Some of the most heated debates in Davos 2018 were centered
around the challenges that AI and robotics pose to business. The CEO of Google
even suggested that AI will be bigger than fire or electricity in terms of
business impact.
These discussions were by far the most popular of the entire
week and the questions always eventually turned to the impact on society, the
role of human vs machine and how these relationships will develop. It was
noted that the most popular consumer AI interfaces, such as Alexa and Siri,
default to female personae and, indeed, there was even serious talk of how
humans may soon develop romantic relationships with AI.
But we’re not there quite yet and until we are, the best way
for humans to interface with each other, especially when they seem to have
culturally different operating systems, is to meet face to face at events such
as the Swiss-Arab Network.
“The Swiss-Arab Network is not just about business”, says
spokesman Slim Habli. “It’s also about building long-term relationships”
Another central theme at Davos was the empowerment of women
and this is an issue very important to the Swiss-Arab Network.
So whilst Alexa isn’t on talking terms with Cortana, and
Siri stays aloof, the organisers of the Swiss-Arab Network are succeeding in
their goals to empower (real) women and to help diverse cultures to join
together and find common ground.
This year the Swiss-Arab Networking event opens its doors in
Davos on 23rd January 2019.
Today, on the day of my annual birthday reincarnation, I was contemplating
about an eternal immortality… not that I am excited about ‘still rocking it’ as
an ancient and frail Granny, but who would resist the prospect of a wise mind
in an everlasting fit body.
‘If Youth knew, if Age could…’ In Freudian times it was not possible to combine
the wisdom of the Old with the drive of the Young. But this may change soon!
On my birthday, officially becoming one year wiser, I have
discovered that some Artificial Intelligence researchers at MIT, are not far
from limiting our human mortality problem merely to ‘a hardware problem’… Meaning, you can continue using your life-long
accumulated knowledge and experience even after your death!
But what about my body, you would ask…? Well…. this aspect still hasn’t been
resolved yet.
So, keep on working-out and training your abs, my friends, because for now your
mind is able to continue its perpetual life only as an AI in a computer cloud,
basically, in the absence of your current hot ‘body-line’!
I am just hoping, my everlasting blonde brainy AI will end up in a hedonistic computer
cloud, where adventurous and naughty thoughts are not censored by an antivirus
software!
Sounds pretty outlandish to me… even comparing it to numerous ultra-innovative
start-up ideas I have featured while covering the Start Global Summit 2018 in
Switzerland, a couple of weeks ago.
Life
beyond death, and how it works:
Nectome is an American company, founded in 2016 by AI researchers
at MIT, which promises a path to immortality. There is a downside… it has to
kill you to upload your brain to the cloud. Immortality, induced by a process
guaranteed to end life, as you know it.
Never say never… who knows, some daredevil venture capitalists,
without any capital, might be even prepared to complete the first funding round
donating their own brains…
Nectome
offers to preserve your brain forever.
The process starts with an assisted suicide: the arteries of a
terminally ill yet still living person are flooded with embalming fluid,
converting brain tissue into a map of neurons. From these, Nectome promises to
upload your memories and consciousness.
Even though, Nectome does not have a functioning method yet, it
hopes to enable an interaction between the uploaded brain and the external
world.
And so, once upon a time, when our minds can be uploaded and then
resurrected to live indefinitely within a computer simulation, the predictions
of futurologist Ray Kurzweil about ‘The Age of Intelligent Machines’ will
become reality: the moment when Artificial Intelligence will actually be able to
outsmart human beings!
Carpe diem, enjoy the moment while it is still possible
to be ‘The Smartest Guy in the Room’ and keep on working on your beach-body six-pack
while it still matters!
My Europa tour progressed from the
financial fund conference in Cologne, back to London to pick up my Latin shoes
for our dance performance in France. Having danced our hearts out in Valence, I
am already on my way to Milan and then to Venice for La Biennale di Venezia.
Meanwhile, you may like to read about my discoveries through the Arts Cologne!
I am feeling
privileged to be chosen to represent France at the European Championship!
While rehearsing for my big day in Moscow, I’ve been asked by someone watching
me practicing,
‘How are you going to compete with the best of the best in the industry? You
must be nervous?’
No doubt, I do have the little butterflies in my stomach before entering the dance
floor in Kremlin, flooded with the shiny spotlights, surrounded by the TV camera
lenses and photographers’ flashlights, along with the air of suspense and anticipation
of the audience.
The room is oozing with a complex fusion of scents, from the luxurious
fragrances worn by the ladies in long evening gowns, the flavour of freshly cut
fruits, champagne and flowers on the neatly laid tables, to the smell of the oak
wooden floor mixed with the odour of the spray tan and sweat, - all this reinforces my vivid picture of the
competition environment, gathered from the snippets of my last year memories while
performing in Kremlin.
