My trust takeaways from the World Economic Forum
Joining the dots from Davos into emergent themes and macro questions
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Dear Rethinkers,
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has a sign above his desk: "Nobody knows what is going to happen." It could be the tagline for the World Economic Forum I attended last week - that should have been renamed WAIF (World AI Forum). AI was the buzzword in snowy Davos.
For me, the week always feels like a pulse-check of leading decision-makers. The overall feeling is as revealing as what people are saying. The atmosphere felt chaotic. Enthusiasm was followed by caution. Can-do-optimism from entrepreneurs was married with geopolitical gloom. Push-pull.
Throughout the week, I jotted down the tensions I kept hearing leaders talk about:
The confidence to embrace innovation but also hold back to ensure safety.
The need to augment people's capabilities but not replace humans.
The need to regulate and set guard rails but not box people in.
The need to maximize benefits in the hands of 'good actors' whilst minimizing the harm of 'bad actors.'
From "Growth & Jobs" to "Cooperation and Security" to "Climate Nature Energy", two key themes kept emerging: trust and uncertainty. Indeed, the official theme was "rebuilding trust." But (and it's a big but) where will the deep sources of trust come from? We have a long way to go.
I've tried to join the dots from across the week to bring you a few emergent themes and macro questions. Read on below.