Policy Dialogues hosted by the BALLP are held every few months months on critically important topics, in order to promote awareness, civic engagement and active involvement of the public on important public policy issues. The Policy Dialogues will provide a platform for the Academy to sensitize and educate the public about important policies, their implications and potential solutions, so that citizens will better understand the impact of policies on their lives and communities. By presenting different perspectives, analyses and expert opinions, such Dialogues will enable participants to make informed decisions when engaging with policymakers, politicians and officials from the public sector. Encouraging public input will enhance inclusivity and legitimacy of the policymaking process.

This Dialogue of the BALPP was on Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber-threats : Implications to Democracy, Governance & Human Rights. This topic is currently featured as a high profile item in global conversations in the face of rapid acceleration of technology, AI Bots and the threats they pose to governance, education, election integrity and information/data privacy.

Three renowned experts in the field participated as Panelists : Dr Sanjiva Weerawarana, founder of WSO2 & Avinya Education Foundation spoke on ‘Digital Technologies, Education & Governance’, Dr Ruvan Weerasinghe Senior Academic & Researcher on Machine Learning and AI spoke on ‘AI & Ethics’ , Mr Asela Waidyalankara Cybersecurity specialist spoke on ‘Cyberthreats & Cyber-governance policies’.

The two hour Dialogue was moderated by Senior Academic, Human Rights, Democracy &Good Governance activist, Prof Arjuna Parakrama.