Web Summit. "An outstanding platform to bridge people and ideas that are changing the world"

The Minister of Economy and Maritime Affairs welcomed the Web Summit participants tonight (13 November), alerting to the perils of climate change and appealing to the "collective willingness" and everyone’s "responsibility towards the future".

In a speech delivered at the opening session of the 2023 Web Summit, held in Altice Arena, Lisbon, António Costa Silva noted the role that technology, and particularly artificial intelligence, can play in seeking out a more sustainable future, and underlined Portugal’s investment, namely in renewables, which already assure 60% of the country’s electricity production.

According to Para António Costa Silva the problems the world is facing today have to be solved through innovation and technology, and the "Web Summit is an outstanding platform to bridge people and the ideas that are changing the world ". "We desperately need these new ideas to solve the key issues of our time", the Minister of Economy and Maritime Affairs advocated, noting as the most important part the "climate change", an "existential threat". A context where artificial intelligence one of the central matters of this Web Summit, "may be a solution ". 

"Artificial intelligence will be the electricity of the 21st century", changing and shaping different segments of the economy, António Costa Silva noted, underlining that the new technologies will make the future happen. "We must contain the threat doing what are doing in Portugal, changing our energy mix. We have a renewables cluster that is increasingly strong: 60% of the electricity we use in our country comes from renewables and we will reach 80% in the next three to four years", indicating the target set by the Government for 2026. 

 "We have a shift in the mobility paradigm", the Minister stated also, advocating that "we must change our cities", where 55% of the world’s population lives today and where 75% of the global energy is consumed and 80% of CO2 emissions are generated. If we are not able to shift the city paradigm, we will face problems in the future". 

"We must do more with your ideas and dreams, with entrepreneurship", António Costa Silva stated.