Davos in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Have the Priorities Changed?

Under the slogan Cooperation for a Smarter Age, the World Economic Forum Davos 2025 opened its fifty fifth annual meeting last Monday. This event is considered one of the most prominent global platforms that attract government leaders, business pioneers, and experts from around the world to discuss urgent global and regional issues.

Despite the variety of topics on the Davos 2025 agenda, including geopolitical uncertainty, economic and trade tensions, and climate goals, this year’s edition has been remarkably dominated by a technological tone. This has turned the forum into something that resembles an artificial intelligence conference, with one of the main pillars of Davos 2025 dedicated to discussing artificial intelligence as a driving force for the economy and society.

Artificial Intelligence at the Core of the Discussions

According to a report by Fortune magazine reviewed by Sky News Arabia Economy, more than twenty sessions at Davos 2025 were devoted directly to the field of artificial intelligence and its role in education, work, and the economy, in addition to its impact on geopolitics and the need to regulate it.

Many representatives of the artificial intelligence sector are participating in the forum, where they will meet world leaders and talk about the main outlines of where this technology is heading. Among the most prominent figures are Sam Altman, cofounder of OpenAI, Meta AI chief Yann LeCun, Inflection cofounder Mustafa Suleyman, leading artificial intelligence figure Andrew Ng, and others.

AI Takes Over the Davos Promenade

The striking dominance of artificial intelligence over the events at Davos 2025 was also highlighted in a report by CNBC titled AI Mania Takes Over Davos. According to the report, reviewed by Sky News Arabia Economy, the Davos Promenade, which is the central strip of the World Economic Forum, has turned into a space for brands such as Intel, Salesforce, and Workday to showcase their products related to artificial intelligence. The report notes that technology companies have taken over the promenade this year in much the same way that crypto companies did in previous years.

The focus on artificial intelligence on the Davos 2025 agenda raises major questions about why the organisers are turning the forum into something closer to an AI conference rather than an economic conference. A report by Business Insider, reviewed by Sky News Arabia Economy, points out that this direction is not surprising in light of the boom that artificial intelligence technology is experiencing, which has driven companies to follow this path.

The report quotes Mihir Shukla, chief executive of Automation Anywhere, as saying that discussions about artificial intelligence this year have shifted from hype to questions about practical realities. He reveals that company chief executives are now chasing AI because they find it impressive, but the mission now is to find its real value.

Reasons That Made AI the Talk of Davos

Oxford certified artificial intelligence consultant Hilda Maalouf tells Sky News Arabia Economy that the technology industry has always had a strong presence in Davos with figures such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. However, artificial intelligence has now taken over the conversations at an unprecedented pace because of its ability to attract astonishing amounts of capital and create a mix of wonder and fear.

She explains that Davos 2025 is focusing heavily on artificial intelligence because we are witnessing a qualitative shift in how the global economy operates. AI is no longer just a tool for data analysis but has become a main engine of productivity and innovation. Many major companies are relying on this technology to improve supply chains, develop new products, and enhance customer experience.

If we look at the statistics, we find that global investments in this field are growing at an unprecedented rate, which confirms that artificial intelligence is a key factor in building the economy of the future. This direction is not a luxury but a necessity for any country that wants to maintain its competitiveness in the global market.

Maalouf notes that artificial intelligence has begun to form an integral part of our daily lives. The clearest example is smartphone makers launching models designed to integrate this technology, knowing that the new generation of artificial intelligence that appeared at the end of 2022 will change how we interact with everyday events.

Smart applications can now help us in everything from health to education to organising our daily affairs. For example, in health care it is now possible to use AI programs to diagnose some diseases more quickly. In education, AI can help design curricula tailored to each student based on their needs. With this major shift it is understandable that discussions at Davos 2025 are focused on artificial intelligence, as the whole world is watching to see what changes this technology will bring in the coming days and months.

Davos Cooperation for a Smart Age

According to Maalouf, a point that cannot be ignored and that pushes Davos 2025 to focus on artificial intelligence is that this technology has become a fully fledged geopolitical issue. Major powers such as the United States and China are fiercely competing for leadership in this field, since AI forms a pillar of strength in everything from the economy to defense.

Therefore the discussions at the forum address clear concerns about global tensions arising around technology and how to handle them, so that artificial intelligence does not become a tool for deepening divisions between peoples and states. Davos is witnessing calls for international cooperation to develop regulatory frameworks that ensure this technology is used in ethical and fair ways.

Technology That Is Reshaping Economy and Politics

Technology analyst Joseph Zoghbi tells Sky News Arabia Economy that one of the main reasons for the focus on artificial intelligence at Davos this year is the speed at which this technology is evolving. At present we are talking about advanced systems capable of performing tasks that were once the exclusive domain of humans.

He notes that this technology carries enormous opportunities to improve productivity and innovation, but at the same time it raises big questions about how to manage it and ensure it is used responsibly. It is therefore natural for an economic forum like Davos to focus on setting clear regulatory frameworks that prevent these technologies from being exploited in ways that harm societies.

Zoghbi considers one of the most worrying issues being discussed at Davos this year to be the possibility that artificial intelligence might repeat the mistakes of social media, especially in terms of spreading misinformation. For this reason, Sam Altman’s presence at the forum will be important to defend the new technology and explain how to ensure that the errors of past technologies are not repeated.

Zoghbi points out that the forum will also discuss the technical and environmental challenges associated with artificial intelligence. Operating this technology requires massive amounts of energy, which will lead to increased carbon emissions if clean energy solutions are not adopted to power it.

In addition, there are security challenges related to protecting AI systems from hacking or misuse. He reveals that the debate at Davos will focus on the importance of achieving a balance between technological progress and environmental and security considerations, in order to guarantee a sustainable and safe future for this technology.