AI Highlights from Davos 2024

Perhaps you have been intently following the recent coverage of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos or just catching highlights, either way it's easy to mistake the theme as solely focused on Artificial Intelligence given the significant coverage it received. In this article, I will capture some of the highlights that you can use to catch up on all things AI for the months ahead.

Artificial Intelligence is going to impact many industries whether it be customer-facing or not, AI will pull together data and organizational processes for greater efficiency, human productivity and overall value creation. Some AI will augment humans (customers or employees) while other AI will be backline in the organization running its production, operations and processes. There are mixed views on how quickly we will reach Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and how much it will impact the world. For example, Sam Altman of OpenAI believes AGI is very close but its impact will be less significant. Two things are clear:

1. AI will change the nature of jobs: Some roles will be enhanced, new roles will be created and others will become obsolete. It is clear that the labor force will need to be upskilled and be redeployed. This has been seen in previous industrial revolutions but not at the same speed and scale as the AI revolution. 
2. AI needs guardrails: AI needs guardrails to establish ethical and regulatory boundaries to prevent misuse and safeguard against biases.  the spread of misinformation, copyright/image rights infringement or other harms. These guidelines should prioritize transparency, accountability, and privacy, ensuring responsible AI development. An iterative approach is favored by some, slowly releasing AI into society to identify how people use it and any problems that can be identified and corrected quickly.

Now, take a look at these highlight videos and catch up on everything AI from Davos.