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The Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Bangkok, Thailand on July 24, 2025. The two countries’ long-simmering border dispute turned violent on Thursday.
What We’re Watching: Clashes on Thailand-Cambodia border, Trump’s new AI plan, China-EU tensions
Thailand and Cambodia on the brink
A long-simmering border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into armed clashes Thursday that have killed at least 12 people on the Thai side of the frontier. Thailand has launched cross-border airstrikes in response to what it said was Cambodian artillery fire. The dispute dates back more than a century, but things have worsened since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a border skirmish. The issue has also roiled Thai politics: Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was ousted earlier this month after a leaked phone call revealed her buttering up influential Cambodian politician Hun Sen and disparaging her own country’s military.
Trump unveils AI plan
To stay ahead of China in the race to dominate artificial intelligence, President Donald Trump unveiled a sweeping plan Thursday to boost the US industry by slashing regulatory red tape and ramping up exports of US-made tech to allies – reversing Biden-era guidelines. Under the plan, US states would also be prohibited from developing their own AI rules, and the federal government would cut funding to “biased” models. Critics warn the strategy sacrifices important safeguards regarding jobs, the environment, and disinformation, but Trump and his team say speedy innovation is the only way to stay ahead of China.
China-EU summit reveals ongoing frictions
The China-European Union summit in Beijing on Thursday was meant to celebrate 50 years of bilateral ties, but the tensions were clear. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanded “real solutions” to deepening “imbalances”, echoing wider EU complaints that China floods European markets with products, particularly electric vehicles, that are unfairly cheap because of Chinese state subsidies. President Xi Jinping’s response? “The current challenges facing Europe do not come from China,” a pointed suggestion that the two sides share an interest in closer ties at a time of tariff pressure from the Trump administration.
AI for the entrepreneur
At the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis sat down with AI educator and content creator Natalie Choprasert, whose mission is to make artificial intelligence more accessible to everyday business owners.
With a massive following on TikTok and other platforms, Choprasert helps demystify AI tools and implementation, without the jargon. “Business owners don’t have time to test every tool,” she says. “Start with what fits your workflow, not what’s trending.”
In a world overwhelmed by rapid AI releases and rising misinformation, she also warns of new risks, from CEO scams to deepfake fraud, but believes clear labeling and education can build trust. Still, Choprasert remains optimistic: “AI has opened doors I never thought possible as a solopreneur.” Her message: AI isn’t just for tech giants, it’s a force multiplier for creatives, small businesses, and creators everywhere.
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
Skilling for the AI era: What do you need to succeed?
"AI isn’t one thing, it’s everything, everywhere, all at once,” says Naria Santa Lucia, General Manager of Microsoft Elevate.
In this Global Stage conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Santa Lucia explores how generative AI is transforming not just the way we work—but how we prepare to work at all. From lesson planning to law, Santa Lucia argues the most in-demand AI skills aren’t technical. “Curiosity, collaboration, and communication are the real power skills.”
She also highlights what’s at stake: the disruption of entry-level jobs, the future of informal and gig workers, and the urgency of reskilling at scale. “We don’t know all the answers, but we can’t afford to wait for them.”
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
AI for Good depends on global cooperation, says ITU's Doreen Bogdan-Martin
“Connectivity is an enabler, but it’s not evenly distributed,” says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the ITU.
In a conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Bogdan-Martin lays out the urgent global challenge: a widening digital divide in AI access, policy, and infrastructure. “Only 32 countries have meaningful compute capacity. And 85% don’t have an AI strategy.”
She calls for investment in local solutions, digital skills, and inclusive governance. “If we want AI for good, we need all voices at the table, not just the loudest.” From youth-led innovation to calls for global cooperation in a fragmented geopolitical climate, she underscores a simple truth: AI’s potential won’t be realized unless it’s shared.
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
- AI innovations that tackle the global refugee crisis ›
- Breaking: The UN unveils plan for AI ›
- Europe’s AI Act: World’s first guardrails or just a flashy head start? ›
- How AI for Good is tackling the digital divide ›
- What is Artificial Intelligence “good” for? ›
- Should internet be free for everyone? A Global Stage debate ›
Demonstration of AI innovation at the AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 7, 2025.
