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AI in 2025: The "new electricity" could create huge economic growth
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant vision of the future—it’s here, and it’s transforming the way we live, work, and innovate. At the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, our Global Stage panel brought together some of the world’s brightest minds to discuss the profound impact AI could have on global growth, society, and infrastructure.
Our thought-provoking panel discussion, moderated by Becky Anderson, Anchor & Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi, featured Ian Bremmer, President and Founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media; Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General of the WTO; Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft; and Peng Xiao, CEO of G42. They shared unique insights into the opportunities and challenges of the AI revolution.
We’ve entered a new phase of the AI conversation, moving beyond debates over whether it will save or destroy humanity. Instead, the focus has shifted to the ways this powerful technology, when used correctly and ethically, can enhance human life. From revolutionizing healthcare and expediting scientific breakthroughs to creating infrastructure investment opportunities, AI holds the potential to contribute up to $20 trillion to global GDP over the next five years.
Geopolitical competition is also heating up. While the US-China rivalry dominates headlines, the Middle East—particularly the UAE—is emerging as a significant player in the AI space with increasing investments and innovations.
As Microsoft's Brad Smith noted during the expert panel discussion, AI could become as essential as electricity. However, ensuring its benefits are equitably shared across all societies is vital. Achieving this requires collaboration between governments, multilateral organizations, and private sector leaders.
Watch the full discussion now for our panel's insights on AI's future, and how it is expected to transform our economy society by 2030.
- Ian Bremmer: On AI regulation, governments must step up to protect our social fabric ›
- For AI access for all, investment is the key, says Microsoft's Brad Smith ›
- What impact will AI have on gender equality? ›
- AI's evolving role in society ›
- The AI economy ›
- We're on path to building an intelligence grid, says Peng Xiao - GZERO Media ›
From Davos: Watch our Global Stage discussion on the AI economy
At this year's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, our Global Stage panel discussion, "The AI Economy: An Engine for Local Growth", will examine AI’s growing global impact, the potential for enormous benefits to society, and the investments necessary to ensure equitable diffusion and adoption of AI tools. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape economies, its potential to drive massive growth is undeniable. The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that through 2030, AI will contribute $19.9 trillion to global GDP and drive 3.5% growth. However, realizing this potential requires careful attention to how and where AI expands, and who is included in its growth.
Watch the live premiere now at gzeromedia.com/globalstage.
Participants:
- Ian Bremmer, President and Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media
- Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, World Trade Organization
- Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
- Peng Xiao, CEO, G42
- Becky Anderson, (moderator) Host of CNN Connect and Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi
This livestream is the latest in the Webby-nominated Global Stage series, a partnership between GZERO and Microsoft that examines critical issues at the intersection of technology, politics, and society.
Live premiere: Wednesday, January 22 at 11 AM ET/ 5 PM CET
- Ian Bremmer and Amina Mohammed on the promise and peril of AI ›
- Tech accord on AI & elections will help manage the ‘new reality,’ says Microsoft’s Brad Smith ›
- Davos 2024: China, AI & key topics dominating at the World Economic Forum ›
- Ian Explains: How will AI impact the workplace? ›
- Davos 2024: AI is having a moment at the World Economic Forum ›
In this photo illustration, the US Federal Trade Comission logo is displayed on a smartphone with stock market percentages in the background.
Hard Numbers: Exaggerated claims, Cash grab, Microsoft’s building plans, Chip stocks soar
1 million: Software company accessiBe has been charged $1 million by the Federal Trade Commission to settle charges that it lied about its AI tool being able to make websites accessible for people with disabilities. “Overstating a product’s AI or other capabilities without adequate evidence is deceptive,” said FTC consumer protection chief Samuel Levine.
56 billion: Generative AI companies raised $56 billion across 885 separate deals in 2024, according to new data from the financial website PitchBook. That’s up nearly 200% from 2023’s $29.1 billion total. Only $6.2 billion went to non-US firms, which means Silicon Valley is still king in the world of AI.
80 billion: To support its AI ambitions, Microsoft plans to spend $80 billion to construct data center infrastructure in 2025. In a blog post published on Friday, the company specified that more than half of that will go toward facilities in the US, “reflecting our commitment to this country and our confidence in the American economy.”
4: Microsoft’s announcement sent chip stocks flying Monday, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index rising 4% on the news. The biggest gainers included computer memory company Micron and equipment manufacturer Applied Materials. Contract chipmaker Foxconn also posted positive earnings to start the week, boosting high-profile customer Nvidia 5% in the process.
A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York.
Microsoft gets OK to send chips to the UAE
The Biden administration, which reportedly brokered the deal earlier this year, did so to box out the Chinese government, which has sought to expand its influence with the Persian Gulf’s technology sector. In exchange, G42 has been working to assure US authorities that it can be trusted, despite ties to China.
