Industry 4.0 Research Agenda: AI, Digital Technologies, and ESG

I’m pleased to share my latest Medium article, “Govern Intelligence Before It Governs Us: A Framework for Sustainable Life ” — a reflection on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the balance between productivity, equality, and sustainability. If you’re concerned that AI’s rapid evolution may be outpacing society’s ability to adapt, this piece offers a rational way to think about it. It introduces the Sustainable Life Index (SLI) — a framework for understanding whether technological progress is strengthening or undermining the systems that sustain life. The article is written for leaders, scientists, and citizens who believe that innovation should advance humanity — not destabilize it. If you’ve ever wondered how to measure when progress stops being progress — you should read this article. Read it on Medium: https://lnkd.in/eyfcMnKt The extended version with full equations and data mappings is available on GitHub: https://lnkd.in/eTCK2cjX

🎯 Special Session Announcement | ICDEc 2026 We’re delighted to share some news from the upcoming International Conference on Digital Economy and Collaborative Economy (ICDEc 2026)! 💡 A special session will be dedicated to a highly topical theme: “Use and Control of the Company’s Information Heritage.” 📍 Session Chairs Prof. Maria Sokhn, Dean, Institute for the Digitalization of Organizations, HES-SO Neuchâtel Prof. Lamia Ben Hamida, Institute of City and Territory Management, HES-SO Neuchâtel 🔎 Main Themes AI-driven strategies to make the most of corporate data Digital servitization and new business models Data governance, sovereignty, and protection of sensitive information Building innovation ecosystems through secure and purposeful data sharing In today’s digital landscape, information heritage has become one of the most valuable assets for any organization. This session invites us to reflect on how companies can create value, ensure control, and promote responsible use of their data. 📢 The Call for Papers is now open! We welcome contributions including original research, case studies, comparative analyses, or conceptual frameworks. 📅 Join us in Tallinn, Estonia — May2026 🔗 More details: https://lnkd.in/dXsC6ytA #ICDEc2026 #DigitalTransformation #DataGovernance #AI #DigitalServitization #InformationManagement #Research #AcademicConference

As we look ahead to the Skills for the Growth Corridor Summit on 12 December, the latest issue of So What? from the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University couldn’t be more timely. The Skills Issue explores how we prepare for the future of work - from the impact of AI and automation to the creative, ethical and collaborative skills needed to drive real change. In a world where knowledge alone isn’t enough, this edition asks a bigger question: how do we use our skills to make meaningful impact? 📘 Read the magazine: So What? – The Skills Issue - https://lnkd.in/eg7Y6C3R 🎓 Join the conversation at the Skills for the Growth Corridor Summit on 12 December: https://lnkd.in/efjxBMfK #SkillsForTheFuture #ARU #Sustainability #Innovation #Education #FutureSkills #SkillsSummit #Collaboration #OxfordToCambridgeGrowthCorridor Alistair Lomax Aled Jones Tom Hambley

🌍 Delighted to share my #latestpublication, Imen Ameur co-authored with Jose Carvalho, at The Digital Economist If you are a #policymaker, #researcher, or #organization interested to dive into how power evolves in the age of technology and how #governance can #remain #human amid #digital acceleration; this paper speaks directly to that question. #BuildingaGlobalCoalitionforHumanCenteredGovernance: Process, Oversight, and Technology in Context explores how technology can serve people, not the other way around. It argues that progress must be guided by values, inclusion, and shared accountability. ✨ Three insights we emphasize: 1️⃣ Governance transformation must start from within, building local capability and agency rather than importing models. 2️⃣ Human-centered design is the foundation of legitimacy,ethics, participation, and oversight are structural, not optional. 3️⃣ Collaboration between humans and intelligent systems must be anchored in trust, fairness, and collective responsibility. This work calls for a governance architecture that is digitally capable, ethically grounded, and socially inclusive turning innovation into a force for empowerment. 📖 Read more or request the full publication here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/d3qQKubK #TheDigitalEconomist #HumanCenteredGovernance #EthicalAI #PolicyInnovation #DigitalTrust #Collaboration #Leadership #FutureOfGovernance The Digital Economist Hult International Business School Hult Research Imen Ameur Jose Carvalho Dr Maha Hosain Aziz Navroop K. Sahdev Melodena Stephens EEAIN IAConsulting #AI#Ethics.

💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥&𝗜 𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲" 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 Our developed R&I Architecture (Research & Innovation Architecture) enables the implementation of the EU's "AI in Science" Strategy and the related RAISE initiative by creating the necessary common technical and functional foundation for the seamless sharing of data and AI resources across Europe. 📍Here is a summary of how the Architecture relates to the strategy’s objectives: Read More: https://x.gd/rqc3R Proposal for a New Digital Architecture for the EU’s Internal Market: Analysis of Implementation Prerequisites and Impacts. Executive Summary. - Proposal created: 05/09/2025 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS, CONTENT AND TECHNOLOGY Subject: Reply Ares(2025)7401063 - Proposal for the Architecture of the EU’s Digital Internal Market .

