Davos 2025: Leading the Intelligent Age Discussion
The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) eagerly anticipated 2025 Annual Meeting takes centre stage in Davos, operating under the banner "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age". This summit is carefully orchestrated around five key themes: rebuilding trust, reimagining growth, investing in people, safeguarding the planet, and reflecting on industries in this new, intelligent era.
Katie McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer at Johnson Controls, shares her expectations: “At Davos, pressing global issues such as military conflicts, trade wars, inflation, and the AI boom will predominate. However, the focus on climate change and sustainability remains intense, spurred by recent events like the Los Angeles wildfires.”
She adds: “The interplay of climate action with other critical concerns offers a unique opportunity for CEOs to pursue decarbonisation as a distinct competitive advantage, much like Johnson Controls has successfully reduced carbon while also cutting operating costs.”
Guardians of the Environment
The segment on safeguarding the planet during the WEF Annual Meeting 2025 includes 26 focused sessions. Topics up for discussion range from carbon pricing and the economics of nature to changing weather patterns and upcoming COP30 efforts.
Noteworthy speakers such as Al Gore, Ursula von der Leyen, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Damilola Ogunbiyi add gravitas to the proceedings with their insights. Ester Baiget, President and CEO at Novonesis and co-chair of the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, comments on the importance of Europe balancing economic competitiveness with decarbonisation, “Climate transformation is not merely about risk mitigation; it's about resilience and unlocking growth by converting challenges into avenues for competitive advantage and innovation.” forecasts.
Katie emphasises that despite substantial topics, “climate action can drive global progress and corporate success at Davos.”
Technological Evolution and Industry
Under the theme of “industries in the intelligent age,” over 30 talks are scheduled with representation from more than 120 speakers, including leaders like Marc Benioff, Albert Bourla, Brad Smith, Dara Khosrowshahi, and Ruth Porat.
Katie elaborates on the challenges and opportunities in addressing the energy demands spurred by the AI revolution and the exponential growth of data centres: “Innovative cooling technologies present a solution, potentially reducing energy usage by up to 80% and eliminating on-site water consumption required to cool chips.”
The discussions in this segment will also delve into nuclear energy, industrial decarbonisation strategies, and the electric vehicle supply chain.
Fostering Human Capital
“Investing in people” is another significant theme at Davos 2025, with 45 sessions planned, featuring experts from various fields including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Barbara Frei, Timothy Snyder, Helen E. Clark, and Tom Daley.
The dialogue will cover a wide array of topics from refugee issues, diversity, women’s health, to technology augmentation and healthcare advancements.
Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), reflects on the broader implications of these discussions: “The current signs of global instability such as forced migration, rising food prices and accelerated climate change threaten stability and food security.”
He urges leaders at Davos to “invest in rural areas to create jobs for youth, stabilise food supplies and assist small-scale producers in adapting to climate change.”
He asserts: “We must use the tools of the intelligent age to make sure emergent technologies reach everyone, particularly the disadvantaged. Falling behind could exacerbate global development issues and escalate hunger and conflict risks.”
Rebuilding Trust
This theme at the forum looks into methods for fostering collaboration to engineer solutions globally and within local communities. With nearly 100 speakers participating across 25 sessions, expect a plethora of new ideas to surface.
Prominent figures such as Tony Blair, Nile Rodgers, Anwar Ibrahim, Børge Brende, and Rafael Mariano Grossi will discuss critical issues including AI governance, Middle Eastern conflicts, and the ramifications of global elections.
New Economic Paradigms
Finally, “reimagining growth" is set to host 47 sessions with discussions intended to forge paths to more robust and resilient economies. Conversations will engage thought leaders like Christina Lagarde, Dani Rodrik, Brian Moynihan, Gita Gopinath and Patrice Louvet, covering vibrant topics from pop culture events like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to the FIFA World Cup.
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