Davos drills down on cooperation challenges in 2020s

THE World Economic Forum (WEF) has long been perceived by critics as an exclusive club for the world’s elite few. It is therefore ironic, for some, that the theme of this year’s Davos event is rebuilding global cooperation -- for the good of the many -- in the information age.

Criticisms of the legitimacy of WEF aside, the organisation has the right agenda with its advocacy for why greater global cooperation is needed given the convergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. A revolution in human affairs is brewing, with potentially massive upside opportunity as well as huge downside risks.

For instance, the massive economic benefit of AI is currently driving much market excitement with many investors assuming the nascent technology will turbocharge productivity and rewire the global economy in years to come. However, the risks of AI are also a key global discussion point. Prominent computer scientist and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, who’s also known as “the godfather of AI”, asserts the technology poses greater global risks than even climate change, and may end humanity.