Technology must drive positive change, school students agree at second Expo 2020 Dubai Next-Gen World Majlis

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 02 March 2019: Juggling the positive and negative impacts of technology is one of the biggest challenges of the next generation, school students from across the UAE concluded during an in-depth conversation at Expo 2020 Dubais second Next Gen World Majlis.

The session, titled Technology with heart and mind, featured 21 students aged 13 to 17, who discussed how humanity can embrace technology as a tool to drive positive change without impacting on the current quality of life.

Held at the Expo 2020 Visitor Centre, students from schools in the UAE were asked to consider whether humanity is at risk of becoming overly dependent on technology, and how we can embrace the benefits of innovation without compromising personal creativity or intelligence.

Expo 2020s World Majlis series is designed to address 21st-century challenges through the long-established Emirati and Arab tradition of the Majlis a highly valued meeting space where people gather to gain different perspectives and share informed opinions that help shape decisions on subjects that matter to their communities.

The Next Gen World Majlis series is part of Expo 2020s commitment to put youth at the heart of the next World Expo.

Iman Alomrani, Deputy Chief Technology Officer Innovation and Future Technology, Expo 2020 Dubai, who hosted the Next-Gen World Majlis, said it was crucial to engage young people in discussions about the effects of technology to ensure future advancements were carefully guided.

Iman Alomrani said: Young people have an advantageous view of how technology has affected humanity in the past and, therefore, they can better understand what needs to be done to ensure it has a positive influence on our creativity, connections and mindfulness in the future.