River Cruise with Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia - “Riding the Waves in the New Economy"

River Cruise with Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia - "Riding the Waves in the New Economy"

On August 14, 2023, Social Innovation Park and Unicorns for Good hosted an exclusive event in Singapore “River Cruise with Jimmy Wales, the Founder of Wikipedia”, one of the most popular websites in the world, with billions of online visits per month.

The event, which took the form of a river cruise along the Singapore River, was an opportunity for guests to learn about the history and impact of Wikipedia, as well as to discuss the future of knowledge sharing in the digital age.

The cruise began with a welcome from Ms. Penny Low, Former Member of Parliament and the Founder and Chair of Social Innovation Park and Unicorns for Good.

Jimmy Wales then took the stage to share his insights on the history and evolution of Wikipedia. His journey to becoming a global internet visionary is a testament to the potential of human innovation and collaboration. His vision for Wikipedia, encapsulated in the phrase "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge," holds profound significance for us. This visionary concept resonates deeply with our commitment to positive change and the advancement of society through technology.

Wales envisioned a world where knowledge is democratised and barrier-free, transcending geographical, linguistic, economic, and social boundaries. And he made it happen and continues to work towards that goal everyday. We were privileged to gain profound insights into the inception, evolution, and enduring impact of Wikipedia. Mr.

Wales's reflections on the challenges faced and the triumphs celebrated along the way offered a rare glimpse into the journey of an iconic platform that has transformed how we access and share knowledge. Beyond this, the conversation delved into a topic close to our hearts – the potential of technology for the greater good. Mr. Wales's discourse on leveraging technology to drive positive change reaffirmed our commitment to our collective mission.

The fireside chat was followed by a Q&A session, during which guests had the opportunity to ask Wales questions about his own experiences using AI tools, what he envisions for the future of Wikipedia and how it sees it keeping up with photo and video sharing apps like Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok etc. It was a lively and engaging discussion, and it provided guests with a unique opportunity to learn from one of the world's leading experts on knowledge sharing.

Guests also enjoyed a scenic cruise along the Singapore River, taking in some of the city's most iconic landmarks, such as Marina Bay Sands, the Esplanade, and the Merlion. It was a beautiful way to end a day of learning and inspiration.

In the new economy, those who can master the art of riding the waves will not only thrive but shape the landscape itself, carving paths of progress as they journey towards a brighter future. Just as Wikipedia has become a cornerstone of accessible knowledge, SIP and UFG aspire to contribute to a world where technology is harnessed for the greater good and we can together collectively reframe these global challenges as growth opportunities, problems as possibilities and scarcity as an opportunity to create abundance.

About Wikipedia - Wikipedia's open editing model allowed anyone with internet access to contribute and edit articles, making it an unprecedented and groundbreaking project. Wikipedia was designed to give users the ability to open edit, with reliable and effective content and is used throughout the world, in multiple languages and is maintained by a community of volunteers. Wikipedia boasts over 55 million articles in various languages, covering a vast range of topics from science and history to pop culture and technology and is available in more than 300 languages with around 300,000 active content contributors.

About Jimmy Wales - Jimmy Wales is the Founder of Wikipedia,.an international collaborative free content encyclopedia on the Internet and one of the most popular websites in the world, with billions of online visits per month. He also founded the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free, multilingual content, and to providing the full content of these wiki-based projects to the public free of charge. He has also co-founded Wikia, now known as Fandom and the Wikimania Foundation. In 2006 Jimmy was named in Time magazine’s ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’. He has been an advocate for open access to information and the democratisation of knowledge.

About Penny Low - A former Member of Parliament and the Founder and Chair of Social Innovation Park and Unicorns for Good, Penny is also a senior advisor to C-suites and political leaders. A trusted global connector and innovator, she advises technology organisations on strategy and mindful leadership. She had oversight of various ministries and built the 1st Eco town in Singapore. She sits on the board of various prominent organisations and is one of the Founding Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.Low spoke about the importance of access to knowledge, and how Wikipedia has played a vital role in making information more accessible to people around the world.

Key Attendees of the River Cruise at Clarke Quay Singapore, along with the SIP team