Among the speakers of the Preparatory meeting, there were representatives of the OSCE participating States, private sector, civil society, academia as well as OSCE field missions. They shared examples of good practice regarding digital innovations and their scope to facilitate good governance or sustainable economic growth. At the same time, speakers addressed possible negative impacts of digital economy on job markets and inequalities in society.

In the opening speech, Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni, the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Permanent Council, highlighted that the OSCE had not yet addressed the topic of digitalisation, in contrary to many other international organisations. Azzoni, as a representative of the Italy's 2018 Chairmanship of the OSCE, believes that innovation and digital technology can play a unifying role within the OSCE region.

Still, some participating States expressed their worries that digital technology would lead to deepening of social inequalities that can compromise human dignity and become a security risk. In that context, Vuk Žugić, the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, stressed the importance of approaching the topic of digital transformation in the OSCE, despite that it is difficult to forecast how the discussion would evolve.