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AI in 2025: The "new electricity" could create huge economic growth
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant vision of the future—it’s here, and it’s transforming the way we live, work, and innovate. At the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, our Global Stage panel brought together some of the world’s brightest minds to discuss the profound impact AI could have on global growth, society, and infrastructure.
Our thought-provoking panel discussion, moderated by Becky Anderson, Anchor & Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi, featured Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media; Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the WTO; Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; and Peng Xiao, CEO of G42. They shared unique insights into the opportunities and challenges of the AI revolution.
We’ve entered a new phase of the AI conversation, moving beyond debates over whether it will save or destroy humanity. Instead, the focus has shifted to the ways this powerful technology, when used correctly and ethically, can enhance human life. From revolutionizing healthcare and expediting scientific breakthroughs to creating infrastructure investment opportunities, AI holds the potential to contribute up to $20 trillion to global GDP over the next five years.
Geopolitical competition is also heating up. While the US-China rivalry dominates headlines, the Middle East—particularly the UAE—is emerging as a significant player in the AI space with increasing investments and innovations.
As Microsoft's Brad Smith noted during the expert panel discussion, AI could become as essential as electricity. However, ensuring its benefits are equitably shared across all societies is vital. Achieving this requires collaboration between governments, multilateral organizations, and private sector leaders.
Watch the full discussion now for our panel's insights on AI's future, and how it is expected to transform our economy society by 2030.
Are we heading for a dystopian AI future?
“It’s a dystopian future where you no longer know if you’re talking to a person or you’re talking to a bot, and the bot knows more about you than you know about yourself,” Thompson warns, “The bot does not love you but does want your money, and knows to communicate so you feel love, give money, and the bot gets what it wants. That’s the worst future.”
Watch full episode: Big Tech under Trump 2.0
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
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From Davos: Watch our Global Stage discussion on the AI economy
At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, our Global Stage panel discussion, "The AI Economy: An Engine for Local Growth", will examine AI’s growing global impact, the potential for enormous benefits to society, and the investments necessary to ensure equitable diffusion and adoption of AI tools. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape economies, its potential to drive massive growth is undeniable. The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that through 2030, AI will contribute $19.9 trillion to global GDP and drive 3.5% growth. However, realizing this potential requires careful attention to how and where AI expands, and who is included in its growth.
Watch the live premiere now at gzeromedia.com/globalstage.
Participants:
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
- Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization
- Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
- Peng Xiao, CEO, G42
- Becky Anderson, (moderator) Host of CNN Connect and Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi
This livestream is the latest in the Webby-nominated Global Stage series, a partnership between GZERO and Microsoft that examines critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
Live premiere: Wednesday, January 22 at 11 AM ET/ 5 PM CET
- Ian Bremmer and Amina Mohammed on the promise and peril of AI ›
- Tech accord on AI & elections will help manage the ‘new reality,’ says Microsoft’s Brad Smith ›
- Davos 2024: China, AI & key topics dominating at the World Economic Forum ›
- Ian Explains: How will AI impact the workplace? ›
- Davos 2024: AI is having a moment at the World Economic Forum ›
U.S. President Donald Trump throws a pen after he signed executive orders on the inauguration day of Trump's second Presidential term, inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, U.S. January 20, 2025.
Trump throws out Biden’s AI executive order
Hours after his inauguration, Donald TrumpscrappedJoe Biden's October 2023 executive order regulating artificial intelligence. That means AI companies won’t need to take certain safety and transparency measures related to developing the technology.
The new executive order was part of a spate of presidential actions issued on Monday. It signaled that Trump will take a hands-off approach to reining in artificial intelligence companies — if not industry at large.
In his second term, Trump has surrounded himself with Silicon Valley types including venture capitalist David Sacks, his crypto and AI czar, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in charge of government efficiency efforts.In this photo illustration, the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an Artificial intelligence (AI) chip and symbol in the background.
Can the CIA’s AI chatbot get inside the minds of world leaders?
The Central Intelligence Agency has reportedly spent the last two years developing an artificial intelligence chatbot.
The chatbot helps analysts get inside the heads of foreign presidents and prime ministers by conversing with them about various topics. And unlike many of its initiatives, the CIA actually wants the public to know about it. “It is a fantastic example of an app that we were able to rapidly deploy and get out to production in a cheaper, faster fashion,” CIA Chief Technology Officer Nand Mulchandani told the New York Times.
