Armen Sarkissian the keynote speaker at the Abu Dhabi world forum: We live in a century where innovations and startups rule the world

President Armen Sarkissian, who is in the United Arab Emirates on official visit, at the capital city of Abu Dhabi in the framework of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week forum participated today at the Future Summit conference. The conference was opened by the Minister of Energy and Industry of the UAE Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui.

President Sarkissian was the keynote speaker of the conference. In his statement he said in particular:

“This is a special conference, and it is no accident that it’s happening right here. It testifies to the fact that the government led by Sheik Mohammad Bin Zayed, looks towards the future.

Issues raised here are linked to the future and potential challenges, risks, which we will face tomorrow, starting from food, water, climate change, and to energy.

If we go back historically one hundred years, we will see that were living in the world of energy industry, which we could call “black” because we were burning coal, oil and received energy which was used in industry and so on. Later, we learned to use renewable energy and started to use also gas. Today that “black” has become “gray”.

However, we all expect to have a world which is not gray but green. The road from the today’s gray world to the green world of tomorrow is time consuming, will require hard work, and efforts.

Everyone is talking about the climate change. I would like to note that we need to be very careful to discuss not just climate changes but also their impact on the nature.

The best example is atomic energy. Even though the impact of atomic energy on the climate is minimal, it creates atomic fuel, atomic waste which are to be dealt with. We are using only a small part of the created atomic fuel. We need to deactivate or store it for the future generations. Atomic waste, which is radioactive, presents another problem. Thus, we need to be very careful to understand what to do with it because it can pose a threat for the nature for a long time.

On the road from gray to green, to a bright future, huge work is to be done. We have great opportunities for renewable energy but using it, we need to be very careful not to harm the nature.

Along with problems, allow me to talk also about advantages and about where we are today.

I will focus on two issues.

First, I would like to talk about globalization. It is very important in our life. The impact of globalization started after the collapse of the Berlin wall, when barriers between the East and the West, between ideologies collapsed.

The second impact took place when the world realized that there was only one important road towards the future. It is the capitalist way of governing, free and liberal markets. It became the reason for the establishment of the interstate relations and international institutions. It also resulted in a huge flows of labor, energy, and money from the West to the East. Production was done not only at the USA but also in Vietnam, China, India… The world turned into a global market.

The second important point: Years ago, different parts of the world were connected through lines, through telephone lines. But today we see that the world has become a small place interconnected through a huge web of nerves. This planet is interconnected. Today, it is quite possible to call people in California or Australia and to see people in real time, to have discussions, while 20-30 years ago such possibilities didn’t exist. It happened because of globalization, technical globalization.

Globalization started as a macro process but has gone very far and has become a micro globalization. I call it globalization at the quantum level. Even if we introduce certain limitations, we cannot stop the flow of ideas and startups which have become the new driving force for industry. It means that obstacles can appear at the macro level but the new industry of information technologies, artificial intelligence will never stop. It is impossible to stop the world’s quantum globalization.

The second issue I would like to talk about is industrial revolution. If we go back some one hundred years, we will see that dramatic changes took place on our planet. It was that huge development which took place in physics. Before that we saw everything in the light of the laws of classical physics and mechanics created by Isaak Newton and many other scientists. Everything was possible to explain. But in the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, new events took place, scientific new discoveries which are impossible to explain through the laws of classical physics. As a result, geniuses such as Albert Einstein, created the theory of probability for great segments- astrophysics, gravitation theory. Those brilliant scientists created the quantum physics.

It was not just a discovery of a new quantum physics: It was a revolution in thinking and logic.

These geniuses looked at the reality and changed it, revolutionized the entire perception logic of material things. Certainly, at the beginning the scientists were startled because everything was illogical. However, when logic and approach are changed, one starts to comprehend that everything becomes logical under the new ideas. It is very important for revolution in science.

Another issue I would like to mention speaking about industrial revolution is the following: What we are talking about, is not the fourth industrial revolution. I would characterize in other terms.

In contemporary natural sciences – physics, mathematics, chemistry – great achievements are taking place, and they are based on artificial logic. Any research is based on the data and the way we work with it. Today we have technologies which scan human body and as a result there is much information. No doctor can work with the entire compound of that data but when we use artificial logic, computer systems, which can make analyses and learn, these systems can within seconds analyze all information and to advise doctors. Artificial intelligence will help us to better understand our DNA as well as to change it in a way that we can live longer and healthier and overcome diseases such as cancer.

It is no accident that there are already achievements. Last year, the Noble Prize in medicine was awarded to two individuals who found solutions to treat some types of cancer. But it was a result of years-long hard work and use of artificial logic.

