Robots, Futurists and an Apple Co-Founder: Moscow Prepares for the BRICS Urban Future Forum

Moscow will host the third BRICS Urban Future Forum.

The BRICS Urban Future Forum will serve as a magnet for leading global experts — government representatives, members of the scientific and technological community, business leaders, and opinion makers from more than 35 countries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Over 320 experts will discuss priorities and strategies for urban transformation through 2040, with a focus on the role of technology in achieving development goals.

This year’s Forum theme is “The Technological Framework of the City”, placing robotic technologies at the center of the agenda. They already play a key role in the operation of all urban services, and their importance will only continue to grow. The rapid development of robotics, widespread automation, and artificial intelligence is becoming the main driver of transformation in production, labor, and social systems.

The BRICS Urban Future Forum serves as a platform for international exchange on building the megacities of tomorrow. Dr. Kate Barker — Chief Futurist of NEOM, strategic advisor to the UAE government and Fortune 500 companies — will share her expertise in developing cities where robots, artificial intelligence, and the platform economy become an integral part of the urban environment. She will draw parallels between projects such as NEOM and the challenges faced by today’s megacities as they transition into a “hybrid world.” The expert will address some of the key questions of the coming decades: new models of digital platforms, the protection of digital sovereignty, as well as the risks of mass robotization and the adaptation of megacities to the emergence of robots, air taxis, and virtual services.

The discussions will also address issues such as the evolution of technology and digital exploitation. Yanis Varoufakis, the economist who coined the concept of techno-feudalism, will explain how machine learning algorithms have fueled the rise of digital platforms that are gradually replacing traditional markets, granting their owners the power to extract “cloud rent” — income from the use of data and online services. In his view, this process turns the owners of such platforms into “tech overlords,” while users, in turn, become “cloud serfs.”

Last year, the Forum brought together 13,000 participants and became a platform for dialogue and new partnerships in technological development aimed at creating more sustainable, smarter, and more comfortable cities for future generations. Important agreements were reached, including technology transfer deals between Russian companies Informtekhnika, IBI Software, and Digital Practices with partners in Egypt. The Skolkovo Foundation also signed a series of cooperation agreements with DUBAI CHAMBERS, CORPORATE GROUP — one of the UAE’s leading high-tech companies — as well as the Game Art Pioneers gaming conglomerate.

The BRICS Urban Future Forum will be held in Moscow for the third time on September 17-18. This year it will focus on robotic technologies and artificial intelligence. Russia’s capital will host representatives of government, business, the scientific and technological community, and opinion leaders from more than 35 countries across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The Forum’s main objectives are to exchange best practices in innovation, strengthen international partnerships, discuss strategies for urban transformation, and showcase technological solutions for megacities.