In greenlighting the latest export, which has not yet been formally announced by the US Commerce Department, the administration will place extensive prohibitions on who can access Microsoft’s facility in the UAE, including China, its officials, and any sanctioned individuals. It’s not yet clear which company’s chips Microsoft will be exporting.
Hard Numbers: Hey big spender, an iPhone boost, Google’s robot coders, Super Micro’s super downfall
200 billion: Capital expenditures from four of the largest US tech companies — Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google — are set to exceed $200 billion this year, inflated by enormous spending on artificial intelligence software and hardware investments. Amazon’s spending alone surged 81% in a year, leading CEO Andy Jassy to assure investors the company’s bets will pay off. These are record sums at a time when Wall Street seems hesitant to keep rewarding excessive spending on AI.
46 billion: Apple reversed its fortunes after a bad year of iPhone sales, selling more than $46 billion of its signature smartphone between July and September — a 6% increase year over year. The company’s new iPhone 16 is part of its push into artificial intelligence — marketed as a phone capable of handling all of its Apple Intelligence features, such as a supercharged Siri, new writing tools, and call transcription — which started rolling out last week. The company hopes that AI can convince customers old and new that it’s time to pay up for a new iPhone, which starts at $799.
25: More than 25% of all new code produced by Google is written by artificial intelligence, according to CEO Sundar Pichai. AI produces the code, which is then reviewed and accepted by human engineers. A recent Stack Overflow survey found that 76% of all software developers are using or are planning to use AI to code.
45: Super Micro Computer, a key supplier of Nvidia servers, saw its stock fall 45% after its auditor, Ernst & Young, resigned because it was “unwilling to be associated with the financial statements prepared by management.” Once one of the hottest AI stocks, the company has now wiped out all of its 2024 gains.A man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration.
How Iran is messing with the US election
Iranian-linked groups have been trying to disrupt the 2024 US presidential election, according to a recent report from Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center.
On Aug. 10, former President Donald Trump’s campaign claimed that Iranian actors had hacked, stolen, and distributed its internal documents. While the Trump campaign provided few specifics, the claim came a day after Microsoft issued a report detailing Iranian attempts to sow discord online around the upcoming election. The Trump campaign hack appears to line up with what Microsoft called a “spear phishing email” sent from an Iranian-linked group to a “high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.”
Further, Microsoft found that the Iranian group, called Storm-2035, set up four fake news websites, disguised as legitimate American news outlets, with the intention of polarizing American voters on political issues, including LGBTQ rights and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The group used generative AI-based tools, the report said, to write article headlines and rephrase stolen content to boost traction with search engines. They also used AI tools to plagiarize existing US publications, the report said, but didn’t offer additional specifics.
Microsoft said that while they have seen malicious actors from China, Russia, and Iran trying to incorporate generative AI into their operations, “recently many actors have pivoted back to techniques that have proven effective in the past — simple digital manipulations, mischaracterization of content, and use of trusted labels or logos atop false information.” AI isn’t a breakthrough technology for these groups just yet — though they’re clearly trying to incorporate them into their operations.
Clint Watts, who runs the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, said Iran’s goal is different from Russia’s past attempts to affect US elections. “Russia is very different. They're very focused on shaping the outcome of the election,” he told NPR. “Iran is focused as much on just breaking the ability of an election to occur" and interrupting the mechanics of voting. In 2021, the US Justice Department indicted two Iranian nationals who sent threatening materials to voters and spread disinformation about election integrity in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.
Microsoft has previously reported that Russia is actively seeking to undermine US support for Ukraine through online influence campaigns. CNN reported on Aug. 12 that the FBI is investigating the breach.Are Microsoft and OpenAI friends or foes?
The move comes amid two notable currents: First, OpenAI recently announced a search engine product called SearchGPT, though it’s still a prototype. That product genuinely could compete with the Bing search engine. But more importantly, antitrust regulators are sniffing around the relationship between the two companies, looking for anticompetitive behavior. Both the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority and the US Federal Trade Commission are investigating the two companies — so much that Microsoft recently ditched its OpenAI board seat.
So, are the two AI giants friends or foes? Well, it’s complicated.
Come inside the tech lab making accessibility fun
It all started with gaming, modifications for joysticks, and controllers that allow disabled veterans to once again play their favorite video games. Now, Microsoft’s Inclusive Tech Lab is a haven of innovation and creativity, featuring toys and tools created by and for the disability community. Come along as Program Manager Solomon Romney takes GZERO on an exclusive tour of the lab making accessibility awesome.
Watch more interviews from Global Stage.