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India’s race to leverage AI by 2047
"India must leverage this technology to become a developed country by 2047. If not, we risk growing old without ever having grown rich," says Secretary S. Krishnan, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for the Government of India.
With 1.4 billion people, India has a narrow window to reach developed-country status by 2047. Leaders stress that AI, frugal innovation, and low-cost solutions could unlock that opportunity—and offer lessons for the wider Global South.
Watch more Global Stage coverage from the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly here: gzeromedia.com/globalstage
Watch: Global Stage live from the 80th UN General Assembly
WATCH: On the 80th anniversary of the United Nations, our panel of global experts will discuss the future of global cooperation and governance in the age of AI. How can the UN and multilateralism keep pace with a technology transforming economies, societies, and geopolitics? And what will it take to ensure no country or society is left behind in the new AI economy?
Our livestream panel discussion, "Global Stage: Live from the 80th UN General Assembly" examines these key issues today at 11:30 AM ET, live from the sidelines of UN headquarters on the first day of high-level General Debate. Watch live at gzeromedia.com/globalstage.
The discussion will be moderated by Julia Chatterley, Emmy-nominated journalist and moderator, and will feature a distinguished panel including:
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
- Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India
- Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
- Ambassador Philip Thigo, Special Envoy for Technology for the Republic of Kenya
This livestream is the latest in the award-winning Global Stage series, a partnership between GZERO and Microsoft that examines critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
Join us on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 11:30 AM ET at gzeromedia.com/globalstage to watch the discussion live.
Global Stage: Live from the 80th UN General Assembly
Global Stage at the 2025 UN Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum
Watch our Global Stage livestream conversation from inside United Nations headquarters in New York on the sidelines of the 2025 Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum. Our expert panel will reflect on the Forum’s key themes, such as inclusive innovation, technology transfer, and digital governance, and the future of science, technology, and innovation. How are technological advancements shaping global power dynamics as part of the AI economy? How can emerging technologies be governed more equitably and collaboratively on a global level?
GZERO's chief content officer Tony Maciulis moderates the discussion with our panel:
- Caitlin Dean, Director and Deputy Head of Corporates, Eurasia Group
- Jeffrey Ding, Author “Technology and the Rise of Great Powers”; Professor at George Washington University
- Juan Lavista Ferres, Corporate Vice President and Chief Data Scientist of the AI for Good Lab, Microsoft
- Lucía Velasco, AI Policy Lead, United Nations Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies
Event link: gzeromedia.com/globalstage
This livestream is the latest in the award-winning Global Stage series, a partnership between GZERO and Microsoft that examines critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
Live from the UN: Science, Technology, and Innovation on the Global Stage | Wednesday, May 8, 2025, 2 PM ET
Sign up for GZERO's newsletters and opt in to get alerts about this and other GZERO events.
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.
The Global Stage series is a partnership between GZERO Media and Microsoft presenting conversations about critical global issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
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.
- Ian Bremmer: On AI regulation, governments must step up to protect our social fabric ›
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- The AI economy ›
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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 ›
Join us for more Global Stage events
From Davos and the Munich Security Forum to the UN General Assembly, our livestream 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.. Sign up for GZERO Media’s events updates to receive event details as soon as they’re available.
Watch our events at: https://www.gzeromedia.com/globalstage
Live from the United Nations: Securing Our Digital Future
How can technology and artificial intelligence be harnessed to support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and create a positive impact in the Global South? This question is top of mind for many gathering at the UN's 79th General Assembly in New York.
Our livestream panel discussion, "Live from the United Nations: Securing Our Digital Future" will examine these key issues on Tuesday, September 24 at 5:30 PM ET broadcasting live from inside United Nations headquarters as the first day of high-level General Debate concludes. Produced in collaboration between GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft, and the UN’s Complex Risk Analytics Fund (CRAF’d), our panel of prominent experts and leaders will explore how multilateral organizations are adapting to the realities of the 21st-century world.
The discussion will be moderated by Folly Bah Thibault, a journalist and senior presenter for Al-Jazeera English, and will feature a distinguished panel including:
- Talal Al Kaissi, Acting Group Chief Global Affairs Officer, G42
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
- Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)
- Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, IMF
- Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
- Petr Pavel, Czech Republic President
- Guy Ryder, Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Executive Office of the Secretary-General
- Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
- Anne Witkowsky, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
Live from the United Nations: Securing Our Digital Future
How to protect elections in the age of AI
Half of the world’s population will have the chance to head to the polls this year in dozens of critical elections worldwide. These votes, which will shape policy and democracy for years to come, come amid light-speed development in artificial intelligence. As Eurasia Group noted in its 2024 Top Risk entitled “Ungoverned AI,” generative AI could be used by domestic and foreign actors – we’re looking at you, Russia – to impact campaigns and undermine trust in democracy.
