona, ReFocus Austria is a new initiative by the Austrian government in which diplomats will promote Austrian exports around the world. Under this initiative, Austrian representative authorities will host more than 100 tailored events between September 2021 and June 2022 to promote Austria as a business location.
At a roundtable organized in cooperation with the New York Foreign Trade Center, Foreign Minister Schallenberg spoke about opportunities and challenges in the U.S. market for Austrian companies as well as current trends in the field of digitalization.
On his last day in New York, FM #Schallenberg participated in a round table with Austrian & US business experts on #digitalisation & #AI. They discussed the potential & challenges of new technologies and possibilities for transatlantic relations in this regard. #ReFocusAustria pic.twitter.com/EWcSlj54pp
— MFA Austria (@MFA_Austria) September 24, 2021
The meeting also compared European and U.S. approaches to future topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.
The Foreign Minister explained Austria’s approach to the topic of digitization to the business leaders, stating that opportunities offered by new technologies must be exploited to the best possible extent, but risks must also be considered.
He said that fake news, cyber-attacks, and autonomous weapon systems controlled by AI would demand answers from the international community. However, he also asserted that research and innovation should not be restricted.
Schallenberg conveyed that, from an Austrian perspective, the idea of “digital humanism” also plays an essential role in dealing with new technologies. He said, “Digital humanism stands for a human-centered view of the digital world. In the cyber realm, too, we must stand up for human rights, the right to privacy, democracy, and transparency. The digital world must not be a lawless space.”
Describing the goal of ReFocus Austria, Schallenberg said, “Last year, we helped Austrians abroad, gave them consular protection, and made sure they got home safely. Now the Foreign Ministry is about helping Austrians at home so that they can keep their jobs.”