The winners of the "Tekwill Junior Ambassadors" have been announced. Maia Sandu: Information technologies are fundamentally changing our lives and we need to be prepared
Now in its third year, the most popular TECH competition for students, "Tekwill Junior Ambassadors", named its winners on Saturday. Thirty of the best teams of talented youngsters reached the finals of the national competition. They were encouraged to invest in their passion because, according to the organisers, this is the way of the future.
More than 2,000 young people entered the competition this year, but only 350 made it to the finals. It was a tough competition, but also very important, because children learn not only IT, but also entrepreneurship, and our country needs entrepreneurs. This was the remark made by President Maia Sandu, present at the award ceremony for the most talented young people. The head of state was keen to talk about the risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence, which, if we don't know how to manage them, we might not like what will happen in the future.
"For example, let's talk about democracy. We could distribute useful information, have access to a lot of information to learn from, but still information technologies can be used to distribute falsehoods and misinformation. Artificial intelligence has started to produce content. And sometimes it is very useful, but sometimes it may not be true. (...) Information technologies are fundamentally changing our lives and we must try to be as prepared as possible for these transformations. This is true for all of us, but especially for the younger generation", stressed Maia Sandu.
That is why, according to the head of state, students must learn in school how to distinguish between truthful and misleading information, in order to make correct decisions for themselves and others. Artificial intelligence will dictate a revolution in education, said minister Antolie Topala.
"And if now we find the platforms using artificial intelligence impressive, then I believe that in a year or two these platforms will be much more developed and will create new challenges for all activity, including the education system," said Minister of Education and Research Anatolie Topala.
In turn, the Swedish ambassador to Moldova expressed her hope that more young women from our country will join this field of activity in the future.
"I would like to welcome all the women in the room, first of all because you are here. We need you in this technological field. You are just as smart as the guys, don't be shy. I hope you will be on stage next year," said Ambassador Katarina Fried.
The "Tekwill Junior Ambassadors" contest is organised by the National Association of Information and Communication Technology Companies (ATIC), the "Tekwill" project and the Ministry of Education and Research.
