Investment Promotion 4.0: What Role for Artificial Intelligence?

Yekaterinburg, 10 July, 2019 – During the 2019 Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS), which took place in Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation, from 9 to 11 July, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), for the first time, introduced the novel concept of “Investment Promotion 4.0” to a wide community of professionals and leaders from 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0.

The session addressed the question of how to harness the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to close investment and technology gaps and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNIDO’s Director General, Mr. LI Yong, delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the event, during which he highlighted the important role that AI could play in mitigating risks for potential investors.

Mr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, the Director of UNIDO’s Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation (TII), moderated a high-level panel discussion, which explored the historical evolution of investment promotion, while considering the application of AI and Blockchain-based technologies for achieving inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

The panel consisted of the Senior Vice President of Nornick, formerly MMC Norilsk Nickel, Andrey Bugrov, Weixi Gong, the Chief of UNIDO’s Investment Promotion Division and Coordinator for the Investment and Technology Promotion Offices Network, and two heads of the Investment and Technology Promotion Offices (ITPOs), Dr. Yuko Yasunaga, Head of UNIDO ITPO Tokyo and Dr. Hashim Suleiman Hussein Mohamed, Head of UNIDO ITPO Bahrain.

Click here to read the related press release.