South-East Asia Regional Symposium

Advancements in technology often have a profound impact on the development of human society. On the one hand, automation and improved technologies increase productivity and facilitate the production of goods and services. On the other hand, it might remove job opportunities, aggravate inequalities and injustices, and affect social stability. A recent such potentially disruptive technology is artificial intelligence (AI), which may bring about high levels of automation of previously uniquely human tasks including writing, decision making, and opinion dissemination. This technology, as well as other recent technologies such as the development of humanoid robots, also begins to prompt questions about the uniqueness of human consciousness and nature. In this session, panelists will discuss the impacts of these new technologies from a variety of cultural and religious perspectives. SEA Interfaith Reflections on the Environment and One Health. The industrial and technological development of the past century has brought about unprecedented improvements in living standards, productivity, food security, and many other areas of life. At the same time, this development has also brought about a triple environmental crisis of climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, which threatens the very fabric upon which our lives depend. The ancient wisdom of religions and indigenous populations contributes unconventional approaches toward the resolution of this crisis and enables bringing a sense of health and balance, not only to people’s lives, but also to the planet. In this session, panelists share solutions and methods from their respective faith traditions, weaving a tapestry of South-East Asian approaches toward the problems plaguing our world.