The document discusses the future of governance and society in an increasingly digital world, emphasizing the challenges posed by misinformation and the potential rise of autocratic regimes. It highlights the importance of diversity, open-mindedness, and innovative governance models as society adapts to exponential technological changes. The need for collaboration across sectors and the role of individuals as positive change agents are underscored for navigating this evolving landscape.

1. The Future of Governance,
Resiliency, and Co-Existence
dr. david a. bray, executive director
people-centered internet coalition

2. “in his locis scorpiones nascuntur”
(in these places scorpions are born)
1969
Going #Exponential

3. 1982
Going #Exponential

4. 1993

5. 2007

6. 2014

7. Will The Internet Re-Enforce
Global Human Rights?

8. Or Will Misinformation &
Exploitation Divide Us All?

9. Quo Vadis? Where Do Open
Pluralistic Societies Want to Go

10. 2013: 7B network devices
4 billion TB of digital data on the planet
~3B (out of 7.1B) people online
The Exponential Storm Ahead

11. 2013: 7B network devices
4 billion TB of digital data on the planet
~3B (out of 7.1B) people online
2025: 100B+ network devices
200+ billion TB of digital data on the planet
plus ~7B (out of 8B) people online
The Exponential Storm Ahead

12. If We Put the 232 (~4.3 billion) Numbers
Addressable by IPv4 into a Beach Ball

13. The 2128 (~340 followed by 36 zeros) Numbers
Addressable by IPv6 Equal the Volume of our Sun

14. Laws, Technologies, and
Narratives Redistribute Power
Autocratic, Closed Societies May Out-PerformAutocratic, Closed Societies May Out-Perform
Open, Pluralistic Society Unless We Find
Autocratic, Closed Societies May Out-Perform
Open, Pluralistic Society Unless We Find
New Ways to Govern & Co-Exist

16. Challenges of Our Exponential Era
Everyone Can Find Information that Supports
Our Existent beliefs à Confirmation Bias
= Facts Alone Don’t Sway Perceptions
Digital Tsunami of Data is De-Valuing Expertise

17. Challenges of Our Exponential Era
Cognitive Easing à Repetition Makes Us More
Likely to Believe Something
= Countering Misinformation Helps Spreads It
Counter-Facts May Even Amplify Existing Views

18. Challenges of Our Exponential Era
#1 Way to Go Viral: Make an Angry Post or Video
#2 Way: Make a Fearful Post or Video
Goal: Want Divided Sides to Continue Its Spread
Return of 1890s Emotional Headlines

19. Will Exponential Changes
Empower New Governments?
• Autocracies ß Surveillance & Control by Algorithms?
• Monarchies ß Social Media Vassals & Serfs?
• Theocracies ß Different AIs as “New Gods” & Faiths?
• Republics ß Pop Stars & Global CEOs-as-Senators?
• Communism ß Universal Basic Income for All?
• (Participatory) Democracies ß Distributed Ledgers?

20. Or Will Nation State
Governments Fade?
• Boards of Elected Algorithms & Humans?
• Partnerships across Sectors, Mediated by AI?
• Community Groups focused on Hyper-Localism?
• Non-Gov’t Orgs for Activities Without Explicit Authority
• Transnational Orgs w/ Corporations as Rulemakers?
• Networked Ideologies fighting for Social Dominance?

21. #ChangeAgents = Leaders who
“illuminate the way” and manage friction
of stepping outside the status quo

22. All of Us
Private Sector Public Sector
Academia Non-Profits
Building Bridges
Needed Now More Than Ever

23. Are There Activities We Can Do
as Positive #ChangeAgents?
Can Canada help Bridge the Different
Directions of Europe, the U.S., and China?

24. Perhaps a Modern Day Update to the
Categorical Imperative:
“Do unto Others as you think it is in their best
interest and seek Informed Consent to Occur?”
Challenge: What is Truly Informed Consent?
Towards a Better Future

25. The ‘Veil of Ignorance’ – Everyone is Biased by
their Experiences, Identity, and Context
Can We Ever Truly Free Ourselves of Bias?
Challenge: How to Be Open-Minded in Societies
That Pressures Us to Take Sides?
Towards a Better Future

26. How Judge if Someone Behaves Ethically If They
Have (1) Textbook Knowledge and (2) Real-World
Skills Beyond the Normal Public?
Professions = Public Allowed Certain Groups to
Self-Govern Credentialed Individuals by
a Code of Values and Qualified Experience
Towards a Better Future

