As drones become an increasingly common sight in urban airspace, what role do cities play in managing and scaling their operations? In this episode of TalTech's "Innovation and Governance" podcast, we turn our attention to the skies above our cities – spaces that are rapidly becoming populated with drones.
Society
The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) places small states at a crossroads of opportunity and risk. AI can enhance public services, strengthen security, and help maintain competitiveness. At the same time, technological dependence deepens, decision-making processes become more opaque, and data sovereignty as well as democratic legitimacy are put at risk.
Tallinn University of Technology will host a public debate between its two rector candidates, Tarmo Soomere and Tiit Land, on Friday, 25 April, from 2.00 to 4.00 p.m. in the university’s main assembly hall; Trialoog will live broadcast the debate.
At the TalTech conference 'Resources in Circulation', experts discussed how to add more value to resources in smarter ways and why Estonia should lead the way in the circular economy instead of falling behind.
TalTech professor Alar Konist warns that the speed of the green transition must not come at the expense of system reliability and the competitiveness of the economy.
At the Smart City Exchange Forum, hundreds of city visionaries gathered to discuss how data, artificial intelligence, and collaboration could transform cities in Estonia and Europe into human-centered and sustainable environments.
With climate change intensifying natural hazards like floods and snowstorms, cities worldwide must enhance resilience. A research team from TalTech and PUCRS, in collaboration with partner cities and commercial stakeholders, is developing a Natural Hazard Resilience Toolkit to improve crisis management through better communication and data integration.
Imagine a city where the invisible world hidden beneath streets and buildings is mapped and integrated with innovative urban planning. TreeCity, one of the finalists of FinEst Centre for Smart Cities's Smart City Challenge 2024, offers exactly this.
Incidents such as the recent DHL aircraft crash in Lithuania, initially suspected to involve Russian GPS interference, sparked widespread concern about hybrid warfare tactics. While investigations suggest that this incident may not have been a cyberattack or part of Russia's hybrid arsenal, it serves as a stark reminder of the constant threats posed by hybrid warfare and cyberattacks. To explore how nations like Estonia can navigate these challenges, Adrian Venables, senior lecturer at TalTech’s Center for Digital Forensics and Cyber Security, shared his expert insights.
The discussion on the future of higher education in Estonia highlighted the retreat of scientific thinking, questions about artificial intelligence, and the need to modernize the education system to bridge formulated knowledge with unformulated possibilities. One of the most intriguing moments of the discussion was a panel moderated by the Estonian president, Alar Karis, featuring Mart Saarma, Jaan Aru, Marju Lauristin, and Tiia Randma.