Two days, over 1,000 participants, 50 speakers from Poland and the U.S., five hours of live streaming, and eight in-person workshops—that’s how the 16th round of the Sector 3.0 Festival, whose goal is to present trends from the world of new technologies and demonstrate how to implement digital solutions in everyday social activities, came to a close. This time, the focus was on questions regarding the real agency of individuals and teams, as well as supporting the development of natural leaders and strengthening an organization’s internal potential.
The slogan “You Have Impact” sounds like an encouragement, but on the festival stage it was more of a question and the starting point for multifaceted discussions. Who really has impact today? Is it people using technology, or technology, which increasingly shapes human behavior? Can social organizations keep pace with the development of artificial intelligence, given that the landscape of tools changes every week? And what does “impact” actually mean if an algorithm decides who sees your message?
The answers offered over these two days had one common thread. Impact doesn’t start with technology, but with people, relationships, and the question “why?” On stages, in workshop rooms, and in the podcast studio, perspectives that rarely sit side by side came together—from futurology to leadership psychology to the practice of the social sector. Experts from Polish social organizations spoke, as well as representatives from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Microsoft, Ringier Axel Springer Polska, Orange, Campus AI, founders of digital cooperatives, and journalists.
The special guest at the Festival was President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who, in a conversation with Magdalena Rigamonti from Onet, spoke about the third sector as a hope that the democratic world won’t go completely mad.
From FOMO to “What for?” How to Regain Peace of Mind in a Fast-Paced World of Technology
Prof. Tomasz Trzciński of the Warsaw University of Technology and the IDEAS Institute has been working on artificial intelligence for 17 years. He has seen many waves that rose rapidly and then subsided quietly. His advice on FOMO? “Most things that have a real impact on our lives take time to mature. The first question in the morning should be: ‘What for?’ Technological innovations shouldn’t change the course of our organizations.”
Prof. Trzciński also gave organizations some very vivid advice on using data to make the right decisions. “Which provides more information—the sentence ‘the sun is shining in Barcelona’ or ‘it’s snowing in Barcelona’? Obviously snow, because that’s a rare occurrence. It’s the same with data in an organization—real information comes from what deviates from the norm, not the standard reading,” said Trzciński.
Dr. Ewa Woydyłło responded to FOMO in a similarly calm tone, reminding us that our advantage lies in reflection—the ability to pause and examine what a given technology is doing to us. “We have frontal and temporal lobes, and that is the part that sets us apart from other creatures. Therefore, it would be foolish not to use it. Whatever captivates you, check how it affects you—not the world, not the technology, but what happens to you under its influence,” explained the psychologist and the Writer of the Year.
You have impact, even without a reach— or how to escape algorithms and regain agency online
Agnieszka Filipiak of Forbes Woman, Małgorzata Kowalewska of the Orange Foundation, and Prof. Renata Włoch of the University of Warsaw spoke with Kamil Śliwowski about how much agency we still have in the digital space. The answer turned out to be less obvious than one might think.
The starting point? Digital literacy isn’t enough. Prof. Włoch pointed out that the concept itself is abstract for many people—people roll their eyes when they hear it. Instead of talking about skills, it’s better to discuss practices: how I use technology, what for, and with what results. Małgorzata Kowalewska added hard data from the EU Kids Online study—60% of young people scored low on a digital literacy test. One in eight people did not answer any question correctly. One-third of teenagers believe that the first result in a search engine is the best source of information.
Agnieszka Filipiak spoke about how journalists are fighting a new battle they’ve never faced before. Google pushes AI-generated answers, people aren’t clicking on articles, and verified information loses out to memes and fake news. Even experienced media professionals fall for it. Agnieszka Filipiak appealed for something simple: a moment’s pause before sharing: “Having impact” doesn’t mean you have a large reach. You can have impact without thousands of followers. A newsletter is an escape from algorithms—the content goes straight to the inbox, without an intermediary.”
The advice for social organizations from this panel is: you don’t have to beat the algorithm. You can bypass it. Build a small, trustworthy community, and count to ten before you share anything.
AI in Organizations as a leadership challenge
During the panel, Iwona Szylar, head of Microsoft’s Polish division, Dr. Barbara Zych, founder of the Human+ Institute, and Agnieszka Szelągowska, vice president of the School of Leadership, discussed trust, communication, and technology in teamwork. The panelists emphasized that the starting point should be identifying the organization’s real needs, its mission, and team challenges, and only then selecting the tools. “If we’re talking about using AI to solve business problems, we need to involve various leaders from the organization. The point is to first identify these problems and then consider which of them could have the greatest impact on the business,” said Iwona Szylar, CEO of Microsoft Poland.
