The power of Gaming and Esports to embrace AI and transcend a binary world

Revolutionary technologies converge at the most exciting time in our history, unlocking a limitless future.

By Paul J. Foster, CEO Global Esports Federation

GEF CEO Paul J. Foster at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. (GEF)

As we race toward a future that seemed to be science fiction merely a decade ago, new technologies are rocketing for position to captivate our collective imagination. 

The relativistic progress made in the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality has sparked the potential for a boundless, non-binary world, yet the creation of such an interconnected future is not without its challenges and risks. 

• How do we leverage the power of these technologies to secure a sustainable future?

• How can we incorporate these innovations with human-centered scale to enhance education, well-being and reduce environmental impact? 

• How do we govern technologies with limitless potential to ensure they are safe, ethical and trustworthy?

Esports have already proven effective at challenging the binary nature of our society. Why must we continue to question the distinctions between sports and esports, women and men, technology and environmental impact? The answer need not be ‘or’, it adds to greater inclusion if we say ‘both’ simultaneously.  

These questions and challenges were front and center at the ITU’s AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva that I had the honor of attending alongside my GEF colleague Stavroula Katsoula – Manager of Strategy and Impact.

During a panel discussion, Stavroula’s energy inspired the attendees and provided insights about the capabilities of AI to revolutionize learning and career opportunities for the next generation. The Global Summit provided an opportunity for diverse thought leaders to interact with the ITU, UNESCO and other UN agencies, as well as innovators, entrepreneurs and industry.

We left this year’s Summit with a profound sense of connection and commitment to help seek and find solutions, spark innovation, and leverage the power of esports as a catalyst to drive this tectonic shift in the ways we live, work, play – and have fun.

We are living in the most exciting era in the history of our world. The convergence of these awe-inspiring technologies, interconnected communities, and the global commitment to innovation at the very dawn of AI, seeks to ensure that every human has access to the resources that will fundamentally enhance their lives. 

This is the true potential of AI and Virtual Reality — building robust foundations, breaking down barriers, removing glass ceilings and creating a unified experience for the human collective. We have long departed from a binary ecosystem and arrived at a world with endless opportunities, no matter where you live or what you do or where you’ve come from.

And gaming and esports have a large role to play in realizing this transformational potential.

Innovation and technology are native languages to the global gaming and esports community. Our challenge at the Global Esports Federation is to harness these ideas to create a hyper-connected world that impacts lasting change. It goes beyond staging high-impact competitions in premier cities across the globe — it invokes the collective power of our #worldconnected community to contribute to our united progress.

This is one reason why the GEF is a proud supporter of the United Nations and its guiding Sustainable Development Goals. Together with UNESCO, the ITU, the WHO, the Olympic Movement, and many other organizations that share a common goal, the GEF in inspired to do its part to make the world a better place for all. 

GEF will continue to transcend these divisions by incorporating life-changing technologies into service for our community, empowering youth, improving our environment, sparking creativity, and unlocking the full human potential in every corner of our unique, precious, beautiful planet. We are developing new ways to play and compete that not only provide immersive participation and entertainment experiences, but also enhance education, sustainability and innovation. 

Fresh from those thought-provoking days in Geneva, we left renewed in the belief that the power of innovative technologies will lead to exponential change that improves all of our lives, for everyone, everywhere. Welcome to a #worldconnected future.