Some of the most heated debates in Davos 2018 were centered
around the challenges that AI and robotics pose to business. The CEO of Google
even suggested that AI will be bigger than fire or electricity in terms of
business impact.
These discussions were by far the most popular of the entire
week and the questions always eventually turned to the impact on society, the
role of human vs machine and how these relationships will develop. It was
noted that the most popular consumer AI interfaces, such as Alexa and Siri,
default to female personae and, indeed, there was even serious talk of how
humans may soon develop romantic relationships with AI.
But we’re not there quite yet and until we are, the best way
for humans to interface with each other, especially when they seem to have
culturally different operating systems, is to meet face to face at events such
as the Swiss-Arab Network.
“The Swiss-Arab Network is not just about business”, says
spokesman Slim Habli. “It’s also about building long-term relationships”
Another central theme at Davos was the empowerment of women
and this is an issue very important to the Swiss-Arab Network.
So whilst Alexa isn’t on talking terms with Cortana, and
Siri stays aloof, the organisers of the Swiss-Arab Network are succeeding in
their goals to empower (real) women and to help diverse cultures to join
together and find common ground.
This year the Swiss-Arab Networking event opens its doors in
Davos on 23rd January 2019.