Key factors here include the role of leaders, change management, engaging employees at varying levels of readiness, and a responsible approach to people’s emotions, fears, and competencies. The common conclusion of the discussion led by Bartłomiej Polakowski was that technology can support an organization, but it does not replace relationships, the purpose of action, and mindful leadership.
Impact that liberates. How to turn immediate aid into real agency?
“In this chaotic world, you simply have to do something concrete,” argued Marcin Meller, a journalist, reporter, and author. The starting point was the question of what prompted this longtime columnist to get involved in a project to build a vocational high school in the war-torn, devastated Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.
The conversation quickly moved beyond the scope of Ethiopia itself and touched on the ethics of aid and the wise use of one’s own reach. Drawing on his reporting experiences in Africa from the 1990s, Meller took a critical view of past models of Western philanthropy, recalling absurd, ill-suited shipments of “refrigerators without electricity” or high-heeled shoes. He emphasized that aid must be pragmatic, which is why the school he is building in the countryside is designed to teach a specific trade and provide young people with local employment, following the principle of teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish. The common thread running through the entire discussion was the conviction that each of us has the potential to change reality. As the guest summed it up, the most important thing is simply to “live life” and not be afraid to act in accordance with what one believes is right.
Who really builds impact?
Non-governmental organizations are among the most important elements of the social fabric. Their leaders have a huge impact on reality. A great summary of the Festival on this topic came from President Aleksander Kwaśniewski in a conversation with Magdalena Rigamonti of Onet.
“Civil society, in the chaos that prevails in the world today, seems to me to be a factor that gives hope that things won’t go completely off the rails,” said President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, who compared his role after his terms in office ended to that of an activist and a one-person NGO.
Aleksander Kwaśniewski emphasized that people involved in non-governmental organizations are the “great hope,” because as long as people are active, willing to think and listen, there is a chance for knowledge, reflection, and human relationships. And these, in turn, offer a chance to hold power and algorithmic platforms in check.
One of the most powerful statements of the conversation was the president’s summary: “As long as civil society exists, democracy will not die.”
PAFF Sector 3.0 Award for the Iskierka Foundation
The Sector 3.0 Festival is also an occasion for presenting the Polish-American Freedom Foundation’s annual Sector 3.0 Award. This year, the jury recognized an organization that combines digital transformation with direct support for its beneficiaries. The ISKIERKA Foundation—for that is the organization in question—has for years been boldly testing new solutions in its work with children undergoing cancer treatment. It began with Kinect console and VR, and today uses artificial intelligence to create personalized therapeutic books for young patients. The Foundation received PLN 40,000 for its statutory activities.
“The Competition Committee for the 2026 round faced an exceptionally difficult challenge, because for the first time in the competition’s history, the number of very good, high-quality submissions was so large that selecting the winner required careful analysis and extensive discussion. This is also a clear signal that something has changed in the social sector, that information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence are here, are with us, and we are truly using them. This is a major change,” said Radosław Jasiński of Polish-American Freedom Foundation, explaining the jury’s decision.
Representatives of the Foundation did not hide their emotion. Małgorzata Bereza-Stanisławska, a psychologist at the ISKIERKA Foundation, spoke about the “Health Shield” initiative—AI-personalized therapeutic books for children—saying: “At the Foundation, we’ve brought together a wealth of resources: psychological expertise, new technologies, some financial backing, creativity, and the openness of our entire team. The result is something truly amazing. Today, I have the immense honor of witnessing the moment when a child receives a book about themselves, smiles, and says: ‘Yes, that’s me.’ It’s also the moment when a parent is moved. When tears flow. When the narrative about the illness changes—about what it is, about the child living with it,” emphasizes a psychologist of the ISKIERKA Foundation.
“The Iskierka Foundation stands out for its consistency in developing and implementing technological solutions, as well as its courage in experimenting and quickly translating innovations into tangible support. In an area where time and the quality of care are of critical importance—namely, supporting children undergoing cancer treatment—such an approach is of exceptional value,” stated jury member Anna Kowalik-Mizgalska of the Orange Foundation in the Competition Committee’s rationale.
The Sector 3.0 Festival is organized by the Information Society Development Foundation as part of the “Sector 3.0” program of Polish-American Freedom Foundation.
Organizers: Information Society Development Foundation, Polish-American Freedom Foundation
Honorary Patronage: Kozminski University, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Mayor of Warsaw
Main Media Patronage: Onet.pl
Technology Partners: Microsoft, Orange
Supporting Partners: CampusAI, DELab UW, Dbam o mój zasięg Foundation, CIC Warsaw Innovation Campus, Z. Pełczyński School of Leadership, Venture Café Warsaw Foundation
Media Patronage: Android.com.pl, ngo.pl
