CeBIT Global Conferences 2017:Our digital future

CeBIT Global Conferences 2017: Fast-forward to our digital future

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, whistleblower Edward Snowden, star reporter Jeff Jarvis, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and bioethics Guru Nick Bostrom all have something in common: they have all been guest speakers at the CeBIT Global Conferences in Hannover, Germany. In March 2017, the Conferences will once again be poised to take their participants on a journey of discovery into the Adventureland of the digital world.

Hannover. The CeBIT Global Conferences 2017 run from 20 to 24 March and will take their attendees on a journey of discovery through "Explore the Digital World!", where they will delve deep into the realms of virtual reality, humanoid robots, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and even life on Mars as they discover the big themes that make the digital world tick.

The departure point for this magical journey is Hall 8 at the Hannover Exhibition Center. Hall 8 is where everyone who wants to learn about current developments and the next big things in digitalization will get to meet up with IT providers and users, Internet companies and investors, and digital creatives and visionaries.

Top international speakers look into the future of the digital world

Foremost among the great things awaiting discovery in this Adventureland of digital discourse are ideas and visions of our digital future, as presented by numerous world-class speakers, including Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and one-time employer of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Bushnell is one of the founding fathers of the video game industry and has a long history of mentoring startups in the digital gaming space. His latest venture is a company called Brainrush that develops educational software which incorporates virtual-reality and video game technology.

Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, Director of Osaka University’s Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, is a leading Japanese roboticist and something of an international celebrity. In March 2017, he will be making an appearance at the CeBIT Global Conferences along with his famous robot double. Ishiguro controls the android robot via the Internet using a motion-capture interface and speech synthesis software so that it looks, moves and talks just like him.

Toby Walsh, of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, is one of the world’s foremost experts in artificial intelligence. Walsh has launched a petition calling for a ban on autonomous weapons - or "killer robots" as they are often termed - and is an advocate of regulatory measures to ensure that artificial intelligence is used to improve our lives rather than to harm us.

Is it possible to electrically stimulate our taste nerves in such a way that broccoli suddenly tastes like chocolate? Adrian David Cheok, Professor of Pervasive Computing at City, University London and Director of the Mixed Reality Lab in Singapore, has discovered that the tongue can be made to experience various tastes simply by altering the frequency of the electrical current passing through a set of electrodes. Cheok is currently looking at how to give "virtual food" texture as well as taste.

Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp is a visionary of a different kind. He is the co-founder of Mars One, one of the most inspiring - not to mention controversial! - projects in the space industry. The aim of Mars One is to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars by 2027. Permanent in the sense that they will live in a special habitat and be unable to return to Earth.

Three stages set for digital safari

The presentation and discussion stages will have something of a "world adventure safari" feel to them, in keeping with the Conferences’ overall "Explore the Digital World!" motto. For instance, the Sakura Stage is a reference to the Partner Country of the upcoming CeBIT, named, as it is, after the Japanese cherry blossom. The cherry blossom symbolizes beauty, new beginnings and life’s ephemeral nature. Meanwhile, the Ginkgo Stage evokes the Gingko tree, a symbol of peace and environmental protection. The bamboo of the Bamboo Stage is a bringer of luck and symbolizes strength, growth and positive life energy.

About the CeBIT Global Conferences

Held in Hall 8 on each of the five days of CeBIT, the CeBIT Global Conferences are where international speakers from business, research and government will discuss and explain the big trends and innovations shaping the digital world. The Conferences’ Friday program is themed "Rock the Blog" and is dedicated to all things blogospheric. The CeBIT Global Conferences are a premium event and are subject to an admission charge. However, admission to the exhibition zone in THE LOFT is free to all CeBIT visitors. The conference languages are English and German. For further information, visit www.cebit.de/en/cgc.

Important information regarding tickets

Tickets to the CeBIT Global Conferences are available at a special Early Bird rate from now until 31 December 2016. For example, during that period, a full-event ticket will cost € 460. From 1 January to the end of February 2017, the price will be € 660, increasing to € 1,000 for the period from 1 March up until and including the actual conference days.
Admission to CeBIT is included in all CeBIT Global Conferences tickets