RELAY workshop: A Europe fit for the digital age

Data-driven technologies are changing nearly every aspect of our lives, from how we work, learn, eat, sleep, vote, listen to music, watch films and TV, choose partners, communicate with friends and family, get the news. It’s hard to think of a single facet of contemporary life that is not being changed by big data analytics, machine-learning, algorithmic decision-making, and support systems.

Whether we like it or not, these changes are also bringing about visible social, economic, and political transformations. It may not be a stretch to say that these technologies have the possibility to alter not just how we behave, but how we understand ourselves and the social world around us, in ways that may not be concordant with fundamental EU values. The question of whether Europe is fit for a digital age is not just a question concerning Europe’s technological readiness level, but also her societal readiness level: are Europe’s economic, education, judicial, media, and political institutions prepared to lead this transformation in a manner that allows the clear benefits and sometimes obscure risks of digitalization to be distributed in a just and equitable manner?