What is Artificial Intelligence “good” for?
Since ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, it’s been nearly impossible to attend a global conference — from Davos to Delhi — without encountering a slew of panels and keynote speeches on artificial intelligence. Will AI make our lives easier, or will it destroy humanity? Can it be a force for good? Can AI be regulated without stifling innovation?
At the ripe old age of eight, the AI for Good Summit is now a veteran voice in this rapidly-evolving dialogue. It kicks off today in Geneva, Switzerland, for what promises to be its most ambitious edition yet.
Launched in 2017 by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the gathering typically features conversations on AI safety, access, and governance, but also serves as a “show and tell” moment for innovators spotlighting the latest in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and AI-based tools to combat climate change.
This year, AI for Good is being held at the massive Palexpo, Geneva’s largest convention center, with thousands expected to attend over four days. GZERO is there all week for our Global Stage series, produced in partnership with Microsoft, to help you understand what this summit is and why it’s such a hot ticket (as far as international conferences go).
What is ITU, and why does it host AI for Good? The ITU, founded in 1865, is the UN’s agency for communication technologies. In fact, it was formed 160 years ago as the International Telegraph Union, just as that electronic correspondence method was changing how messages spread across the world. ITU is perhaps best known for establishing global telecom standards, but it’s been playing a growing role in helping more people access the Internet and all the benefits that can bring.
ITU launched “AI for Good” as a platform to connect technology developers and innovators with organizations working on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to bring more people into health and socioeconomic stability by eradicating key challenges like extreme poverty, hunger, and gender inequality.
“We’ve been very consistent and true to our original mission,” the ITU’s Frederic Werner, a summit co-founder, told GZERO. “It was identifying practical applications of AI to solve global challenges and to foster partnerships to make that happen for global impact.”
What happens this week? Expect lots of discussion about the future of jobs and how agentic AI – meaning AI that is autonomously self-improving – could impact companies and the workforce. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff will address participants on that theme, and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am, now an ITU ambassador, will speak about the importance of training and educating people to work effectively with AI.
Throughout the Palexpo, startup founders and established companies alike will be sharing their creations — like interactive robots and flying cars (more like drones that can carry people, but cool nonetheless). The summit also highlights AI youth initiatives and inventions from around the world.
There will also be a day devoted to policy and regulatory frameworks surrounding AI, a speech from Estonia’s President Alar Karis, and a presentation of suggested standards for AI encompassing everything from healthcare applications to the risks of AI-generated misinformation.
Why does the summit matter right now? For starters, the global “digital divide” remains vast. An estimated 2.6 billion people, a third of the world’s population, still lack Internet connectivity altogether. And nearly 150 years after Thomas Edison introduced the incandescent light bulb, 700 million people still don’t have the electricity to power one. Most are in the Global South.
As more and more industries adopt and deploy AI, the technology could contribute as much as $20 trillion to the global economy through 2030, driving as much as 3.5% of the world’s GDP by then. But the largest and most developed economies, primarily the US and China, stand to gain the most right now, while poorer countries fall further behind.
Conversations in Geneva this week are confronting that concern, calling for “cooperation” and greater global inclusion in the AI economy. In today’s deeply fragmented geopolitical reality, that may be much further in the distance than a self-flying passenger drone.
See GZERO’s complete interview with AI for Good co-founder Frederic Werner here.
How AI for Good is tackling the digital divide
“AI is too important to be left to the experts,” says Frederic Werner, co-founder of the AI for Good Summit and head of strategic engagement at ITU (International Telecommunication Union), the United Nations' agency for digital technologies.
Speaking with GZERO's Tony Maciulis on the eve of the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Werner reflects on how artificial intelligence has rapidly evolved from early promise to real-world applications—from disaster response to healthcare. But with 2.6 billion people still offline, he warns of a growing digital divide and urges leaders to build inclusive systems from the ground up. “It’s not about connectivity for the sake of it—it’s about unlocking local solutions for local problems,” he says.