27. 138 139 137
135 132 135
121 104 111
13595 89
Power of Diversity
Learned perspectives may limit the search space any
one individual uses to reach an answer, even for
“smart” individuals
IQ view of the “Alpha”Group IQ view of the Diverse Group

28. Multiple individuals with varying perspectives
expand the search space employed, the result is a
diverse crowd has more “tools” to apply
Toolbox view of the “Alpha”Group Toolbox view of the Diverse Group
138 139 137
135 132 135
121 104 111
13595 89
ABC ABC ACD
BCD ADE BCD
AHK FD AEG
BCDEZ IL
Power of Diversity

29. Works IF shared goals are established up front,
else diversity leads to fragmentation
Additional research shows equal turn taking in
conversations and active listening also essential
Power of Diversity

30. Obligations to Society? Acknowledged Biases?
Responsible Actions? Safeguards?
Obligations to Society? Acknowledged Biases?
A Framework for Good
Governance in Uncertain Times

31. Both Experiments and Expertise
Have the root “ex peria” = “produced out of danger”
Experiments build our Expertise
Be Bold, Brave, and
Benevolent

32. Going #Exponential
Taking a Risk:
Manage Friction of Stepping Outside
the Status Quo

33. Going #Exponential
Taking a Risk:
ABCs of Governance, Co-Existence,
and our Exponential Era Ahead

34. A is Always-On Access
Accessibility
Affordability
We All Must Address
the Digital Divide

35. B is Bring Your Own _Blank_
Be it Earpieces,
Glasses, or Watches
What We Wear
Will Be Online

36. C is Careful Caution
Correlations Cross
Connected Data
Crucial We
Protect Privacy

37. D is Data Deluge
Global Data
in 2021
Should Exceed All Words
Humanity Ever Said

38. Exponential Everywhere
Everyone
Everything

39. From Fourteen Billion
Devices in 2013
By 2021:
Fifty Billion
Or More Around Our World

40. G is Great Opportunities
Greater Results
and
Government Reinvented

41. H is How Best to Engage
the Public?
How Best with
Local Governments?
How Best to Help Each Other?

42. It Is Important to Include
All Perspectives
In Initiatives
Including Those Who Opt-Out
of Internet Use

43. Just Because Data Sources
Can Be Joined
Doesn’t Mean We Should
Joint Discussions With the
Public On Privacy By Design

44. Key to Keep in Mind
The Public Will Help
Regularly Remind
That We Must Serve
Benevolently and Kind

45. Letting Anyone Reuse our Code
License Liberties Will
Promote More Trust
Leverage Future Reuse
Across Our Efforts

46. Makers Movement Means
More Can
Manufacture
Mass Fabricated Tools
Affordably

47. Notions of What
Nations Solely Did
Near Future
May Challenge
New Tech is About Networks

48. Open Source
and Security
Open Design
and Inclusion
Open Choices, For Us All

49. Promoting Positive Change
Perhaps the Perplexing Part:
Legacy Processes
Future Depends on
Purposeful Transformations

50. Quite Simply:
Tech Changes
How We Organize
Quite the Question:
How Will We?

51. R is Raising Questions:
Regarding the Future
of Security?
Rational Online Discussions?
Representative Democracy?

52. S is Scale of Change
Since It Is Not Linear
It’s Exponential
Search By Keywords
One Day Will No Longer Suffice

53. T is Trying to Tell
What is Important
In the Data Deluge
Techniques, Tools, and Tactics
Transform How We Will Work

54. Ultimately it’s About Uses
Use By Humans
Trusting Humans, and
Use By Machines
Trusting Machines

55. V is Volume
Velocity
Variety
Volatility
Veracity

56. With the Coming Future
We’re Going Where
We’ve Never Been
We Will Need New
Ways To Adapt

57. X is eXponential
eXperiments
to eXchange
eXpertise

58. Y is You Matter
More Than Ever
You Can Help Transform
Our #PublicService and
You Can Be Positive
#ChangeAgents

59. Zeros and Ones
It’s Much More Than That
Zooming Towards The Future
While Remaining True
to
A Plurality of People

60. Needed Now More Than Ever:
Positive #ChangeAgents
for Our Exponential Times
be bold, brave, and benevolent
changeagents@peoplecentered.net