Every new year is a new beginning, just like every new day

Hello again,

Time flies, they say. It does indeed. It seems just yesterday that we were toasting and celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year. January, with its frenetic energy and the promises of great things to come just passed and we are already heading towards the second half of Q1 (since I am a CEO, I just don’t think in terms of “months”, but “quarters”… what can I do, no one is perfect!)

Nevertheless, I was lucky enough to take a break for a short trip to Iceland. It was a wonderful journey and those immense expanses of white proved to be very inspiring to reflect on life, particularly the relationship between artificial intelligence and all aspects of human existence, including nature.

I enjoyed the beauty and richness of the wild world, and as I silently contemplated its perfection untouched by humans, I found myself questioning the impact of AI on the natural environment and our society. Every day I read about the great things AI can help us with to protect the environment, the biodiversity and fight climate change. These are all inspiring and promising news, but sometimes I think we, as a society, are too slow to act. It is not a matter of using technology to change the world and nature, but rather to use technology (and AI, like we did in the Amazon Basin with IDB) to protect the planet.

AI is transforming the environment in which we live, work and interact, not only with people but also with the ecosystem. No doubt about that. Is it something good, or something bad? I don’t know, honestly. What I know is that we have an opportunity to do something good. As a father and a technologist, I feel I have a responsibility toward my children and toward society in general.

In the last 15 years of my life, it has become my obsession: I just want to help create a technology that is fairer, more representative, and inclusive, to avoid the inequality and injustice that an unethical use of it might cause (and is already causing, unfortunately).

Citibeats for Turkish and Syrian populations

Just to give you a concrete example of how we interpret the concept of technology for good, at Citibeats we are opening for free our platform to all those organizations that are helping the Turkish and Syrian populations after the recent earthquake that hit Turkey and the northern part of Syria with devastating effects (unfortunately, the death toll tops 41,000 already).

Now more than ever it is essential to understand the primary needs of the population affected by the earthquake (the Northwest part of Syria had already limited access to clean water due to an ongoing cholera outbreak) and intervene immediately.

Citibeats was created for this, and when catastrophes like these happen I cannot but think: “Why aren’t the world leaders coming to us to ask for our help?” “Why do we have to virtually get out and shout ‘Hey, we are here! We have the tools to help you!’” “Why, when we think about technology it has always to be just for profit (of a few)?” “Why cannot the benefits of technology be for all?”

If you have the answer, I am all ears…

The 2023 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting?

Last January, the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting took place in Davos, Switzerland. This meeting brings together leaders from different government, private and civil sectors to put the most important social issues of the year on the table and give them a priority (like the use of technology to restore the health of the planet and protect the well-being of current and future generations)

The theme for 2023 was “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”. Carolina Portela, our new Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and Carlos García, our Customer Success Manager, Carlos García, represented Citibeats for the second year in a row (last time - it was a warm spring - I was there together with Matteo Mezzanotte, our Head of Communications).

Thanks to Carolina and Carlos, we have been able to nourish ourselves and analyze the information presented in the different sessions.

All the insights obtained confirm our commitment, which is to promote the development of ethical artificial intelligence, based on sustainable principles for society and the environment, by understanding people's needs in real time and using technology for good.

Next Appointments?

A couple of things before leaving…

• On the 15th and 16th of March, I’ll be in Geneva for the World Economic Forum Innovator Communities Meeting. Again, if you are in Switzerland for business, relaxing, or skiing, just let me know.
• On the 8th of March, Parvez Siddiqui, our CFO, will be in Paris for the Hello Tomorrow Investor Day. If you happen to be in La Ville-Lumière, just drop him a line (or contact me).
• And last but not least, I am proud to announce that on the 3rd and 4th of May, we will be in Washington for the GovTech Global Forum because Citibeats and the World Bank are now officially… wait, no. I will keep this for the next newsletter.?

But stay tuned and check out our blog and our LinkedIn profile: there will be exciting news in the upcoming weeks!

See you in a month (more or less) and, in the meantime, if you want to give me feedback - I’d really appreciate it! - or get in touch with me, please contact me on LinkedIn or Twitter (@i_caballero).?

Subscribe to my newsletter and if you want to know more about Citibeats, schedule a meeting with us.

Full article in Medium.