Together with the Wielkopolska Employers’ Association (Wielkopolski Związek Pracodawców – WZP), we organized a conference for the association’s members to discuss the challenges businesses face in an era of new technologies. The speakers focused on the challenges anticipated in the coming year, 2025. Key topics included the demand for cheaper green energy, the development of artificial intelligence, and issues related to cybersecurity.
An Uncertain Future
The end of the year is a time for reflection, but also a moment to look forward and ask some critical questions: What lies ahead? How can we best prepare for upcoming challenges? With these questions in mind, we organized the conference “Business and Technology 2025 – Opportunities and Threats” in cooperation with the Wielkopolska Employers’ Association.
On October 24th, Talex S.A. in Poznań became a hub for experts and business leaders. The event brought together numerous representatives from Wielkopolska’s businesses and IT industry specialists to discuss key trends for the coming year and the latest technologies impacting the market – both positively and negatively.
The meeting aimed to strengthen local business networks and provide practical knowledge that could genuinely help companies prepare for the future. We achieved these goals by focusing on specific, substantive content and practical actions.
Business, AI, and Cybersecurity
The conference was opened by Rafał Szałek, a board member of Talex S.A., and Bartosz Stasch, president of the Wielkopolska Employers’ Association. After welcoming the guests, they handed the stage to Maciej Witucki, President of the Confederation Lewiatan.
Maciej Witucki began the presentations with a speech titled “Prospects for Business in 2025,” where he shared a vision of economic development and the challenges anticipated in the upcoming year. He highlighted the increasing demand for cheaper green energy and its crucial role in the future of business, emphasizing that it represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Unfortunately, he noted that prospects for reducing green energy costs are slim, at least in the near future. He also touched on the political background of new regulations and stressed the importance of a unified voice among business leaders to better articulate their needs and enhance their influence in public debate. Such efforts could help businesses shape the market more effectively.
Next on the agenda was Professor Wojciech Cellary from WSB Merito University in Poznań, who focused on artificial intelligence. Professor Cellary explained AI principles in a clear and illustrative way, detailing the benefits it can offer and the limitations of machine learning. He also discussed potential threats posed by AI, with special emphasis on deepfakes – a technology that can manipulate images and audio, posing a significant risk to security and public trust. An example of an effective deepfake was presented through a video of Professor Cellary himself, manipulated by AI to have him speak in different languages. His lecture was highly informative and eye-opening, serving as an excellent prelude to the next presentation.
To conclude the conference, Rafał Szałek took the floor again to discuss practical aspects of cybersecurity, including AI-related threats. He began by outlining the dangers and then emphasized the importance of data isolation, pointing out that even the most advanced security measures cannot fully eliminate the risk of a successful cyberattack. However, isolated data can offer increased security by safeguarding key resources, which are cut off from networks and locked in a “digital vault” at Talex Data Center. He also stressed the importance of employee education in preventive measures. Though the future outlined by the speaker appears daunting, he emphasized the importance of being well-prepared and minimizing potential losses in the event of a successful cyberattack.
Prepared for the Future
In conclusion, the event was a success. We achieved our objectives, with the conference serving as a platform for knowledge exchange and an opportunity for members of the WZP to establish and strengthen connections. We thoroughly discussed upcoming challenges and, together with experts, considered how to counteract threats and seize arising opportunities. Participants actively engaged in the presentations, which, as organizers, was especially gratifying, proving that we addressed relevant issues. We are confident that the information gained will help businesses better prepare for upcoming changes and capitalize on opportunities in the dynamically evolving world of business and technology.
