Socrates Mexico 2024
Held in partnership with the Aspen Institute Mexico, the Socrates Mexico Seminar will take place at El Santuario in Valle de Bravo from January 25-28, 2024. Socrates international seminars include three seminar sessions, program meals, transportation from Mexico City to Valle de Bravo, and local excursions/tour in Valle de Bravo.
Please contact socrates@aspeninstitute.org if you are interested in participating.
Dystopia or Democracy? Rethinking Technology’s Role in Society
Since the late twentieth century, new technologies have been reshaping how individuals navigate their lives, as well as how businesses and other organizations operate. A decade ago, there was widespread optimism that digital technology would solve many of the world’s problems, making society better, stronger, and faster. With the advent of artificial intelligence and the possibilities this new frontier has to disrupt how we think and interrelate, many are questioning how we safely move forward. Today there’s rising concern that digital technology represents a threat to democracy itself. With polling in crisis and news outlets increasingly serving partisan agendas, there’s currently no reliable source for public opinion. This is a critical factor in the social disintegration and loss of trust plaguing democracies around the world, not least for Mexico and its biggest election ever. Is the online public square hopelessly broken? If technology has put us on the road to dystopia, how can we change course and use it to build a healthier, more democratic world?
Moderator: William Powers is a technologist, New York Times-bestselling author and current Visiting Scholar for Humanistic Technologies at the Max Planck Center for Humans and Machines in Berlin.
Health and Safety Guidelines for In Person Events
The Aspen Institute is committed to creating a safe seminar experience for all participants. Please see our COVID-19 safety guidelines here.
These guidelines will be regularly updated to meet the latest health and safety guidance of the CDC and local authorities. If you anticipate any issues or have any concerns, please contact us at socrates@aspeninstitute.org.