How data-driven research can unlock Africa’s next wave of innovation — Experts at TechCabal Moonshot 2025  Technology and innovation leaders have emphasised that Africa’s progress depends on its ability to build a strong research culture and harness its existing but fragmented data systems. https://lnkd.in/eY9cd3Xq

🎥 Event Recap | #InfoSec2025 — C-Suite Roundtable Satyajit Turumella — Regional Director, IT Advisory (Grant Thornton Advisory East Africa) & Head of Digital Transformation (Grant Thornton Africa) “Your degree doesn’t lock your destiny.” Satyajit reminded us that today’s work is skills-first: biochemistry, economics—whatever your background—if you can research, reason, and deliver outcomes, you belong. That’s where technology and AI supercharge your edge. What to take back to your team: ✨ Portfolio > Pedigree: show shipped projects, not just certificates. 🧠 Research as a superpower: frame a problem, gather evidence, test fast, document learnings. 🤖 AI as a co-pilot: use AI to explore options, compare frameworks, and pressure-test decisions. 🧩 Build T-shaped talent: go deep in one area, then layer on risk, data, and automation literacy. Why it matters: Cross-disciplinary thinkers + AI acceleration = faster value, clearer decisions, stronger outcomes. 💬 Question: What cross-disciplinary skill (e.g., data analysis, risk thinking, product sense) will you add in the next 90 days? #InfoSec2025 #ISACAKampala #DigitalTransformation #ITAdvisory #AI #SkillsFirst #CareerGrowth #ResearchMindset #TShapedProfessionals #GrantThornton

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮 During the 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 to California, Rombit’s General Manager for Europe, Wim Anrijs, joined a panel organized by Flanders Investment & Trade to discuss how smaller tech companies navigate innovation in a landscape dominated by Big Tech. Topics included the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, and 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝗨 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗦 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗠𝗘𝘀. Wim highlighted the importance of staying agile, acknowledging rather than fighting differences between EU and US, but also within the US itself, and 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹. Wim pointed out that one of the biggest opportunities - and challenges - for industrial innovators today lies in 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Collecting information is no longer the issue; making it actionable on the work floor is. Overall, a great opportunity and an insightful exchange on how innovators can make their mark beyond the Magnificent Seven ... and validated by interesting conversations during the town hall meeting that followed.   #FlandersInCalifornia #FIT #Rombit #Innovation #SME #AI #DigitalSafety #EconomicMission #California

We wanted to share the new Science 2035 report from The Australian Academy of Science, which provides an insightful look at how Australia can strengthen its scientific and technological future. It is an important read for anyone interested in where innovation is heading over the next decade. One of the strongest messages in the report is the spotlight it places on 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 and 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. While it is no surprise these fields are critical, Science 2035 clearly shows how central they are to addressing Australia’s biggest challenges, from climate and health to economic growth and national resilience. The report is also refreshingly candid. It highlights that demand for data and AI capability is growing much faster than our capacity to deliver. Building real, sustainable capability, not just good ideas, will determine how well we adapt to the changes ahead. For us, Science 2035 puts into words what we see every day. It defines the why, showing why data and AI matter so deeply to Australia’s future. Our focus is the how, supporting organisations as they put that vision into practice and use data to drive better decisions. It is a challenge we are excited to be part of. 📘 Read the full report here: science.org.au/science2035 📎 We have also attached the abridged version for a quicker read. #DataScience #AI #Innovation #AustralianTech #Science2035 #FutureSkills #Arrayen

We wanted to share the new Science 2035 report from The Australian Academy of Science, which provides an insightful look at how Australia can strengthen its scientific and technological future. It is an important read for anyone interested in where innovation is heading over the next decade. One of the strongest messages in the report is the spotlight it places on 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 and 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. While it is no surprise these fields are critical, Science 2035 clearly shows how central they are to addressing Australia’s biggest challenges, from climate and health to economic growth and national resilience. The report is also refreshingly candid. It highlights that demand for data and AI capability is growing much faster than our capacity to deliver. Building real, sustainable capability, not just good ideas, will determine how well we adapt to the changes ahead. For us, Science 2035 puts into words what we see every day. It defines the why, showing why data and AI matter so deeply to Australia’s future. Our focus is the how, supporting organisations as they put that vision into practice and use data to drive better decisions. It is a challenge we are excited to be part of. 📘 Read the full report here: science.org.au/science2035 📎 We have also attached the abridged version for a quicker read. #DataScience #AI #Innovation #AustralianTech #Science2035 #FutureSkills #Arrayen