The online event, led by its Co-Directors, Prof. Susan Halford and Prof. Dimitra Simeonidou, attracted more than 100 people across a range of fields and different sectors. Attendees from government, industry, academia and the third sector took part in a discussion of cutting-edge wireless technologies, their implications, and the latest thinking in sociotechnical methodologies.

Using the Institute’s remit to inspire digital technologies that promote inclusive, prosperous and sustainable futures to frame proceedings, BDFI invited those present to consider ways to disrupt traditional patterns of innovation underpinned by sustainable and equitable approaches. The event then considered how these approaches might become embedded in the development and roll-out of future wireless connectivity such as 6G – where Bristol is at the leading edge of innovation.

Two panel discussions zoomed in on these pressing topics, which affect communities around the globe. Prof. Halford chaired ‘Remaking Digital Futures’, with guest speakers Dr John Manley, ex-Laboratory Director for Cloud Computing at Hewlett Packard and now founder of AskingBristol, Charlie Warwick, Head of Futures Advice at the Government Office for Science, Dr Alex Taylor, Co-Director of the Centre for Human-Computer Interaction at City University, and Kwamou Eva Feukeu, Futures Literacy Project Officer at UNESCO.

Prof. Simeonidou led ‘The Future of Wireless Connectivity: A Human Need or a Human Right?’ The expert panel included Dr Howard Benn, Vice President Communications Research at Samsung Electronics R&D Institute, Prof. Peter Williamson, author and Professor of International Management at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, and Prof. Simon Saunders, inventor of more than 15 wireless technologies and Professor at both King’s College London and the University of Bristol.

Dr Jenny Knapp, BDFI’s Director of Programmes and Operations, believes that the success of the symposium was testament to the societal importance of the questions it confronted: “The past few years have shown the immense scale and pace of sociotechnical change and innovation. As that change takes place, we have an opportunity to generate cutting-edge new digital technologies that create futures that are inclusive and prosperous for all while also sustaining the world around us. To do this we must innovate in fundamentally different ways. The impressive engagement we enjoyed during our first-ever symposium proves that there’s an appetite for co-creation of digital technology which takes seriously all of these aspects.’’

The next steps for the issues raised today include a follow-up event for later this year.