DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — The U.N. chief has stepped up his warning on climate change and said the world’s thirst for fossil fuels is a “Frankenstein’s monster” that spares no one, while calling for more great attention to the risks posed by artificial intelligence in the event of ascension. remains uncontrolled.
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, headlined a series of activities and discussion sessions Wednesday at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
World leaders such as the prime ministers of Spain and Malaysia, academics and business executives were among the elites who addressed topics such as the potential for economic growth in countries like China and Russia, the promises and the perils of AI, and Washington’s new position as the second President Donald Trump. the mandate began on Monday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky walked the halls of Davos, meeting with leaders such as Israeli President Isaac Herzog, German opposition leader and future chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong – as part of his bid to spark a support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
Here’s a look at what happened on Wednesday at Davos 2025:
UN chief warns against big oil…
In the presence of leaders from the energy and technology sectors, Guterres returned to one of his most frequent calls: that the world do more to fight global warming.
That effort was undermined by Trump’s promises to ” drill, baby, drill » and a range of concerns about economic growth in some large but moribund economies in Europe and beyond.
Guterres lamented that 2024 was the hottest year on record and warned of rising sea levels that could overwhelm ports that ship in and out of oil.
“And rising temperatures, which are largely caused by the burning of fossil fuels,” he said. “Our dependence on fossil fuels is a Frankenstein’s monster, which spares nothing and no one. All around us we see clear signs that the monster has become master.
Companies that have recently abandoned their climate commitments are “on the wrong side of history,” he added.
…And “ungoverned” AI
The UN chief hailed the promise of artificial intelligence, saying it could revolutionize learning, help improve healthcare and support farmers with tools that boost productivity.
“But this promise comes with considerable risks, especially if AI is left ungoverned,” he said. warning that it could be used “as a tool of deception” and erode trust in institutions, disrupt labor markets and even affect the conduct of war.
“And AI could widen inequalities by excluding those who do not have the resources or tools to benefit from its promises,” Guterres added.
A day earlier, Asset highlighted a joint venture that plans to invest up to $500 billion for AI-related infrastructure thanks to a new partnership formed by Oracle, SoftBank and OpenAI, whose chatbot ChatGPT has sparked fascination with its ability to perform basic business tasks and answer complex questions, although ‘with varying degrees of precision.
The Stargate project plans to build data centers and the electricity generation necessary for the voracious energy needs of rapidly evolving AI in Texas, the White House said.
Speaking to The Associated Press, CEO Julie Sweet of multinational information technology and consulting firm Accenture hailed Stargate’s investment as an “absolute validation of the importance of AI for companies and countries” and for “accelerating innovation”.
She said the United States appears prepared to first maintain its AI approach to innovation and then apply “appropriate guardrails” – unlike other countries that place the guardrails first.
“AI won’t succeed if people don’t trust it,” Sweet said. “So I’m not concerned that it’s going to be too deregulated, because the interests of ensuring trust in AI are aligned across all groups.”
The CEO of AI startup Groq and others take up the idea of general artificial intelligencea futuristic vision of machines as intelligent as humans or at least capable of doing many things as well as humans.
AGI raised concerns for world governments and some top scientists having warned that unchecked AI agents with “long-term planning” skills could pose an existential risk to humanity.
Prime Ministers of Spain and Malaysia
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his country will have to “navigate” AI but will push it “at a faster pace, partly because of my age: we don’t have time to wait “.
Anwar took the podium after the Southeast Asian nation and neighbor Singapore made an agreement create a special economic zone that would accelerate job creation and attract investment.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will deliver a speech as leaders of the European Union, a key U.S. trading partner, continue to assess the return to power of Trump, who promised tariffs on goods from friends and foes alike in the months to come.
Trump seemed mass by mistake in Spainone of the most economically successful EU countries last year, along with the BRICS bloc of developing economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – on Tuesday. The US leader pressured Europe to spend more on defense.
