Shaping a shared vision for a sustainble and human-centered AI at the Digital With Purpose Summit
When leaders from business, finance, government, and academia gathered in Shenzhen for the Digital With Purpose Summit, organized by the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the challenge on the table went far beyond the raw technical capabilities of artificial intelligence. Instead, the debate centered on a more fundamental question: how to steer digital innovation toward measurable, scalable outcomes that balance enterprise competitiveness with inclusive societal progress and global system resilience.
During their interventions at the summit, Re-Imagine Europa’s Chairwoman, Maria João Rodrigues, and CEO, Erika Staël von Holstein, shared their views on the strategic priorities required to ensure that emerging digital ecosystems generate genuine public value. Among the key topics addressed were how to effectively merge economic development and competitiveness with social goals, alongside the shifting landscape of global governance and the role of cross-border cooperation in keeping the digital transition sustainable.
Moving this approach from abstract discussion to practical policy requires structural frameworks. To clear this path, the summit served as the backdrop for introducing the Global AI Impact Network (GAIN), a joint initiative co-launched by Re-Imagine Europa and GeSI.
GAIN is structured to connect policymakers, industry executives, researchers, and civil society advocates within a common framework. The objective is to balance market competitiveness with institutional responsibility, and rapid innovation with public trust. By fostering direct international exchanges -such as the EU–China dialogue held during the summit- the network provides a functional space to examine how different innovation ecosystems handle identical questions of development, security, and governance.
The dynamics observed in Shenzhen reinforce the core focus of Re-Imagine Europa’s ongoing work. Aligning technological progress with human values relies on steady, pragmatic international dialogue. Through its partnership with GeSI and the development of the GAIN network, Re-Imagine Europa will continue providing decision-makers with the independent, systemic insights required to navigate the digital age.