LLeaders from business, technology, politics and entertainment gathered at the TIME100 Davos dinner as the 55th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum kicked off on January 20. In keeping with this year’s annual meeting theme “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” Dario Amodei, CEO and co-founder of AI company Anthropic, joined TIME editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs on stage to talk about the future of AI.
Discussing what Amodei calls powerful AI, which he prefers to artificial general intelligence because of its science fiction connotations, the CEO stressed the importance of understanding the reality of the technology’s potential. “We need to be very serious about when this will actually happen, what is possible and what is out there. What are the limits imposed by physics, by the limits of human institutions, what remains once we take them into account,” he said. “These barriers will be truly radical, but they will have limits, and it is high time that we start thinking about them. Almost none of this is in public debate.
The event took place just after President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term at the White House in Washington, DC. Its inauguration was attended by billionaire Elon Musk, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple boss Tim Cook and Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai .
Expanding on his previous comments on the influence of industrialists on government, Amodei said: “We are probably reaching levels of wealth concentration similar to those of the mid-to-late 19th century. I think John Rockefeller, his wealth was about 1.5% of America’s GDP in the late 19th century. We’re now hitting that pace with Elon Musk as well. And I worry that without intervention, AI will make this even more extreme, make it five or ten times more extreme, and I think that’s not desirable.
Looking forward to the AI developments he expects in the coming year, Amodei predicted the rise of “virtual collaborators” who function “much like a colleague.”
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“There’s going to be a lot of debate about how to use them and the economic value they create. But also, are they safe? Are they wreaking havoc? And perhaps more importantly, what about the human economy? What about job cuts? » he said.
While Amodei was the keynote speaker at the TIME 100 dinner in Davos, other leaders toasted how they believe new technologies can help the world. Obiageli Ezekwesili, President of Human Capital Africa and former World Bank Vice President for the Africa region, shared her hopes for the potential of technology on the continent. “While Africa missed the agrarian revolution and the industrial revolution, which have remarkably transformed our societies around the world, Africa is on board the information and communication technology train,” he said. she declared, “and with even brighter hopes thanks to artificial technologies. intelligence.
She said that in Africa, “technology is leveling the playing field, ensuring that talent and determination, not privilege, are the primary drivers of success.” She also explained how technology is unlocking the talents of women and youth in Africa, “amplifying their arguments, expanding their ideas, and connecting their efforts to economic opportunities beyond others.”
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Speaking about what gives her hope, Gita Gopinath, first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said: “I am increasingly optimistic, although not an absolute blessing, that technology can help” address the three challenges of low global economic growth, climate change and population aging.
Yulia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, called for being “courageous enough to act to end the aggression” during her toast. “In the Ukrainian language, the word ‘freedom’ has another meaning: it is ‘will’,” she said. “So, if we want real freedom, we must have the desire for peace, the desire to guarantee security, the desire for sanctions policy, the desire for mutual support, the desire to invest in Ukraine and strengthen our economy , and the desire to make the right choice for the future of our country.
The TIME100 Davos dinner was presented by SOMPO, Diriyah Company, Technology Innovation Institute, Brandi and Fortescue.
