Mark Zuckerberg challenges himself to host discussions on tech in 2019

MANILA, Philippines – Given the multitude of controversies Facebook was embroiled in last year, Mark Zuckerberg is probably the last person we would all expect to host discussions on the future of tech. But he plans to do just that this 2019 as part of his annual New Year’s resolution.

“My challenge for 2019 is to host a series of public discussions about the future of technology in society — the opportunities, the challenges, the hopes, and the anxieties,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post. “Every few weeks I’ll talk with leaders, experts, and people in our community from different fields and I’ll try different formats to keep it interesting.”

Topics for discussion could include artificial intelligence (AI) and the effect of the internet on societies to name a few.

While the specifics for these talks are not quite clear yet, Zuckerberg said it will all be public and accessible via his Facebook, Instagram or other media channels.

This is not the first time the Facebook CEO publicly shared his New Year’s resolutions. In previous years, he said he coded a virtual assistant AI for his home and learned Mandarin.

His challenge for himself this year, however, seems quite timely especially after he was called out for his lack of transparency with regards to issues of misinformation and data privacy last year.

This could all change soon as he has even gone as far as to say that he will put himself out there more than he’s ever comfortable with just to discuss important questions concerning the future of tech.

– Rappler.com