Round table: “The Ecosystem of trust in AI: How MSU builds partnerships between fundamental science, industry, and society”

We are already witnessing breakthroughs in artificial intelligence that are set to redefine the rules of the game across every industry. The competitiveness of both business and the state is becoming heavily reliant on success in developing and deploying advanced AI solutions, as well as on trust in the technology and its products. The primary challenge is to build ecosystems that ensure a comprehensive full-cycle: spanning from training of specialists and fundamental research to deployed commercial products in cooperation with industry.

The roundtable “The MSU AI ecosystem: from fundamental model to industry solution”, held as part of the Congress serves to present the MSU AI ecosystem to a broad audience from the academic, corporate, and public sectors.

Roundtable participants will present the Moscow State University artificial intelligence ecosystem. Through an open dialogue between academia, industry, and government, they will identify operational frameworks for cooperation, ranging from commissioned research and joint laboratories to talent programmes and pilot facilities.

How does the continuous pathway from school to faculty, laboratory and industry solutions operate in practice, and what needs to change to ensure that young researchers remain in the country and pursue careers in research? How can trust in AI technologies be built at a national level, and what role does the academic community play in this process? Which areas of research are currently impossible without combining the efforts and expertise of universities, corporations and government? Participants in the round table will address these and other questions.

Panel discussion: “The shape of the future: how states project scientific and technological development?”

The current phase of global development is characterised by an unprecedented acceleration in scientific and technological progress and profound structural shifts in the global economy. As new technological paradigms emerge, strategic foresight is no longer solely an academic tool; instead, it has transformed into a key element of national science and technology policy, directly affecting competitiveness, technological leadership and the resilience of national economies.

A state’s capacity to identify promising technologies in a timely manner, recognise long-term risks and emerging opportunities, and proactively concentrate resources within critical areas largely dictates its standing in the world's unfolding technological architecture.

Today, countries around the world are designing their own “shapes of the future” – science and technology foresight systems that integrate expert insights, scenario modelling, big data analytics, and other tools designed for managing long-term trends. Global practices are steadily evolving from periodic forecasting studies to more agile, continuous systems for monitoring technological shifts, enabling countries to respond more quickly to emerging challenges and adjust their science and technology development priorities.

At the same time, national models vary considerably in terms of the stakeholders involved, the role of government and the expert community, the forecasting horizons, the tools employed, and the mechanisms used to translate forecasts into concrete policy decisions.

During the panel discussion, representatives from various countries will discuss how science and technology foresight systems operate in their respective states: who formulates the long-term outlook, which methodologies and data sources are utilised, how technological priorities are defined, and how forecasting outcomes are integrated into state decision-making processes.

The discussion will facilitate a comparison of national approaches to engaging with the future, while shaping a distinct framework of the global science and technology agenda, viewed simultaneously from several countries and regions around the world.

How are forecasting methods adapting to rapid technological, economic, and geopolitical shifts, and how do they enable the integration of emerging challenges? Which global scientific and technological trends are currently highlighted by experts from different nations? Which technologies have the potential to exert the greatest impact on the economy and society in the coming decades? These and other questions will be addressed by the panel discussion participants.

Panel discussion: “Value-based mentoring methodologies as a driver of human capital development”

Today, trust and consensus serve as instruments of “soft power” in engaging with the younger generation. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to systematically deliver a broad portfolio of media and cultural initiatives designed to motivate young people to contribute to the development of high-tech economic sectors and wider society. Engaging Generation Z and Generation Alpha in these processes is heavily contingent upon the value system shaped not only by family, school, and university, but also by various coaching services focused on personal growth and psychological support.

The methodologies and operational principles of these services directly influence the quality of human capital, demographics, and other critical socio-economic indicators. Both global and domestic trends are actively observed within this sector. Aligning all factors that drive human capital dynamics with traditional national values is becoming a matter of key practical importance for the further development of society.

How can the rapidly expanding psychological coaching industry be aligned with national interests? How can communication between these professionals and young people be redirected towards an ecosystem of trust that enables constructive and productive engagement between young professionals and advanced sectors of the economy? How can new generations achieve more than a mere work-life balance, becoming truly fulfilled through being valued by the economy, society, and their families? Participants in the discussion will address these and other questions.