AI Discussions Take Place at World Economic Forum

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Facts

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a 'driving force for the economy and society' has been named as one of four 'key themes' at the 2024 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos — held between Jan. 15-19.¹
• The summit states that AI both holds the 'potential to help us solve global challenges,' while claiming that 'innovation and guardrails are essential.' The WEF cites a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which claims that nearly 40% of employment — and 60% within advanced economies — are 'exposed to AI.'¹
• Within a session on day two of the forum headed by Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, AI was described as the 'transformative technology of our time,' while the WEF compared its consequences on global value chains as 'analogous to the steam engines of the Industrial Revolution.'²
• On the same day, Satya Nadella — CEO of Microsoft — claimed that it's necessary to 'take the unintended consequences of any new technology' alongside AI's benefits instead of 'waiting... and then address[ing] them.'³
• The forum has also seen discussions from Arati Prabhakar, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and Brad Smith, vice-chair and president of Microsoft, among others, concerning how to direct AI towards planetary 'development' rather than 'exploitation' amid an increase in varied oversight frameworks globally.⁴
• Thursday further contained a session labeled the 'Hard Power of AI,' including Nick Clegg, president of Global Affairs at Meta; Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of WEF Geneva; and Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of IMF, among others.⁵

Sources: ¹weforum.org (a), ²weforum.org (b), ³CNN, ⁴weforum.org (c) and ⁵weforum.org (d).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Forbes. The world should leave the WEF feeling slightly better about the chances of a global approach to managing AI. While international legislation remains far out of reach, discussions like those seen in Davos are a positive beginning. AI is a transformative technology, and the sooner its risks are sustainably minimized, the quicker the world's exponential potential can be unlocked.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Diginomica. While CEOs and industry leaders answer comfortable questions posed by high-ranking media members concerning future technology, the WEF has so far failed to really address the doomsday-instigating dangers of AI. Reading between the lines of Big Tech's many discussions at the forum, fears concerning an AI apocalypse remain inadequately answered as Davos' elites continue to play games with the posterity of humanity.

Predictions