Background:

Smart manufacturing offers benefits like new job opportunities, increased productivity, and economic growth. Yet, it raises concerns about job displacement from automation, skill gaps, data privacy, and cybersecurity. Addressing these challenges calls for investments in skills training, entrepreneurship support, lifelong learning, and ethical practices within the ecosystem.

Keynote Speakers:

Mr. Florian Tursky, Secretary of State for Digitalization, Federal Ministry of Finance 

Topic:

Speaker from Huawei 

Topic: TBD

Panel Discussion:

• How can we make sure that the benefits of smart manufacturing are equally distributed amongst countries globally and within countries?
• Is the shift in working conditions a possible solution to the lack of skilled workforce in many industrialized countries?
• There is a delicate balance between protection of Intellectual Property on one hand and collaboration in order to achieve societal/economic progress on the other hand. How is this handled in Europe and globally?
• Which irrational fears are there involving smart technologies and how can they be addressed? (e.g. how would Austrian passengers react to trains without drivers?)
• Is there proper awareness regarding privacy issues and smart manufacturing?
• How can inclusive and ethical practices be promoted within the smart manufacturing ecosystem?
• Chat GPT’s impacts on Job Security and Job Safety. AIGC’s impacts on Job Security and Job Safety.

Panelists:

•  University of Applied Art Vienna 
•  Prof. Qiong Wu, Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University
•  PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University (PBCSF):

-Mr. Bibo Liu (Confirmed), Assistant Dean, Associate Professor

-Mr. Jianfeng Yu (Confirmed), Chair Professor of Finance, Director of Research Center for Asset Management

-Ms. Xing Hu (Confirmed), Associate Professor, Tsinghua PBCSF

• China Central Academy of Fine Arts
• Shenzhen Federation of Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion 
• Mr. Mark Topal Gökceli, CTO of ÖBB 
• Mr. Jonas Bunte, Head of Institute for International Political Economy, Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien) 
• Ms. Kerstin Repolusk, Political Secretary, Austrian Trade Union for Production Workers 
• Mr. Christoph Reinprecht, Scientific Director „European Studies“ (Sociologist), University of Vienna 
• Ms. Martina Mara, Robopsychology Lab (Johannes-Kepler-University Linz)