The publication 'A Better Place: towards a collective intelligence for Europe' is part of the Next Generation Internet initiative launched by the European Commission in 2016 is to support the development of a human-centric internet. In the words of Roberto Viola, DG Connect General Director, the human internet “should be designed for humans, so that it can meet its full potential for society and economy and reflect the social and ethical values that we enjoy in our societies.” The values promoted are European ones, such as openness, inclusivity and equality.

This publication gathers views and ideas on how to leverage our technology capabilities to serve more inclusive and empowering purposes. The title refers to one of the “Ten issues to watch in 2019” accordingly to the EP think tank: “It seems inevitable now that our lives will be more and more interwoven with intelligent machinery. As worded in Big mind, ‘the question is not whether this will happen but how can we shape these tools so that they shape us well – enhancing us in every sense of the word”. Rather than focusing on short-sighted technocentric predictions and easy big corporations’ demonization, this publication proposes radical systemic thinking along with pragmatic viable alternatives.

In the coming years, we need to work on infrastructures and visions of society in order to create a common ground for action. We do not lack the technological means; what we lack is a coordinated approach balancing regulation, experiments and citizens’ engagement. Acknowledging the impossibility of tackling the current complex situation from one single perspective becomes our biggest resource to kick-start a European movement of citizens and professionals, each differently engaged in ensuring a desirable outcome for what looks like the last moment in history where humans are fully in control.