On May 13th, 2025, Alexander Innovation Zone and Think Tank PAREMVASI hosted a landmark event titled “War and Peace: Innovation (and LIFE) During Tumultuous Times”. The event brought together two visionary speakers, Apostolos (Toli) Lerios and Dimitrios Lakasas, in a timely conversation exploring the intersection of innovation, education, and global risk. The dialogue was skillfully moderated by Professor Nikos Varsakelis.
The event delivered a series of powerful takeaways:
- Scaling Human Architecture – People deserve the same opportunities to grow and adapt as we demand from technology.
- Radical Education Reform – In the age of AI, we need to fundamentally redesign our educational system, embedding entrepreneurship at every stage and shifting the focus from passive absorption to active critical thinking.
- Mindset and Culture Matter – The spark for innovation lies in our mindset, with resilience, openness, and curiosity at its core.
- Effective Use of Tools – Access alone is not enough. True progress comes from mastering and applying tools strategically and ethically.
- Defense and Dual-Use Technology – Investing in technologies that serve both civilian and strategic purposes can enhance human resilience and reduce waste.
- Intuition is Human – Intuition cannot be programmed. It remains a powerful, unique human capacity.
- The Geotechnology War Has Begun – Global competition over chips, data, and infrastructure is the new geopolitical battlefield.
- The Next War May Be a Digital Pandemic – The threat of digital collapse or chaos is real. Digital resilience is critical.
- Necessity Drives Creation and Success – A timeless principle, more relevant than ever.
The event concluded with a strong call to action: for policymakers, educators, technologists, and citizens to collaborate in building a world where innovation serves life, not the other way around.
