Connected Planet:
Young Global Citizens
The Tech Diplomacy Network is working with Austrian-American student Elsa Fredericks to offer students an exciting international relations opportunity series.
The student moderator is Elsa Fredericks, a student at Redwood High School in Larkspur, CA, who writes on environmental education as tech diplomacy.
Students can watch the ongoing series on how technology is changing diplomacy.
Introduction to Tech Diplomacy with Martin Rauchbauer
Martin Rauchbauer was Austria’s first tech envoy to Silicon Valley and launched the Open Austria tech initiative in the Bay Area. He co-founded the Tech Diplomacy Network, which includes diplomats representing 25 countries and fosters collaboration and dialogue between the diplomatic community, civil society, and the tech industry.
Climate Change and Technology with Isabella Tomas
Isabella Tomas is the Austrian Consul and Tech Envoy in San Francisco; she joined the Open Austria team as Austrian Consul and Co-Director in August 2022. Before coming to San Francisco, she was a counselor and Head of the Unit of Transportation, Telecommunications, and Innovation Diplomacy in the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria. Her postings abroad during her diplomatic career were in Madrid and Brasília. Before joining the Foreign Service in 2008, she worked as a foreign language assistant in two lycées in Versailles, France.
Implications of rapid progress in AI with Sonja Schmer Galunder
Sonja Schmer-Galunder is a distinguished Professor of Practice and the Glenn and Deborah Leadership Professor in AI and Ethics at the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida. She leads the newly formed AI and Ethics program, focusing on multidisciplinary perspectives regarding ethical considerations in AI usage. Despite being primarily based in San Francisco, she regularly commutes to the UF campus, spending approximately one week per month there.
Previously, Sonja was the Principal Research Scientist at Smart Information Flow Technologies (SIFT). In this research lab, she concentrated on the social dimensions of artificial intelligence, particularly in language models, values embedded in language, and the societal impacts of technology. With over 14 years of experience leading multidisciplinary research teams, she has established a robust track record of initiating and overseeing research programs funded by major scientific and technology agencies, securing over $10M in research grants from entities like DARPA, ARL, and NASA.
Sonja possesses an extensive research network within big technology companies, academia, and government. She excels at synthesizing diverse viewpoints across stakeholders to drive high-stakes research projects. Her research endeavors aim to imbue technology with social and human significance while leveraging computational technology to enhance human well-being.
Her research interests include Natural Language Processing (NLP), online misinformation and moderation, prosocial online behavior, data bias, cultural modeling, online/offline behavior, and team performance in extreme environments. With a keen interest in gender and culture, she is currently authoring a book on the social, cultural, and political implications of AI beyond the borders of the United States.
Brazil and the Global South with Eugenio V. Garcia
Eugenio Vargas Garcia has 30 years of professional experience in foreign policy and diplomacy. He holds a PhD in History of International Relations and is an academic researcher on AI and global governance. Eugenio has worked in Brazilian embassies around the world, including in London, Mexico City, Asuncion, and Conakry, Guinea. He was senior adviser to the president of the UN General Assembly in New York from 2018 to 2020. In San Francisco, he served as Brazil’s Deputy Consul General, responsible for tech, trade, and innovation. He is currently the Director of Science, Technology, Innovation, and Intellectual Property at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brasilia, Brazil.
Cybersecurity
with Gerhard Eschelbeck
Gerhard Eschelbeck is a well-known expert in cybersecurity with 30 years as a leader in the field. Gerhard served as Google’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) from 2014-2019. He has also been Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of numerous other companies, as well as served on various tech company boards. He was a Technology Adviser to both the Paris and Tokyo Olympics, and he presented his research in information security to the US Congress.