‘Your next available appointment is NOW.’ For people to trust their government, it has to deliver: healthcare, social benefits, birth registration—public services must be accessible and serve the people. Digitalisation can significantly simplify access to state services—or enable them for the first time, especially in remote regions.

However, digitalisation also poses major challenges for public institutions around the world—whether in Germany, Ukraine or Rwanda. In order to bring the government and citizens closer together, digital administrative services must be secure and efficient. For resilient and trustworthy administrations, we invest in digital public goods and digital public infrastructure—in other words, freely accessible, open-source and customisable software solutions.

To achieve this, we also utilise technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). Our goal: AI should be accessible and fair for everyone. In healthcare, for example, AI can help to detect illnesses more reliably or even provide support during difficult medical procedures. However, AI also harbours risks: In the wrong hands, it facilitates deliberate manipulation and can be used for the targeted dissemination of disinformation. We therefore need clear ethical standards and laws that prevent misuse, while making the benefits of the technology accessible to everyone.

A unicorn from Ethiopia?—Why not? Of course, this is not about the mythical creature, but about the incredible opportunities that digitalisation opens up for people with great ideas. Unicorn start-ups, i.e. companies valued at one billion dollars, will be significantly more common in Africa in the future. This is because digitalisation unlocks access to new markets and enables digital entrepreneurship around the globe: people anywhere can offer their goods and services via digital platforms—whether from a metropolis in Europe or a remote village in sub-Saharan Africa. This revitalises local markets and offers new economic opportunities for regions that were previously considered to be left behind.

However, the digital upswing also brings challenges: while some benefit, others run the risk of falling behind. Large technology companies are reaping the greatest benefits from the digital transformation and its often inadequate regulation. This brings them immense profits, but also reinforces existing inequalities—the digital divide.

For digitalisation to be beneficial for everyone, we need transparent rules and better protection for online workers and users. On the other hand, we need to promote innovation in a targeted manner. Digital learning opportunities that make education accessible to all or apps that provide smallholder farmers with important information in real time show how digital solutions can break down barriers, enable real progress and ensure greater inclusion.

Digital progress comes at a price—often at the expense of climate protection. Every email, every web stream and every app consumes energy and thus contributes to CO₂ emissions. The energy requirements of large data centres and global data transfer are constantly growing and seem to know no bounds. But digital technologies also offer great potential for protecting our planet. Artificial intelligence (AI) requires a lot of energy itself—but it can also help to use resources more efficiently and develop innovative solutions to the consequences of climate change. AI can be used to predict impending droughts and extreme weather at an early stage, improve agricultural yields through smart irrigation systems, or support the planning of sustainable mobility in cities.

Whether digitalisation accelerates ecological crises or becomes a tool for a sustainable future depends on how we shape and guide it. The right approach can be crucial in aligning progress with climate protection.