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"We feel optimistic about democracies’ ability to deliver in a period where technology is once again – as during Thomas Edison’s lifetime – reorganizing the life of the world."
In his March 2023 speech on Advancing Technology for Democracy, USA Secretary of State Antony Blinken said:
"We feel optimistic about democracies’ ability to deliver in a period where technology is once again – as during Thomas Edison’s lifetime – reorganizing the life of the world.
"For all of the challenges that these disruptive technologies present, no system of government is better equipped to drive the forces that they represent in improving our people’s lives than democracy.
"We excel at innovation. We’re nimble.
"We encourage a multiplicity of voices and perspectives to find solutions.
"We let the best ideas rise to the top, rather than assuming that the best ideas come from the top.
"We believe our people have a vital role to play in the ongoing process of making our system better, of fixing its flaws.
"We embrace vigorous and open debate within and across our democracies.
"And while we democracies may not be perfectly aligned – we may not agree on everything, on how to proceed, we don’t try to be. Our willingness to try out different approaches – openly, transparently – lets us learn from one another, lets us adapt, lets us improve.
"Indeed, on all four of the priorities that I’ve set out today – using technology to improve our people’s lives in tangible ways, establishing rights-respecting rules for emerging technologies, investing in our innovation, and countering authoritarian governments’ use of digital tools to abuse people and weaken democracies – on every single one of those lines of effort, our success ultimately depends on working effectively together.
"To pass the test, we have to continue to build and broaden coalitions of allies and partners who share our democratic values, who are committed to putting them at the heart of our shared technological future. Whether they’re in government or civil society, whether they’re innovators or regulators, academics or activists, or simply citizens – we’re counting on them, we’re counting on you, to be part of this collective effort.
"And in fact, that’s exactly what we see in the group gathered at the Summit for Democracy. And that’s what gives us confidence that our democracies will not only survive a truly unprecedented period of technological transformation, but – but – shape it to the benefit of our people and to people around the world."
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