This program should continue under new CIA leadership, assuming Trump’s nominee John Ratcliffe is confirmed by the US Senate. Ratcliffe said that the agency has “struggled to keep pace” with technological innovation. Still, he said that Biden’s CIA director, William Burns, had attempted to expand the agency’s tech innovation experts and pledged to expand them. “The nation who wins the race in the emerging technologies of today will dominate the world of tomorrow,” he added.
The CIA gave no other details about its chatbot — what technology it’s based on, whether it worked with government contractors, and what steps it takes to keep its likely classified conversations secure. But as the agency changes hands, and the Trump administration cozies up with Silicon Valley, expect deeper integration between the national security and technology sectors in the years to come.
SnapChat app displayed on a smart phone with in the background SnapChat My AI, seen in this photo illustration, on August 20, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium.
The FTC’s concern about Snapchat’s My AI chatbot
On Thursday, the US Federal Trade Commission referred a complaint to the Justice Department concerning Snapchat’s artificial intelligence chatbot, My AI. The FTC doesn’t usually disclose these referrals but felt it was in the public interest to do so, citing potential “risks and harms” to young users of the social media app.
My AI is a chatbot built on OpenAI and Google’s large language models and accessible as part of the Snapchat app. It’s been criticized for being “wildly inappropriate” for the largely teenage audience on Snapchat. The UK had also launched a privacy investigation over teen privacy concerns but closed it in May, issuing a warning to the entire tech industry to put privacy first before rolling out AI tools.
That said, the FTC has yet to disclose what the actual complaint against My AI is about. In response, Snapchat’s parent company told reporters that the complaint is “based on inaccuracies and lacks concrete evidence.” It also said there are “serious First Amendment concerns” and criticized the timing of the announcement — “on the last day of this administration.” It’s unclear whether Trump’s Justice Department leadership will take up a case against Snapchat based on this referral, but it adds a potential Big Tech AI case to Trump’s docket from day one.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum attends the vice president?s dinner ahead of the inauguration of Trump, in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2025.
Doug Burgum’s coal-filled energy plan for AI
The AI race depends on fossil fuels. That was the message from Doug Burgum in his Senate confirmation hearing last Thursday.
Burgum is currently auditioning for two jobs. If confirmed by the US Senate, the former North Dakota governor will not only serve as secretary of the interior but also as the head of a new committee called the National Energy Council.
Burgum said that the US will lose its “AI arms race” with China unless it takes full advantage of fossil fuels. To run artificial intelligence models on advanced processors, data centers require copious amounts of electricity. He criticized wind and solar energy and said the country needs more “baseload” electricity from coal. “The sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow,” Burgum told senators, signaling plans for a deregulatory environment in the energy sector.
Companies are rethinking their climate ambitions in the age of AI. In July, Google’s Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Brandtadmitted that the company’s goal to become carbon “net zero” by 2030 is now “extremely ambitious.” The Biden administration has encouraged the development of nuclear energy infrastructure as a way to get more “clean energy” to pursue AI at scale without further delaying progress on climate goals. Google and Microsoft have struck deals for nuclear energy, while Meta is seeking a deal of its own.
Burgum’s confirmation hearing showed that while Trump’s administration may be just as enthused about dominating global AI, it’ll be less stringent on using renewable or clean energy to do so.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2025.
Day Two: The view for AI from Davos
GZERO’s very own Tony Maciulis is in the Alps this week to report on the 55th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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It’s Day Two in Davos, and those of us here woke up to the flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump, many of which were expected but still create complications for dialogues here focused on climate financing and cooperation on AI and tech policy, for example. Trump will address the forum directly via videoconference this Thursday afternoon (as we’ve been told, though there are small rumors he may come in person. I think those odds are slim, but …)
Today was a big day for keynote speeches and conversations with world leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, Germany’s embattled Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang addressed the forum, focusing on trade, innovation, multilateralism, and, in Zelensky’s case, the need to rally support for Ukraine.
Also, our own Ian Bremmer offered his take on the start of Trump’s presidency in a panel discussion in the Congress Centre today. Watch here.
At the forum’s AI House, discussions today focused on mitigating bias, accelerating global adoption of AI, and AI’s role in helping safeguard the environment.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a special Global Stage premiere from Davos, “The AI Economy: An Engine for Local Growth,” streaming at 11 a.m. ET. The program features Ian, Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, European Investment Bank President Nadia Calviño, and G42’s CEO Peng Xiao. Details here.