Dr. Thorsten Jelinek, Europe Director and Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute

 

Thorsten Jelinek

Europe Director and Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute.
Visiting Professor, Aerospace Information Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Former Associate Director, World Economic Forum.

 

Dr. Thorsten Jelinek is an international policy expert with a focus on the intersection of digitalization, cybersecurity, and international relations. He is the Europe Director of the Taihe Institute and holds a visiting fellowship with the Hertie School's Centre for Digital Governance. Jelinek is a recurring member of the Think 20 where his policy contributions have been included in T20 communiqués presented at G20 leaders' summits, including his 2020 brief on "The creation of a G20 coordinating committee for the governance of AI." His insights are encapsulated in his new book, "The Digital Sovereignty Trap," wherein he outlines the key challenges associated with the digital transformation. Previously, Thorsten was a member of ITU's Connect2Recover Initiative and served on the advisory board of the OECD's Trust in Business Initiative. He also contributed to the Belt & Road Forum for International Cooperation, the UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation and the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the Internet Governance Forum. In addition to his work at the Taihe Institute, Thorsten is an entrepreneur. He is currently collaborating with a highly accomplished team on the development of the first data cooperative for the construction sector in Germany to foster trusted digitalisation. His co-founded start-up is leading a consortium that has secured a €2.3 million industry research project, funded by the German Ministry of Economy. Previously, Thorsten was an Associate Director at the World Economic Forum and held for many years managerial positions in the ICT industry. His academic background includes a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and a B.Sc. in Software Engineering and Business Administration from the Berlin University of Applied Sciences.

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thorstenjelinek/

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=D_c1aoAAAAAJ&hl=en

 

 

Publications

  1. Jelinek T, Bühler MM, Glauner P, et al. 2024 (forthcoming). International collaboration on intelligent decarbonization: mainstreaming artificial intelligence and cyberphysical systems for carbon neutrality. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems.
  2. Guo H, Liang D, Nativi S, Jelinek T, et al. 2024 (forthcoming). A future for digital public goods for monitoring SDG indicators. Sci Data.
  3. Bühler MM, Nübel K, and T Jelinek. 2023. Data cooperatives as a catalyst for collaboration, data sharing and the digital transformation of the construction sector. Buildings. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/2/442
  4. Jelinek T. 2023. The digital sovereignty trap: Avoiding the return of silos and a divided world. Series: SpringerBriefs in International Relations, Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-19-8414-3
  5. Jelinek T. 2022. The AI governance gap: A barrier to intelligent decarbonization. In: Inderwildi, O.R., Kraft, M. (eds.) Intelligent Decarbonization. Springer Nature and Cambridge CARES. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-86215-2_20
  6. Bühler MM, Jelinek T & K Nübel. 2022. Training and Preparing Tomorrow’s Workforce for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Education Science. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/11/782
  7. Nübel K, Bühler MM & T Jelinek. 2021. Federated digital platforms: Value chain integration for sustainable infrastructure planning and delivery. Sustainability, 13, 8996, doi: 10.3390/su13168996. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8996
  8. Jelinek T, Wallach W & D Kerimi. 2020. The creation of a G20 coordinating committee for the governance of artificial intelligence. AI and Ethics, Springer Nature, doi: 10.1007/s43681-020-00019-y https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-020-00019-y
  9. Jelinek T. 2020. Ethics and governance in the age of artificial intelligence. Taihe Institute, Beijing. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2020/01-03/1430531683.html
  10. Jelinek T. 2020. The future rulers? In: Billows, W., Körber, S. (eds.) Reset Europe. European National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa). Steidl, Göttingen, pp. 244–252. https://www.ifa.de/fileadmin/Content/docs/mediathek/publikationen/kulturreport2020_reset-europe.pdf
  11. Jelinek T. 2019. 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation: From birth to maturity. Taihe Institute, Beijing. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2019/04-29/1353351353.html
  12. Jelinek T. 2018. Post Rapprochement: Sino-West relations. In: Billows, W., Körber, S. (eds.) Cultures of We. European National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa). Steidl, Göttingen, pp. 54–59. https://www.ifa.de/fileadmin/Content/docs/mediathek/publikationen/kulturreport2018_cultures-of-we.pdf
  13. Jelinek T. 2009. A Critical Assessment of Competing Representations of Contemporary China (with empirical case study about ZTE and references to Huawei). PhD Thesis. University of Cambridge, Department of Sociology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342453112_A_Critical_Assessment_of_Competing_Representations_of_Contemporary_China_with_empirical_case_study_about_ZTE_and_references_to_Huawei
  14. Jelinek T. 2009. Organizational change as an emancipatory struggle: The limits of thinking organizational becoming. International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management 9(1), pp. 39-47. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/organisational-change-as-emancipatory-struggle?category_id=cgrn
  15. Jelinek T, Willmott H. 2007. The political shift in cross-cultural studies. Cross-Culture Conference 2007, Erasmus University Rotterdam. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342453642_Cross-cultural_Life_of_Social_Values_Tracing_the_Political_Location_of_Culture
  16. Jelinek T. 2006. Do organizations learn? Fundamental considerations about organization knowledge and learning. International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management 6(1), pp. 175-180. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/do-organisations-learn?category_id=cgrn