Artificial logic becomes the brain of the industrial revolution.

I would like to stress one important thing: there is no the fourth industrial revolution. What we face today and what the young generation will face tomorrow is a permanent revolution which will be taking place every day. It is based on huge knowledge in the area of science and technologies, however its driving force is artificial intellect. Those countries or companies, which invest in artificial intellect, are on the right path because together with the knowledge we already possess, it will change dramatically the world as well as the way we are trying to solve problems, including problems of food, water, and energy. It will also change the way people work. For instance, doctor’s work will be very different because artificial intellect will advise doctors. Work of lawyers and others also will be different. Some jobs will disappear but other will appear. And they will be based on innovations.

We are living not in the century of great industrial companies but in a century when young innovators and startup rule the world. Look at the major world companies. Are they great oil companies? No.

Those are the companies which started in garages by young innovative people and became billions-worth companies which rule the world. Our problems will find solutions linked to new types of industrial revolution. I call it fast evolution with the exponential growth. We will be seeing evolution every day. The young generation will be living in a wonderful world, a world where their abilities and talents will be recognized as well as their innovative power.

This revolution, globalization will influence our everyday life. We see it everywhere. Events that are taking place in the world seem to be a little unpredictable, unorganized. Those are results of evolution and a new quantum world. For example, event which took place in France, the election of President Macron, who came as a result of youth movement and won the elections. Events in Britain, where emotions and the society, Facebook created the Brexit movement. US President Donald Trump is an excellent example of how it is possible to make politics in the 21st century without mass media, addressing directly to the voters, to the people.

Nearly one year ago, in my country, when I was inaugurated as president, a couple of weeks from that there was a demonstration led by a young journalist, that started at the north of the country with a couple of people, turned into a demonstration with 100, 1000, 5000, 10000 people. Eventually, we had 200000 people on the Square and in two weeks there was a revolution in Armenia. All this took place because the world is globalized, because we are interconnected, everyone has a page in Facebook. So, it is not necessary that a political party causes great changes in a country or in the world in general. So, welcome to a new, global world where you will live.
Welcome to a new world of quantum behavior where classical methods of doing business, development of ideas even politics are not efficient any more. It is necessary to be very inventive.

A couple of words, or just an advice for young people. For me, being young is not about the years you spend on this planet, but it is related to how young you feel inside, if you have enough energy, if you’re interested in what’s going on.

If I were to give an advice to my grandchild, whose name is also Armen, I would say, dear Armen, I am not going to advise you to be a doctor, a lawyer or a farmer. Maybe, 30 years’ time there will be very few doctors of lawyers.

First and foremost, I would advise you look inside yourself, find who you are because every child born has a talent. Once is gifted in mathematics, second in music, third in arts, fourth in story-telling, fifth is a politician another has a talent of listening to others, or giving them advice. So, the idea is not what to become, the idea is discover who you are.

The second thing I would advise Armen, is the following: find your life mission. If you’re talented in music, you need to have a mission, to become, for instance, the best violinist. Find your life’s mission and not just job. The mission which is the passion of your life. It’s part of you, and these two should be in harmony with each other.

Next, think about your life in the 21st century, think about your life as a startup. You have to create your own startup which is named Startup Armen. Make yourself as a professional, one who can create. Certainly, don’t forget that it’s a hard work which must be done diligently. Don’t forget that there are historical values, values of your nation and your family. Don’t forget that in order to achieve something, you need to stay young all your life.

Remember that being young is not about years spent on this planet: It is about having a young spirit. If you learn something new every day, just like children, you will stay young. Even if you are eighty years old but continue to learn and wonder at the world, make plans for future, it means you are young.

Of course, there will be difficulties in your life but you need to be brave. Which each day before your success, you need to prove that you deserve what you achieved. After each failure or disappointment there should be no depression. Just stand up and move on. You have a wonderful life ahead of you and this new world is a quantum world. Don’t worry and don’t be afraid just as scientists one hundred years ago were not afraid. They went through a serious drama, tragedy because they didn’t understand who this universe was working but they changed their approaches and logic, they became innovators, started to think of the world of physics in quantum way, and everything became harmonious and clear.

Look at your life, at the 21st century, at the industry, business and politics from a new point of view. Rediscover this world, the logic will be different. This is a quantum world, it is not classical, but when you understand how it works you will be in harmony and will be successful.

So, good luck, and good luck to all of you.

Somehow, I am jealous: I’d love t be 15-20 years old like you because the life ahead will have a lot of challenges – the food, the water, the energy, the climate, but solutions are there.”