Tallinn, September 6, 2023 – Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, speaking at the Tallinn Digital Summit, highlighted the potential of technology in bolstering democracy. In her address, Prime Minister Kallas acknowledged the significant challenges faced by democracy in the digital age, with authoritarian regimes leveraging digital tools against free societies. However, she emphasized that the free world could unite and employ technology to fortify democratic principles.
Addressing the 2023 Tallinn Digital Summit, a forum focused on the intersection of democracy and technology, Prime Minister Kallas stressed the opportunity for the free world to utilize technology to enhance democracy.
Kallas emphasized the need for democracies to concentrate on harnessing technology for the betterment of open and resilient societies, emphasizing the importance of openness, responsiveness to people’s needs, resilience, and cooperation.
The Prime Minister provided examples of how technology supports open societies and cooperation, citing its role in investigating war crimes, aiding Ukrainian war refugees, and advancing global initiatives such as Estonia’s World Cleanup Day. Kallas pointed out that economic and societal openness mutually reinforce each other, contrasting democracies with authoritarian regimes that grapple with maintaining economic openness while retaining political control.
While expressing concern about overregulation in Europe, Kallas cautioned against stifling the benefits of new technologies while striving to protect citizens. She asserted that governments must not passively observe technological progress but must actively respond to people’s needs and contemporary challenges. Kallas cited Estonia’s efforts in building a personalized state that offers tailored services to individuals and businesses, citing personalized medicine and education as examples.
Kallas underscored the significance of embracing AI’s potential while acknowledging its risks and the need to mitigate them. She emphasized that technological development, especially in the digital era, hinges on building sufficient resilience against cyberattacks. Kallas called for increased investment in cyber defense and security, inviting other countries to contribute to these efforts.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Kallas highlighted the importance of openness, responsiveness, resilience, and collaboration in democracies’ use of technology to succeed. She called for support for Ukraine in its struggle, not only through humanitarian aid and weapons but also by facilitating Ukraine’s entry into NATO and the European Union. Kallas emphasized the importance of collaboration with both the public and private sectors, citing successful cooperation in cyber defense in Ukraine.