 

 

Policy and Opinion Pieces and Reports

  1. Jelinek T. 2023. The Next Decade of China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Adapting to Global Shifts in Development, Collaboration, and Security. Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade. https://www.kommission-seidenstrasse.de/the-next-decade-of-chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-adapting-to-global-shifts-in-development-collaboration-and-security/
  2. Jelinek T, Voss A, et al. 2023 Advancing AI for climate action: global collaboration on intelligent decarbonization. Think 20 India Policy Brief: https://t20ind.org/research/advancing-ai-for-climate-action/
  3. Buehler M, Calzada I, Cane I, Jelinek T, et al. 2023. Harnessing Digital Federation Platforms and Data Cooperatives to Empower SMEs and Local Small Communities. Think 20 India Policy Brief: https://t20ind.org/research/harnessing-digital-federation-platforms/
  4. Jelinek T. 2023. From Past to Future: Lessons from Telecommunications History for Shaping Digital Sovereignty. Hertie School, Centre for Digital Governance. https://www.hertie-school.org/en/content/detail/content/from-past-to-future-lessons-from-telecommunications-history-for-shaping-digital-sovereignty
  5. Jelinek T. 2023. The EU AI Act proposal: The dilemma of regulating a new technology. Hertie School, Centre for Digital Governance. https://www.hertie-school.org/en/content/detail/content/the-eu-ai-act-proposal-the-dilemma-of-regulating-a-new-technology
  6. Jelinek T. 2023. AI and Digital Economy: Technologies Threatening and Shaping the World. TI Observer Vol. 37. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2023/11-24/1911552283.html
  7. Jelinek T. 2022. How China Breaks Through the Western Hegemony in Telecommunications. TI Observer Vol. 20. http://www.taiheglobal.org/Content/2022/05-30/1635559039.html
  8. Jelinek T. 2022. Beware the digital sovereignty trap, Pandaily.com, 18 July 2022. Available at https://pandaily.com/beware-the-digital-sovereignty-trap/
  9. Bühler MM, Jelinek T, Nübel K, et al. 2022. Advancing smallholder agribusiness in Botswana through smart digital innovation. Connect2Recover Initiative, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations, Geneva. https://www.itu.int/itu-d/sites/connect2recover/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2022/11/C2R_RC_8_Advancing-smallholders-agribusiness-in-Botswana-through-smart-digital-innovation-221122-1.pdf
  10. Croce RD, Jelinek T, Lauria V, et al. 2022. Big data analytics for safe, decarbonised, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Think 20 Indonesia Policy Brief. https://www.t20indonesia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/BIG-DATA-ANALYTICS-FOR-SAFE-DECARBONISED-AND-CLIMATE-RESILIENT-INFRASTRUCTURE.pdf
  11. Jelinek T. 2021. The EU-China CAI — a Sign of Collaboration, not Confrontation or Decoupling. TI Observer Vol. 3. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2021/01-01/0151343455.html
  12. Bühler MM, Jelinek T, et al. 2021. A new vision for infratech: governance and value network integration through federated data spaces and advanced infrastructure services for a resilient and sustainable future. Think 20 Italy. https://www.t20italy.org/2021/09/21/a-new-vision-for-infratech-governance-and-value-network-integration-through-federated-data-spaces-and-advanced-infrastructure-services-for-a-resilient-and-sustainable-future/
  13. Jelinek T. 2021. Mapping Europe’s digital sovereignty strategy. Taihe Institute, Beijing. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2021/03-29/1454031342.html
  14. Jelinek T. 2021. Analyzing the systemic differences between the West and China: What are the prospects of reconciliation? Taihe Institute, Beijing. http://www.taiheglobal.org/Content/2021/09-03/1325438749.html
  15. Jelinek T, Wallach W & K Kerimi. 2020. Coordinating committee for the governance of artificial intelligence. G20 Insights, Global Solutions, https://www.g20-insights.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/T20_TF5_PB1.pdf
  16. Jelinek T. 2019. No winners: The failed trade war between the United States and China. Taihe Institute, Beijing. http://www.taiheinstitute.org/Content/2019/12-26/1531568574.html
  17. Buehler MM, Jelinek T, et al. 2017. The new silk road: Eight steps to ensuring China’s $900 billion project is a success. World Economic Forum, Geneva. https://www.futureofconstruction.org/blog/the-new-silk-road-8-steps-to-ensuring-chinas-900-billion-project-is-a-success/
  18. Davis N, Jelinek T, et al. 2014. Enhancing European competitiveness: fostering innovation-driven entrepreneurship in Europe. World Economic Forum, Geneva. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_EuropeCompetitiveness_InnovationDrivenEntrepreneurship_Report_2014.pdf
  19. A Critical Assessment of Competing Representations of Contemporary China Working in a large Chinese High-Tech Corporation http://www.taiheinstitute.org/UpLoadFile/files/2018/4/30/23473598181e931a-f.pdf

 

 

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