An article from Arlan Andrews, Sr.:
Arlan Andrews, Sr., founder and director of SIGMA, the science fiction think tank, accompanied SIGMA members Catherine Asaro, Kathleen Ann Goonan and Mark O’Green to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as guests of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). The authors presented a panel, “Disruptive Technologies,” during the Global Competitiveness Conference 2012 (GCF), an annual gathering of several thousand of the world’s political, financial, academic and intellectual leaders in the Saudi capital. Held January 21-24, 2012, the theme of this sixth GCF was “The Entrepreneurship Imperative.”
Andrews moderated the panel and spoke on “Disruptive Technologies, Disruptive Minds.” Asaro spoke on “Genius Machines,” Goonan discussed “Radical Literacy,” and game writer O’Green covered “Gaming Rules the World.” Each panelist promoted science fiction or gaming as useful tools for entrepreneurs interested in anticipating future opportunities in emerging technologies. The science fiction guests touched on a broad range of subjects including “science-fictional thinking”, neuroplasticity and nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and robotics, international collaboration in massive multi-player online games (MMOG), and the impacts of these disruptive technologies on industry, society and entrepreneurship.
Questions from the audience ranged from “Why do guys spend so much time on video games?” to “How can we introduce science fiction to the Arabic world?” to “What do you see as the greatest danger in emerging technologies?” Related conversations on science fiction, gaming and futurism carried on into the evenings, as in any American science fiction gathering. The younger generation in Saudi Arabia seems to be as interested in these areas and concerns as are fans in the United States, and the older generation in the Kingdom supports innovative entrepreneurial activity, as witnessed by the sponsorship of the GCF itself.
Prominently featured at GCF 2012 were former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, former Prime Minister of South Korea Un-Chan Chung, 3M CEO George Buckley, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, and other notable speakers and panelists. For a complete agenda and bios of the dozens of presenters, see the GCF 2012 website at: www.GCF2012.org.sa
SAGIA hosted its guests with legendary Arabic hospitality in and around Riyadh, including colorful Bedouin folk dancers and a dinner at the farm of Sheik Hamad Almosa, a buffet at the National Museum, and sit-down dining on carpets at Nadji Village, the oldest standing souk, or marketplace, in Riyadh.
With a membership of over forty science fiction and gaming authors, SIGMA is a science fiction think tank founded by Dr. Arlan Andrews, Sr., while he was working in the White House Science Office, to provide futurism consulting to the US government and NGOs. SIGMA now offers its consulting services to private organizations as well.
For details, see the SIGMA website: www.SigmaForum.org