Breath-taking or embarrassing, - nothing slips away from the vigilant eye of the
attentive Russian audience. But what a joy it is, to dream with your feet, and to
share your creative world with others!
It is a
delightful moment of bliss, when you captivate a fleeting glimpse of an engaged
viewer, who feels inspired, carried away or simply intrigued by watching your
performance.
I feel blessed
to do what I love, reaching for the infinite power of imagination, that I
express in the conversation between my body, my soul and the rhythm.
Someone said to me once, ‘Yes, it is rewarding to be an artist and a performer,
but the price you pay for being so sensitive, that you can mirror your ‘lowest
emotional downfalls’ and the thrilling peaks in your artwork, must be simply
too high!’. Sure, it is high! ‘You have to feel the blues, to sing the blues!’
But, boy, it’s worth it! And if I had to choose my way through the artistic jungle
once again, I would have taken the same path with the final destination called
‘dance’.
Dance has brought so many colours into my life! Sad moments of being heartbroken,
or exciting times of celebrating my success, I had my confidence, that dance
will sooth my soul and catch me, when I fall.
Dance has always been my most devoted and affectionate boyfriend, who has never
betrayed me nor let me down! I always felt welcome in its generous embraces of unconditional
love.
Dance made me who I am today, and it keeps me motivated to search for solutions
for my brother in a wheelchair to regain his physical freedom. I am deeply
moved by the internal strength and the courage of all the people, like my
brother, affected by a sudden loss of mobility, who found their impetus to
strive and to believe in themselves.
Getting
back to the initial question of feeling nervous to perform on the same stage
with the most talented dancers from all over the world: sure, nervousness is part
of the game, but a much smaller part, compared to the joy and thrill of sharing
your creative world with others!
My appreciation goes to all of you, who inspired me, encouraged and empowered me
on the way, and gave me the pleasure of the moment to perform for you! I will
keep you in my heart while entering the festive hall of the Kremlin Palace
under the tunes of the Russian anthem at the European Championship this weekend!
Now, allow me to share with you my latest dance show, that I did for the London
Fashion Week, in which I celebrated the forces, that nurture our passion, our
vitality, our zest for life and the power of desire!
Sounds of castanets and the march of a Toreador – that’s the
vibe of our opening dance show ‘Carmen’ today at the Masquerade Ball at the
Kensington Close Hotel! To the tunes of Bizet’s Opera, we will be performing
for you a fiery Paso Doble dance!
WHERE:The
Kensington Close Hotel, Wrights Lane, W8 5SP, London
For me, this journey always brings nostalgic memories of growing up in the
Soviet Latvia, when my father used to come back home in his fighter pilot
uniform of the Russian Army.
I recall those days like a Soviet film from the past, where I am able to play a
part and shape the story line.
It all starts from the moment when the sumptuous halls of the Aurora Hotel on
Petrovka street, that we call our home for a few days, are welcoming us with
the grand style design of the Tsarist Russia.
No time to procrastinate in the
lavish hotel lounges, - we register by the delegation of the World Dance
Council and get ourselves ready for the mission!
It’s nothing less but the World Dance Championship and the stakes are high!
Hours of rehearsing, grooming and planning… and we are embarking on a journey
through the strictly guarded gates of the Red Square. We are wondering through
the maze of the endless corridors of Kremlin, till eventually reaching the
festive Congress Hall, that breathes with Russian history. You glance at the
grand stage and imagine the line-up of the remarkable performers it has seen.
And that’s the moment I have to pinch yourself, because in couple of hours we are
entering this stage and begin with our own story, that we’ll convey through the
fusion of movements, music and our creative spirit. http://dianaburaka.com/2016/10/28/world-dance-championship-2016/
Fund managers casting their
eyes on hot African ventures. Investing in Africa is still seen as a risky
venture, but the quest for higher returns and margins makes this continent
attractive for global investors in the long-term. Double digit returns in fixed
income investments in selected countries can be attractive in the current low
interest rate environment and provide some diversification. Diana Buraka with a
report from Fund Forum Africa 2016 in London.
Diana
Buraka, correspondent at FundForum Africa
A few years ago one would wonder ‘why’ investing in Africa, whereas
now the question is ‘why not’. Considering the growing consumer demand
and increasingly liberalised industries it is no surprise that Africa has
become a popular destination for business investment.
Diana Buraka, correspondent at FundForum Africa: “Investment in Africa is a
very diverse topic. A broad range of views were presented at this year’s
FundForum Africa conference. Talking to delegates, fund managers and analysts
here it was interesting to see the difference in perspective. Investors and
managers based in Africa come up with an assessment which is in contrast to the
views of international investors. Overall, Africa is still a continent of
opportunities. New technologies, FinTech and innovation in energy and telecom
markets as well as financial services represent substantial growth potential.”
