en we talk about the future of technology, we often rush to highlight the next tool, the next platform, the next breakthrough. But the real question for the Youth isn’t what we build—it’s how we build it, and who it serves.
Visiting Estonia reminded me of that truth. This is a country that rebuilt itself from crisis not just with digital IDs or AI-powered services, but with something deeper: a culture of trust, citizen ownership, and transparency. Technology was the vehicle, but trust was the engine.
That lesson matters for me in two ways. In San Francisco, the world looks to us as the birthplace of innovation and yet we struggle with digital trust and accountability here at home. And in Latin America, where millions of young people are growing up in a rapidly digitizing world, there’s a chance to leap forward by shaping systems that empower people instead of controlling them.
What Estonia shows us is that it’s possible to design digital government that is both innovative and responsible. That’s the balance we need everywhere, whether in Silicon Valley or across the Americas. As the Lead with our Young AI Leaders – San Francisco Hub, I take these lessons to heart and will look continue to leverage this as we galvanize our youth to create more action.