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Understand AI first, then regulate, urges UAE AI minister Omar Sultan al Olama
The human race is facing three big impending challenges: artificial intelligence, climate change, and pandemics, says the UAE's Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Omar Sultan al Olama.
Speaking in a GZERO Global Stage discussion from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Minister al Olama said he finds himself at the center of a technology crossing borders. He reminds us that AI can't be regulated by each country in silos. International collaboration is key,but before that, government officials need to get educated on AI. “There are, unfortunately certain players that are approaching this with ignorance,” he says.
The conversation was part of the Global Stage series, produced by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft. These discussions convene heads of state, business leaders, and technology experts from around the world for critical debate about the geopolitical and technology trends shaping our world.
Watch the full conversation here: How is the world tackling AI, Davos' hottest topic?
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AI is an opportunity to build trust with the Global South: UN's Amandeep Singh Gill
AI is a test case for addressing the ballooning trust deficit with the Global South, says the UN Secretary-General's special technology envoy Amandeep Singh Gill. If the Global South is not included meaningfully, it will widen the gap, with real geopolitical implications.
At a GZERO Global Stage discussion broadcast from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Gill warns that we can equitably spread the benefits of AI only if we step outside current business models, working with the Global South to integrate more practices like public-private partnerships. If we're truly serious about bridging the digital divide, says Gill, "we need to work together on those issues. That'll build you the trust with the Global South."
The conversation was part of the Global Stage series, produced by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft. These discussions convene heads of state, business leaders, technology experts from around the world for critical debate about the geopolitical and technology trends shaping our world.
Watch the full conversation here: How is the world tackling AI, Davos' hottest topic?
AI for all: Leave no one behind, says Microsoft's Brad Smith
Artificial intelligence could level the playing field for individuals across an array of disciplines...if people have access to it. Microsoft’s Vice Chair and President Brad Smith, points out that access to AI tech remains a privilege that is still unavailable to hundreds of millions around the world.
Speaking in a GZERO Global Stage discussion from the 2024 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith points out that while the conversation about AI seems advanced in Davos, a lot of people in the Global South don't yet have access to AI, let alone basic needs like electricity, access to electronic devices, and internet connectivity.
“In a sense, we do the Global South a tremendous disservice if we talk about AI all the time as the next thing,” he said. First, "close the electricity divide, the broadband connectivity divide, the device divide, and then you can close the AI divide on top of it."
The conversation was part of the Global Stage series, produced by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft. These discussions convene heads of state, business leaders, technology experts from around the world for critical debate about the geopolitical and technology trends shaping our world.
Watch the full conversation here: How is the world tackling AI, Davos' hottest topic?
This year's Davos is different because of the AI agenda, says Charter's Kevin Delaney
A striking difference between this year’s Davos and previous summits: Everyone is getting serious about real action on AI, says Kevin Delaney, CEO and founder of Charter, a future-of-work media and research company. (Plus, there are no more wild pool parties hosted by the Russian delegation, but that’s a story for another time.)
GZERO’s Tony Maciulis caught up with him on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
They discuss how the conference has changed over the decades and unpack the topic on every attendee’s agenda: how AI will impact the global economy.
AI is expected to boost global GDP (perhaps even more than expected). But Delaney raises an important question: Will a rising tide lift everyone’s boat, or will the economic gains from generative AI boost the rich and leave the rest behind? “I think it's easy to believe that actually the gains will not be distributed broadly,” he says.
As AI reshapes the workforce, the economic impacts could fuel political consequences. Similar to what we experienced with globalization, there’s a risk “that we have a wave of populace politics that's fueled by genuinely being left out of a lot of the progress there,” says Delaney.
Watch more Global Stage coverage about AI and this year's Davos news here:
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- Be very scared of AI + social media in politics ›
- Davos 2024: AI is having a moment at the World Economic Forum ›
- Accelerating Sustainability with AI: A Playbook ›
- AI's impact on jobs could lead to global unrest, warns AI expert Marietje Schaake - GZERO Media ›
- Ian Explains: How will AI impact the workplace? - GZERO Media ›
Davos 2024: AI is having a moment at the World Economic Forum
Marietje Schaake, International Policy Fellow, Stanford Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, and former European Parliamentarian, co-hosts GZERO AI, our new weekly video series intended to help you keep up and make sense of the latest news on the AI revolution. In this episode, Schaake is live from the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, where AI is one of the dominant themes. Interestingly, she says, the various conversations about AI have been nuanced: it's been acknowledged as a top risk for the year as much as for its immense potential.
Hi, my name is Maritje Schaake, we are in Davos at the World Economic Forum, where AI really is one of the key topics that people are talking about. And I think what stands out and what I've heard referenced in various meetings is that the WEF's risk report of this year has signaled that this information, especially as a result of the uptake of emerging technologies, is considered one of the key risks that people see this year.
Of course, this being a year in which many elections around the world will take place, but you know, disinformation about health, about geopolitics also factoring in there. So, there is more emphasis on risk as a result of that report than I would normally expect here, where companies are the dominant voices, companies that normally sell you know, all the great visions that they have for what AI can achieve. And what's interesting is that while there are a lot of panels and other sessions around artificial intelligence focusing on global governance, with the role of the United Nations, for example, on trust and elections, on healthcare and AI, geopolitics and AI, you know, AI in the frontlines, these discussions seem to be kind of happening in parallel universes where there are those who are focusing very much on their concerns for civil liberties and the risk of state surveillance.
There are others who are saying, well, scientific breakthroughs are going to save the world. So what I hope will happen either here or in the coming year is that the analysis of what we must expect from AI will start leading to much more concrete policies and enforceable action, because otherwise we're going to continue to see this rapidly changing technology that has deep and wide impact on people all around the world without consequences. And I think we need to make sure that there are guardrails and that these are firm and that, yes, opportunities can be reaped, but certainly risks can be prevented. And hopefully the report and the discussions here in Davos with people coming into these mountains from around the world can actually be meaningful and have impact the coming year.
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- How is the world tackling AI, Davos' hottest topic? - GZERO Media ›
- This year's Davos is different because of the AI agenda, says Charter's Kevin Delaney - GZERO Media ›