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US CEOs are too cozy with Beijing, says US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel.
At the APEC summit last November in San Francisco, heads of state and diplomats from nations in the Asia-Pacific met to address a wide array of strategic interests and challenges. But no other meeting was as closely watched as that between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. As successful as that meeting may have been on a PR level (at least according to the delegations of each leader), one man present took special note of what happened afterward. US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, told Ian Bremmer about that summit during an exclusive interview in the latest episode of GZERO World, filmed at the Ambassador's residence in Tokyo, Japan.
"President Xi goes to have a meeting with American CEOs who give him a standing ovation, though he hasn't yet said anything," recounted Ambassador Emanuel. "The President of the United States goes to an event, and all the heads of state are there. That tells you about alliances, that tells you about the interests of China."
Bremmer then noted that it also tells you something about the interests of American CEOs. to which Emanuel responded: "I think the American CEOs are way too influential in American foreign policy in this region, way too influential."
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer every week at gzeromedia.com/gzeroworld or on US public television. Check local listings.
Ian Bremmer delivered his highly anticipated State of the World speech, providing a comprehensive overview of how the latest geopolitical events—from war in Ukraine to the crisis in the Middle East and more—are influencing elections, policy priorities, and economic trends.
Watch the replay at gzeromedia.com/stateoftheworld.
Artificial intelligence and data have hugged the headlines this year, even at the just concluded 78th United Nations General Assembly.
According to Vilas Dhar, President and Trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, its impact and use will continue to soar and play a pivotal role in determining critical elections.
However, to be in the driving seat, Dhar suggests the people and communities at the heart of data collection be key regulators.
“Instead of thinking only about short-term risks and long-term risks, thinking about the middle where we build prosocial applications of these tools that really bring together incredible data sets, but say we will learn what the risks are as we deploy them with communities as co-architects,” Dhar, who lead efforts in the AI and data solutions space, said during a Global Stage livestream event at UN headquarters in New York on September 22, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic. It was held by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.
Watch the full Global Stage conversation: Can data and AI save lives and make the world safer?
To connect the next two billion people to the internet, funding is crucial – and not the small type. The same goes for creating a global warning system that uses satellite data to preempt global disasters. To accomplish these enterprise projects, the UN requires a massive financial war chest.
Few understand the scale better than Axel Van Trotsenburg, the World Bank's Senior Managing Director. But with private-sector partnerships, it can be done, he noted during a Global Stage livestream event at UN headquarters in New York on September 22, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
"In Africa, the African Union has taken decisions on the digitalization," he said, "I think we need to scale this massively, and I think it is doable and you see in countries like Kenya that have very sophisticated payment systems, sometimes better than in OECD countries."
The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic. It was held by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.
Watch the full Global Stage conversation: Can data and AI save lives and make the world safer?
The world is fast becoming increasingly digital, with 60% of global GDP driven by digital participation, but over two billion people still lack basic connectivity access.
Vilas Dhar, a leading activist for a more equitable tech-enabled world, emphasizes three elements contributing to this divide: connectivity, data gaps, and technical capacity.
“Access is a fundamental right and not something to be solved by delivering a last mile piece of fiber or connectivity.” he commented during a Global Stage livestream event at UN headquarters in New York on September 22, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Dhar also acknowledges the growing concern of artificial intelligence and the question of who will lead regulation.
“We live in a world where AI is in every headline, and we absolutely acknowledge that the vast majority of AI capacity is held in private sector tech companies. This is in and of itself a digital divide.”
The discussion was moderated by Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic and was held by GZERO Media in collaboration with the United Nations, the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, and the Early Warnings for All initiative.
Watch the full Global Stage conversation: Can data and AI save lives and make the world safer?
A whopping two billion new internet users have come online in the past five years. This transformative shift, driven in part by the pandemic, has revolutionized the way people learn and work. But it’s important to note that this growth is not evenly distributed, and significant efforts are required, particularly in Africa, to bridge the digital divide, says Digital Impact Alliance CEO Priya Vora.
Vora emphasizes the importance in addressing issues of trust, individual agency, and data privacy as the digital world continues its rapid expansion. She also touches on the changing landscape of digital commerce, where a few dominant players could translate economic power into political influence. As the conversation and challenges surrounding the digital world evolve, so too should the global response, says Vora.
Vora joined other geotech experts in a GZERO livestream event, presented by Visa, to discuss the challenges and opportunities that nation-states face when it comes to digitization, and how it could shape a more inclusive and resilient future.