Both the Earth and the Middle East’s wars are heating up. Both the global economy and Ukraine’s deterrents to Russia are faltering. AI has the power to completely change our lives.
For this year’s World Economic Forum gabfest of commercial, political, and other leaders in the Alpine snows of Davos, Switzerland, which runs Tuesday through Friday, the list of global goals to be completed has gotten longer.
More than sixty heads of state and government, including Presidents Isaac Herzog of Israel and Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, will be in town for meetings behind closed doors as well as public appearances. They will be among the more than 2,800 guests, which also include scholars, performers, and executives of international organizations.
The main goals of the conference include high-minded aspirations and providing a platform for connections between decision-makers from many sectors and industries. Think commercial innovation, peacemaking, and security cooperation, or game-changing advancements in healthcare.
The Young Swiss Socialists organized a march on Sunday to denounce the forum and label attendees as “the richest and most powerful, who are responsible for today’s wars and crises.” It is also frequently mocked by detractors as a symbol of the widening wealth disparity.
Davos is prone to jeers. The COVID-19 epidemic demonstrated the need for in-person discussions, but it is currently difficult to gather individuals to discuss common global concerns in a room, as Bronwen Maddox, head of the Chatham House think tank, wrote in an email.
DIFFICULT MIDEAST
Despite the broad scope of Davos, local conflicts can have a lasting impact, as seen by the turmoil in Ukraine a year ago, which led the organizers to decide against inviting any Russian delegation.
This year’s major events include Israel’s three-month conflict with Hamas in Gaza and the most recent attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom against Houthi insurgents in Yemen who have fired missiles into Red Sea commerce channels.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar’s, Jordan’s, and Lebanon’s Herzog will be present at a Davos session on Thursday. Herzog is the president of Israel, whose role is more ceremonial than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s.
A half-hour time is set aside for a “humanitarian briefing on Gaza” on Tuesday.
AI OPTIONS
This year’s theme of artificial intelligence “as a driving force for the economy and society” will receive roughly thirty unique sessions, a tribute to the fact that technology has acquired a significant and growing share of the Davos stage.
The rapid ascent of OpenAI’s ChatGPT more than a year ago, along with subsequent competitors, has increased public awareness of the potential, strength, and promise of artificial intelligence. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, will be in Davos with senior Microsoft executives, who helped fund the growth of his business.
The menu includes AI in education, ethics, transparency, and impact on creativity; the Davos Promenade is teeming with ads and displays showcasing cutting-edge technology.
The world’s biggest short-term threat, according to forum organizers, is misinformation produced by AI, such as through the production of synthetic content.
What About Democracies?
There could be a spike in this kind of misinformation this year, and one session looks at the dangers of “bots and plots” against democracies.
The organizers of the forum have announced that there will be numerous contested elections this year in nations with a combined population of 4.2 billion people. (There is minimal uncertainty on Vladimir Putin’s chances of winning reelection.)
The discussion of a new Cold War and the growing divide between autocracies, or at least dictatorships, and democratic nations are the backdrop to this event.
The difference will be emphasized by the simultaneous speeches given on Tuesday morning by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang. Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to President Joe Biden, delivers a speech later in the day.
Speaking on Wednesday are Emmanuel Macron, the president of France; Antony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States; and Javier Milei, the new president of Argentina, a libertarian who has already declared his intention to reduce the size of the government.
Conversations in the Davos corridors began to swirl around the possibility of former US President Donald Trump, who visited Davos twice while in office, being sworn in again at this time next year following the election in November. Although he has not gone to Davos as president, Biden used to be a frequent visitor.
RESEARCHING TO SAVE EARTH ONE MORE
Of all the high aspirations raised in Davos, the quest for innovative and promising approaches to combat climate change has emerged as a recurring theme of late.
It’s the same this year: leading global climate scientists revealed this month that average global temperatures shatter record highs from the previous year, escalating the urgency.
Participating in a panel discussion about a U.S.-backed plan to involve the private sector in the development of low-carbon technologies is John Kerry, who is leaving his position as Biden’s climate adviser.
Climate finance will have a significant year in 2024, according to Chatham House’s Maddox, since plans to move away from fossil fuels were agreed with during the U.N. climate conference in Dubai last month.
She stated, “Davos is a powerful combination, potentially, of a lot of high-powered finance present and a lot of environmental concern.”
