As the annual meet wraps up today, here’s a look at who said what.
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Sam Altman’s debut
At his first WEF meet, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman dwelt on various topics, including the boardroom drama that led to his ouster and eventual return at the chatbot maker. According to the man behind ChatGPT, an energy breakthrough is necessary for the future of AI as it would consume much more power than people expect.
The silver lining, Altman said, is that more climate-friendly sources of energy, particularly nuclear fusion or cheaper solar power and storage, are the way forward for AI.
Addressing his ouster by the board in November on a panel about technology in a turbulent world, he said it was “a microcosm of it, but probably not the most stressful experience we ever face,” The episode taught the company not to let “not-urgent problems” linger, he said.
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Corporate bosses excited for the road ahead
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said AI has the potential to boost the laggard global economy. This comes as Microsoft rolls out its own version of generative AI products to compete with ChatGPT and Google’s Bard.Nadella said he’s “very optimistic about AI being that general purpose technology that drives economic growth.”
Despite the optimistic outlook on AI’s ability to automate mundane tasks and enhance human capabilities, a significant portion of CEOs, as indicated by a PwC survey released at WEF, are apprehensive about job losses, particularly for those who are slow to adapt to the changing tech landscape.
Julie Sweet, CEO of consulting firm Accenture, said “there isn’t an area, there isn’t an industry that’s not going to be impacted” by AI.
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said AI could be a boon for jobs like coding, customer service, and even invoicing for greater efficiency. “If you embrace AI, you’re going to make yourself a lot more productive,” he said. “If you do not … you’re going to find that you do not have a job.”
But, what’s next?
As per a Reuters report, many tech CEOs at the WEF felt generative AI still has a lot to prove. Cloud and internet security firm Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said the months ahead may even feel like an “AI letdown”, questioning what the real value of AI products is.
What world leaders said
Global leaders voiced concerns about AI, and its impact on jobs, elections and privacy.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said AI is “a double-edged sword.” “Human beings must control the machines instead of having the machines control us,” he said. “There should be a red line in AI development — a red line that must not be crossed.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called AI “a very significant opportunity, if used in a responsible way.” She praised the EU’s proactive approach through their AI Act and supercomputer collaboration, empowering smaller businesses to harness the technology.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he’s a “strong believer” in AI. He highlighted France’s role in coordinating regulation on deepfake images and videos created with AI, as well as plans for a follow-up summit on AI safety after an inaugural gathering in the UK in October.
