Schmidt will be tasked with heading a 15-member blue-ribbon commission that will “Reimagine New York.”
“We need a true visionary, and that’s Eric Schmidt,” Cuomo said. “He might be the best in the world. He saw a future no one else envisioned and developed a way to get there. So I’m asking him to work with us to bring that visionary aspect to our government and our society.
“This gives us a chance to look at what we’ve gone through and anticipate the future through that lens and see how we can incorporate technology in different ways.”
Cuomo said that New York should take the opportunity to re-evaluate how the state operates healthcare, transportation, education, other systems by incorporating new technology.
The governor added that while the state is going through this "reopening exercise," he wants to make sure "we don’t miss the opportunity in the moment – and the opportunity is that we went all through this, let’s learn the lessons and let's take this moment in history to actually improve from where we are and to build back better.”
According to Schmidt, they’re going to use technology to accelerate the process of reopening New York’s economy.
“We’re going to be able to use technology to accelerate these systems in new ways,” Schmidt said. “The solutions we come up with have to help the most people with the most needs. We need to consider all options that are inclusive.
“We’re looking for solutions that can be accelerated by using technology to make things better. It’s a chance to look at some things that may not have gotten enough attention, so we have to make this period count.”
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