Vladimir Putin took part
in the international conference Into the Future: Russia’s
Role and Place, organised by Russia’s oldest bank, Sberbank,
to mark its 175th anniversary.
November 10, 2016
14:30
Moscow
Conference Into the Future: Russia’s Role
and Place.
The conference focused on forecasting
and analysing future technology trends, discussing the main outlines
for technological development, and examining the potential
benefits and risks their mass use could bring.
* * *
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good
afternoon, friends,
Thank you very much for your welcome
and applause.
We all share the holiday mood today as we
mark the 175th anniversary of Sberbank, Russia’s
oldest and biggest bank. This is a very solid age, even
for a bank.
It is a pleasure to congratulate the bank’s
workers and managers with this impressive anniversary and wish you
all new success. You already have successes to your name, but I wish
you new achievements.
As a leader in Russia’s financial
sector, Sberbank is always moving forward, constantly improving its
competitiveness, following modern trends and developments around
the world closely, and placing its stakes on ongoing
and rapid introduction of the latest technological
and management innovations. It has plenty of advice to offer,
including to the Russian Government. It is not by chance that
the theme of this conference, which marks the bank’s
anniversary, addresses the challenges and opportunities that
scientific and innovation development bring our way.
The world has developed tremendous technological
capability today, but there is no doubt that we are still not making full use
of its potential. We see this reflected in the fact that
recognised global economic power centres are failing to reach high
and sustainable economic growth rates.
At the same time, the leading countries
see innovation as an integral key component of this latest stage
in global development and set their social and economic
strategies in accordance.
For Russia, it is important to seize
the key trends in technological progress and understand our
strong points and weak points in the transition
to the next-generation economy. Everyone present here today is well
aware of this new economy’s main outlines. They include high mobility
and convenience in provision of goods and services, that
are available when and where you wish, at a simple click
or touch of a telephone or tablet.
Digital technology is having an impact
on all aspects of our society today. We see before our very eyes
the changes digital technology is bringing to old and stable
sectors such as healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy,
and to the urban environment and our lifestyles
in general.
These global changes open the road
to dramatic increases in labour productivity (this is something
I discuss frequently at meetings with colleagues from
the business community), and create unique opportunities
to develop new market niches and obtain real advantages.
At the same time, this process does come
with considerable risks too, above all for the countries that fail
to ride the technology wave. Of course, this leaves them
at risk of ending up on the margins of progress
and becoming outsiders in the competitive struggle.
New technologies can also make traditional sectors
less attractive, and changing demand for skills and automation of production
processes, without the needed system for retraining human resources,
can result in structural unemployment.
This is all comprehensible and elementary, things
we know from back since when the industrial revolution began
in England. We remember the social upheavals that took place,
the strict sticking to the workplace rules as a means
of striking, the people who destroyed new equipment and so on.
It is an old problem that has not changed.
To be continued.
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