As AI and quantum computing reshape our future, Werner calls for partnerships across governments, private sector, and civil society to ensure global impact. “The wind may shift,” he adds, “but our mission stays the same: using AI to solve humanity’s biggest challenges.”
This conversation is presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft, from the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The Global Stage series convenes global leaders for critical conversations on the geopolitical and technological trends shaping our world.
American President Donald Trump's X Page is seen displayed on a smartphone with a Tiktok logo in the background
Where we get our news - and why it changes everything
In August 1991, a handful of high-ranking Soviet officials launched a military coup to halt what they believed (correctly) was the steady disintegration of the Soviet Union. Their first step was to seize control of the flow of information across the USSR by ordering state television to begin broadcasting a Bolshoi Theatre production of Swan Lake on a continuous loop until further notice. (Click that link for some prehistoric GZERO coverage of that event.)
Even in the decade that followed the Cold War’s end, citizens of both authoritarian states and democracies had far fewer sources of reliable information than today about what was happening in their communities, across their countries and around the world.
Earlier this month, the Reuters Institute published its 14th annual Digital News Report, which Reuters claims is the “most comprehensive study of news consumption worldwide.” Its findings detail just how fundamentally different today’s media landscape has become. Here are some key takeaways that help us understand how and where people get their information and ideas about what’s happening today:
- “News use across online platforms continues to fragment.”
- “Engagement with traditional media sources such as TV, print, and news websites continues to fall, while dependence on social media, video platforms, and online aggregators grows. This is particularly the case in the United States.”
- “The proportion accessing news via social media and video networks in the United States (54%) is sharply up – overtaking both TV news (50%) and news websites/apps (48%) for the first time.”
- “Around a third of our global sample use Facebook (36%) and YouTube (30%) for news each week. Instagram (19%) and WhatsApp (19%) are used by around a fifth, while TikTok (16%) remains ahead of X at 12%.”
- Personalities and influencers are, in some countries, playing a significant role in shaping public debates.
- There’s no reason to expect these trends won’t continue indefinitely.
There’s much more in the Reuters report, but today let’s focus on a few political implications of the points above.
In the years since social media and online influencers began shaping our perception of reality, we’ve seen strong anti-establishment political trends. Think Brexit, the election of charismatic political outsiders (like Donald Trump), and a move away from long-entrenched political establishments in dozens of countries.
Social media algorithms create “filter bubbles” as algorithms feed us steady supplies of what they’ve learned we like at the expense of new information and ideas that make us question what we believe. That trend helps explain the worsening polarization we see in the United States and many European countries.
That problem is compounded by the increasing prevalence in social media feeds of AI bots, which can generate heavy volumes of false information, distorting our sense of reality every day and in real time.
All these trends will make politics, particularly in democracies, much less predictable over time as elections swing outcomes between competing ideologies.
As a source of news and insight, social media has brought billions of people directly into the political lives of their countries in ways unimaginable a generation ago. They’ll continue to play a positive role in helping news consumers and voters learn more and share their views. But the unreliability of so many social media information sources — and the political volatility it increasingly generates — create problems that will only become more complex as technologies change.
And this problem is intensifying at a time when more of the big threats facing governments extend across borders — the eruption of more regional wars, climate change fallout, management of refugee flows, and governance of artificial intelligence. Big ideological swings following elections will make long-term multinational cooperation much more complicated.
Tell us what you think. How should our elected leaders, media sources, and all of us news consumers respond to these challenges? Let us know here.
The Graphic Truth: The majors least likely to get you a job out of college
A rising number of US college graduates are having trouble securing jobs. The Class of 2025 is up against the toughest labor market in four years, with the unemployment rate for recent graduates sitting nearly two percentage points above than the national average of 4%. Trade tensions are also raising fears of a global recession.
On top of these short-term economic factors is a major long-term one: experts say that many entry-level positions – particularly in the tech sector – are being displaced by artificial intelligence. Here’s a look at the majors least likely to lead to a job after college.
Maybe majoring in history was not such a bad idea after all.