Tech For Society At Davos
A few years ago, the main buzz at Davos were crypto companies. Nearly half the pavilions on the main promenade were hosted by various crypto startups and unicorns.
This year it is the turn of AI to dominate the Davos landscape. Nearly every corporate and country pavilion has focused on the impact of AI and GenAI on business models.
While technology is being feted, there is an equally strong effort and conversation about mitigating the negative impact of technology.
The impact of AI on jobs remains on the top of the agenda. World Economic Forum (WEF) announced that more than 680 million people are being reached with better skills, job opportunities and education through commitments made as part of its Reskilling Revolution initiative. “With 23 percent jobs changing over the next four years and 40% of work-hours likely impacted by generative AI, investing in human capital initiatives like the Reskilling Revolution today is fundamental to getting ahead of disruptions to livelihoods and key to solving the environmental, technological and economic challenges of tomorrow,” said Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum. A WEF report in collaboration with CapGemini identifies and quantifies the jobs most conducive to fully remote work and estimates that by 2030 there will be 90 million global digital jobs, enhancing access to global jobs and talent.
Says Anne Lebel, Group CHRO of CapGemini in the report, “Communication and collaboration software, cloud-based knowledge management and employee experience solutions, as well as more early-stage technologies such as the metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI), continue to further shape workforce practices and enable more jobs to be done remotely.”
WEF says that The EDISON Alliance, a global coalition of leaders from the private sector, governments, academia and civil society has improved the lives of 784 million people through 320 initiatives across 127 countries through digital solutions. This significant milestone represents a 73% increase in lives impacted since January 2023. Digital inclusion of all categories of the society is an important objective for equitable growth. "Rwanda is benefitting significantly from its participation in the EDISON Alliance Lighthouse Countries Network,” said Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT and Innovation of Rwanda. Our involvement has allowed us to draw in partners to support our ambitions to become a cashless economy and ensure financial inclusion and digital skills access for our citizens. We have also been able to engage in peer-to-peer exchanges with other member countries to share best practices on how to accelerate universal digital inclusion."
Efforts are also being made to mitigate the negative impact of the digital world. Global advocacy campaign, Human Change, launched in Davos during the World Economic Forum to raise awareness and instigate a transformation in the way children approach social media and the digitalisaIon of their lives. The project advocates for policies and regulations that protect children’s health and well-being in an increasingly digital world. The project is supported by Margarita Louis Dreyfus, President of Louis Dreyfus Foundation & Chairperson of Louis Dreyfus Group. The campaign says that children and humans are changing their behaviour. This is being caused by the over-digitalization of children’s lives. The campaign believes that the world must priorize the alignment of technological progress with the healthy development of children. Parents, regulators and global health organisations must set new norms for preventing harm to children since it will affect the growth of societies in the future. Issues like digital addiction and loneliness among children and young adults must be addressed urgently.
Technology is raising concerns at WEF. World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance says a global effort is needed to create equitable access to artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence holds the potential to address global challenges, but it also poses risks of widening existing digital divides or creating new ones. Three new Forum papers offer recommendations on building safe systems and technologies, ensuring responsible applications and transformation, and advancing resilient governance and regulation.
"As we witness the rapid evolution of artificial Intelligence globally, the UAE stands committed to fostering an inclusive AI environment, both within our nation and throughout the world. Our collaboration with the World Economic Forum's AI Governance Alliance is instrumental in making AI benefits universally accessible, ensuring no community is left behind. We are dedicated to developing a comprehensive and forward-thinking AI and digital economy roadmap, not just for the UAE but for the global good,” said Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications of the United Arab Emirates
