The climb of a tech entrepreneur consultant : Michaela Jamelska: Having large numbers of students in their classes and few digital tools to utilize makes it difficult for teachers to ensure that all students can reach their potential” Michaela Jamelska says. “COVID-19 uncovered the current educational system’s several weaknesses, and our unpreparedness, as well as our educational faculty and staff’s lack of skills in working with digital tools. This resulted in failure to track homework and effectively adjust to the new normal. This time, a virus disrupted school life, but we need to rethink our preparedness in light of climate change threats and the fast deployment of technologies as well. Next time, we must be ready.” See even more details at Michaela Jamelska.

The reality of limited technology access for women is a big issue in 2023 says Michaela Jamelska: According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there are still 2.7 billion people who do not have a reliable internet connection, and women are disproportionately affected. The digital divide is a term used to describe the gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. Unfortunately, this divide disproportionately affects women, particularly those living in low-income communities. This means that many women do not have access to the same resources and opportunities as their male counterparts. As surveyed globally, more than 58% of men have access to internet, compared to less than 48% of women. Many women, including those in Europe and North America, are unable to access services because they are either expensive or severely limited in rural or underserved areas. The difference is much starker in developing countries. In Africa, for example, only 34% of women have access to the internet, compared to 45% of men. The disparity is even wider in the Arab world, with 75% of men having a reliable internet connection and only 65% of women having the same. According to ITU data, only 19% of women in least developed countries used the Internet in 2020, compared to 86% in developed countries in 2019.

Michaela Jamelska on Ai and Gender Equality: So, while more women tend to enter computer science roles, their numbers radically drop over time because female workers lack support, face discrimination, or the glass ceiling phenomenon, which essentially makes them transfer into another field. To claim, we have concluded that the number of women entering the technology field is just not enough. While this is not to say that women who enter the engineering field must stay in it for 20 years, to optimize the numbers, we need to empower women who decide to change their careers later in life and grow their skills to receive new training in data science or computing to enter those fields in later years. Unfortunately, many fields act as some sort of elitist and exclusive human capital, refusing to bring in and train people, so that we can create a more polyvalent society. Therefore, efforts to improve current education should come from all sides: individuals, stakeholders, government, and the private sector as well. Finally, there is no doubt that there are AI algorithms that reinforce gender biases, but also ones that uncover them. However, AI itself is not one to blame. It is only mirroring issues of our society, and the fundamental work and improvements are still to be done among us, humans.

Michaela Jamelska about the innovative 5G trial to boost business : WECA obtained £3million of government funding to test how the region can handle with all the benefits of 5G technology. Its ultra-reliability and low latency is expected to increase the connectivity level and impact on the public sector to try new ways of delivering services and explore new commercial opportunities. Ports are fundamental to the global economy, transporting up to 90% of the world’s goods. Drones-based technology is quickly becoming a regular tool in the ports and logistics industry. Unmanned Life, with its software for autonomous robotics, is unlocking the full potential of drones in Ports and will improve safety, reduce costs, and enhance process efficiency, making UK ports a reference in the world. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has secured over £3m from the Government to test how the country can seize the full benefits of 5G and help businesses harness the power of modern technology. WECA’s 5G Logistics project programme will develop 5G products and services to support operations at Bristol Port and Gravity Smart Campus and demonstrate a smart and dynamic port environment. The project will focus on security, traceability, and real-time tracking of goods within and across extendable virtual boundaries – and between public and private networks.

In the real world, our human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination. (Source UN) One of the differences, however, one may argue, is that when you are tortured in real life, it is not quite the same as your avatar being tortured in virtual reality. Therefore, what would be a responsibility for such an action in the virtual world? Right now, the punishments for abuses in the virtual world are still limited. But if avatars are extensions of our own identity in the virtual world as they are meant to be, it would mean that our avatars should be protected from tortures of other avatars, they must not be discriminated, they should be allowed to express their opinions among other rights. Similarly, abusers should be held accountable for their actions. There is not, yet, a full framework developed to grant us all rights and impose punishments for such actions. Large corporations are often criticized for caring mainly about engagement rates and users spending the time on their platform. However, even those large corporations are created by humans who have human rights and hopefully together with the public they push forward for the need to create a framework which will safeguard our avatar – human rights. Finally, a metaverse is just a tool, and we are all equally responsible for building a human rights centric future.

From 10 to 12 September, Unmanned Life team will attend 5G Asia where 5G core issues will be discussed to go beyond the hype around 5G. Discussions around concrete solutions, real business opportunities and major technology advancements will be at the centre of this event, in particular 5G commercialization, 5G RAN evolution, Spectrum and Standard, Network Evolution, 5G Automation and Virtualization and the 5G cloud. It is without say that Unmanned Life´s Autonomy-as-a-Service AI software platform will be at the heart of these 5G discussions by showing how concretely autonomous solutions will be enabled by 5G.

Michaela Jamelska about the future of Air Mobility in Europe: The integration of Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems into Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems will significantly contribute to understand the safe, secure and sustainable integration of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and commercial drone operations. Unmanned Life platform will be responsible of the design and development of a simulation testbed which aims to inject data from manned and unmanned flights into GOF 2.0 systems. The first trials will take place in – 2021 between August and October in Estonia (Tallin & Tartu), Finland (Helsinki), Poland (Kąkolewo) and Austria (Graz). It will showcase that both manned and unmanned aviation can coexist in the airspace. This project arises from the fast-growing drone industry in Europe in all type of environments, including urban areas, and the need of a scalable U-Space architecture.

While Metaverse has stirred up quite a lot of backlash, and some opinions are rather discouraging, some benefits may be seen. The Metaverse world will offer endless possibilities to reinvent yourself and build the world you want or immerse into the world you like. Within the Metaverse world, you can choose from millions of worlds without physical boundaries or the material and distance limitations we face in the real world. Humans are dreamers, inventors, and creators by nature. With Metaverse, we will feel like superheroes, which is why, despite its criticisms, Metaverse will work more likely than not. The Metaverse has the potential of offering endless opportunities to individuals who often find it difficult to assimilate in the real world. Introverts, creators, and people with extremely high IQs may find Metaverse highly stimulating, as they are in charge of not only their own actions, but the environments around them as well. This type of world could also introduce a new way of treating mental health conditions such as anxiety, which often spark from the overwhelming feelings our surroundings impose on us.

Who is Michaela Jamelska and some of her tech & human rights thoughts