In the hope of finding viable solutions to global challenges in the intelligence era, nearly 3,000 participants from more than 130 countries met on Monday in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum ( Fem).
At a time when technological innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) reshape the world landscape, traditional risks linked to geopolitical crises, economic fragmentation and climate change still constitute sources of uncertainty.
Faced with these challenges, the 2025 annual meeting of FEM will promote a spirit of cooperation and constructive optimism, said Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of FEM.
Defis and opportunities at the era of intelligence
The rapid AI, quantum IT and blockchain progress has propelled the world into the era of intelligence, noted Mr. Schwab.
The advancement of emerging technologies, associated with persistent risks, creates a convergence which presents more and more complex challenges for global development.
Armed conflicts between states, extreme weather phenomena, geoeconomic confrontation, mesinformation and disinformation as well as societal polarization have been identified as the five main risks that the world will face in 2025, warned the FEM in its 2025 report on global risks.
The January 2025 edition of the prospects of the chief economists of FEM highlights important challenges for the global economy in 2025. More than half of the economists questioned predict a weakening of economic prospects. According to the report, the fragmentation of the global economy will increase, protectionism will hinder international trade and debt problems and inflation will suffocate growth, while economic recovery in the main regions should be uneven.
In an interview recently granted to the Xinhua agency, BORGE BRENDE, president of the FEM, said that the global supply chain has changed significantly in the post-pandemic era, warning that decoupling would have a significant negative impact on the global economy. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that severe decoupling and high prices could make the global economy back up 7%.
At the same time, AI is reshaping the global economic growth model and giving new momentum to growth. AI has the potential to increase productivity by up to 10% in the next decade if it is effectively applied, said Brende.
Liang Guoyong, principal economist at the United Nations Commerce and Development Conference (UNCTAD), recalled that over the past decade, digitization has become an essential engine of global economic growth. Today, AI has established itself as a technological engine of the digital economy.
Mondial (FEM) in Davos, Switzerland, January 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
Cooperation is the way to follow
While recognizing the current climate of competition and the trends to withdraw oneself in many countries, Mr. Brende reiterated that cooperation was the only way to meet the common challenges of the world. “To global problems, you have to find global solutions.”
According to the FEM, the world’s general cooperation order, established in the era of the cold war, is called into question. “Conflicts to climate change, we are faced with interconnected crises that require coordinated and collective action,” said Mark Elsner, head of the FEM global risks.
“It is urgent to redouble their efforts to restore confidence and promote cooperation. The consequences of inaction could be felt for future generations,” he added.
Considered one of the most important subjects for international cooperation in recent years, IA global governance will occupy the scene at the annual meeting of this year. Liang stressed that EA effective governance required both multilateral and bilateral cooperation.
Multilateral institutions such as the United Nations have helped shape the global digital economy and AI governance, in particular by promoting the World Digital Pact. At the bilateral level, the promotion of more in -depth cooperation between the main countries is essential to guarantee the sustainable development of AI and its governance on the international scene, said Liang.
China’s contribution attracts the attention of the world
Many experts agree that China has made an important contribution to the promotion of global cooperation and the response to common challenges.
China believes in mutually beneficial cooperation and plays an important role in South-South cooperation, praised Mr. Brende. As a second world economy, China has maintained close cooperation with other emerging economies and has stimulated the economic growth of many other developing countries.
Faced with the challenges of decoupling and commercial protectionism, China’s foreign trade continues to be resilience. Mr. Brende said he was optimistic about the Chinese economy in the medium and long -term, believing that the fundamentals of the positive long -term economy of China have not changed and will continue to give momentum to the global growth.
The president of FEM noticed that China has introduced a series of measures to stimulate domestic consumption, which has effectively energized the economy.
Chen Liming, president of the Grande China Zone of FEM, estimated that in addition to important achievements in the field of AI technology and industry, China has made positive contributions to global governance of global governance AI.
China has proposed the IA global governance initiative, which provides a Chinese solution to AI global governance, emphasizing the principle of attaching equal importance to development and security of AI. “This initiative is not only a positive response to global challenges, but it also constitutes an important reference for the international community on AI governance,” added Mr. Chen.
