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01-20-2026, 07:39 PM
Well before artificial intelligence changed the world, it had gripped Davos. Now barely a session at the Swiss resort unfolds without some sort of future-gazing about its potential, or dangers.
As usual, there’s plenty of cheerleading. One panel session on Tuesday discussing global risks, for example, somehow became really excited about AI.
“Every technological transformation has led to a period of uncertainty and disruption, but ultimately human beings’ lives improved,” said Raj Ganguly co-chief executive officer of venture capital B Capital. “I think the same will happen with AI.”
But alongside the enthusiasm is some introspection. On the practical side, one session began with a straw poll of the audience that found most participants’ organizations had run a pilot AI project, while far fewer had scaled it up. Getting people on board, it turns out, is harder.
“The opportunity enabled by AI is endless,” said Aramco CEO Amin Nasser. “The only issue is, you need to continue to train more people.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was asked about the impact on inequality. His inquisitor, BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, put it to him that “that’s going to be the big issue for us going forward.”
Nadella acknowledged the challenge, observing that while AI is “pretty much available everywhere,” things such as grid infrastructure matter.
“For this not to be a bubble, by definition it requires that the benefits of this are much more evenly spread,” he said.
The bubble worry around AI is still evident. Former International Monetary Fund official Gita Gopinath, now at Harvard University, remains concerned.
“I’m sure that AI will be transformative — productivity will go up for sure,” she told Bloomberg TV. “Whether it translates to profits in this hyper-competitive environment is what I’m questioning.”
Soul searching about AI reaches even deeper however. Google Deepmind Chief Operating Office Lila Ibrahim, for example, said that she’s focused on how it will ultimately be used.
“How do we make sure that AI is being developed responsibly and to benefit humanity?” she told Bloomberg TV. “We’re really focused on a lot of those conversations.”
Back in the conference center, one session looked at the flip coin of that. Yuval Noah Harari of the aptly named Centre for the Study of Existential Risk warned that AI can “lie and manipulate” and that, as with any being throughout evolution, it can “acquire the will to survive.”
“You can use a knife to cut salad or to murder someone,” he said. “AI is a knife that can decide by itself whether to cut salad or commit murder.”
As usual, there’s plenty of cheerleading. One panel session on Tuesday discussing global risks, for example, somehow became really excited about AI.
“Every technological transformation has led to a period of uncertainty and disruption, but ultimately human beings’ lives improved,” said Raj Ganguly co-chief executive officer of venture capital B Capital. “I think the same will happen with AI.”
But alongside the enthusiasm is some introspection. On the practical side, one session began with a straw poll of the audience that found most participants’ organizations had run a pilot AI project, while far fewer had scaled it up. Getting people on board, it turns out, is harder.
“The opportunity enabled by AI is endless,” said Aramco CEO Amin Nasser. “The only issue is, you need to continue to train more people.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was asked about the impact on inequality. His inquisitor, BlackRock Chairman Larry Fink, put it to him that “that’s going to be the big issue for us going forward.”
Nadella acknowledged the challenge, observing that while AI is “pretty much available everywhere,” things such as grid infrastructure matter.
“For this not to be a bubble, by definition it requires that the benefits of this are much more evenly spread,” he said.
The bubble worry around AI is still evident. Former International Monetary Fund official Gita Gopinath, now at Harvard University, remains concerned.
“I’m sure that AI will be transformative — productivity will go up for sure,” she told Bloomberg TV. “Whether it translates to profits in this hyper-competitive environment is what I’m questioning.”
Soul searching about AI reaches even deeper however. Google Deepmind Chief Operating Office Lila Ibrahim, for example, said that she’s focused on how it will ultimately be used.
“How do we make sure that AI is being developed responsibly and to benefit humanity?” she told Bloomberg TV. “We’re really focused on a lot of those conversations.”
Back in the conference center, one session looked at the flip coin of that. Yuval Noah Harari of the aptly named Centre for the Study of Existential Risk warned that AI can “lie and manipulate” and that, as with any being throughout evolution, it can “acquire the will to survive.”
“You can use a knife to cut salad or to murder someone,” he said. “AI is a knife that can decide by itself whether to cut salad or commit murder.”
