When it comes to technology, the mainstream headlines are bleak: Algorithms control and oppress. AI will destroy democracy and our social fabric, and possibly even drive us to extinction. While legitimate concerns drive these fears, we need to equally account for the fact that technology offers young people something incredibly valuable—a rare space for self-actualization. In this talk, Payal Arora explains that, outside the West, where 90 percent of the world’s youth reside, there is a significantly different outlook on technology: in fact, there is a contagion of optimism toward all things digital. As AI disrupts sectors across industries, education, and beyond, the Global South has become the lead navigators of all manner of forced disruptions, leapfrogging obstructive systems, norms, and practices to rapidly reinvent themselves. Drawing on ground level realities in diverse global contexts such as Brazil, India, and Bangladesh, this talk reveals what drives Gen Z to be optimistic about new technologies. Arora argues that we need to take heart in the power in numbers, as the users from the majority world infuse algorithms with everyday aspirations, pushing for a new digital order.

Three Key Takeaways:
– The Global South where 90 percent of the world’s youth live, are at the forefront of designing inclusive tech
– Western pessimism towards AI demands needs a reality check by paying close attention to the drivers behind why the rest of the world feels differently
– From fintech, autonomous vehicles, to the creator economy, the Global South are in many ways a decade ahead of the West