To meet the moment, GZERO Media, on the ground at the 2024 Munich Security Conference, held a Global Stage discussion on Feb. 17 entitled “Protecting Elections in the Age of AI.” We spoke with Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft; Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media; Fiona Hill, senior fellow for the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings; Eva Maydell, an EU parliamentarian and a lead negotiator of the EU Chips Act and Artificial Intelligence Act; Kersti Kaljulaid, the former president of Estonia; with European correspondent Maria Tadeo moderating. The program also featured interviews with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece’s prime minister, and Benedikt Franke, CEO and vice-chair of the Munich Security Conference. These thought leaders and experts discussed the implications of the rapid rise of AI amid this historic election year.
The group started by delving into what Bremmer has referred to as the “Voldemort” of years surrounding elections, to look at how election interference and disinformation have evolved since 2016.
“This is the year that people have been very concerned about, but have kind of hoped that they could push off. It's not just because there are elections all over the world and trust in institutions is deteriorating, it's also because the most powerful country in the world, and it's not becoming less powerful, is also one of the most politically dysfunctional,” says Bremmer, referring to the US.
The 2024 US presidential election “is maximally distrust-laden,” says Bremmer, adding that it’s “really hard to have a free and fair election in the US that all of its population” believes is legitimate.
And the worry is that AI could complicate the landscape even further.
Hill agreed that there’s cause for concern but underscored that people should not “panic” to a point where they’re “paralyzed” and “not taking action.”
“Panic is not an option given the stakes,” says Hill, adding, “There are negative aspects of all of this, but there's also the kind of question that we have to grapple with is how when legitimate competitors or opposition movements that otherwise beleaguered decide to use AI tools, that then also has an impact.”
There’s no doubt that AI can be used for nefarious purposes. Deepfakes can fool even the most discerning eye. Disinformation has already been rampant across the internet in recent election cycles and helped sow major divisions in many countries well before AI tools — far more sophisticated than your average meme — were widely available.
“With new tools and products that use generative AI, including from a company like ours, somebody can create a very realistic video, audio, or image. Just think about the different ways it can be used. Somebody can use it and they can make a video of themself, and they can make clear in the video that this is AI generated. That is one way a political candidate, even one who is in prison can speak,” says Smith, alluding to ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent use of AI from behind bars.
Along these lines, there are many serious, valid concerns about the impact AI can have on elections and democracy more generally — particularly at a time when people are exhibiting rising levels of distrust in key institutions.
“It's very important to acknowledge a lot of the important developments that AI and emerging tech can bring to support our economic development,” says Maydell, adding, “but in the same time, especially this year, we need to be very sober about some of those threats that are in a way threatening the very fabric of our democratic societies.
As Maydell noted, this evolving new technology can be harnessed for good and bad. Can AI be used as a tool to protect candidates and the integrity of the electoral process?
A number of major tech companies, including Microsoft, signed an accord at the Munich Security Conference on Friday to help thwart and combat AI-related election interference.
“It's all about trying to put ourselves in a position, not to solve this problem completely, I don't think that's possible, but to manage this new reality in a way that will make a difference,” says Smith. The Microsoft president says the accord brings the tech sector together to preserve the authenticity of content, including by working to detect deepfakes and providing candidates with a mechanism to report any that are created about them.
“We'll work together to promote transparency and public education. This clearly is going to require a lot of work with civil society, with others around the world to help the public be ready,” says Smith.
But is enough being done?
“It's good that both politicians and the companies and society as a whole now has a better understanding where this is all leading us and we are collectively taking actions,” says Kaljulaid, but this is just a “first step” and “next steps need to follow.”
A balance will need to be found between legislating the challenges presented by AI and giving tech companies space to collaborate, innovate and address problems on their own.
“Democracy is always in jeopardy. Every generation has to answer the call to defend it,” says Smith, adding, “Now it's our turn. It's our turn as a generation of people to say that technology always changes, but democracy is a value that we hold timeless. So let's do what it takes to defend it, to preserve and promote it.”
The livestream 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.
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