Forum Institutional

Growth Summit 2023: The impact of AI on growth, according to experts

The words artificial intelligence are pictured on a screen.

"There is no doubt that the future of work will be disruptive," says the World Economic Forum's Managing Director, Saadia Zahidi. Image: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Kate Whiting
Senior Writer, Forum Stories

Listen to the article

  • AI was one of the central themes that came out of the World Economic Forum's Growth Summit 2023.
  • Two sessions were dedicated to how artificial intelligence (AI) will impact the future of work, jobs and education.
  • Here are some of the key quotes on AI from the Growth Summit 2023.

"If we play it right, we'll all be better off."

This was the view of Microsoft Corporate Vice President and Chief Economist Michael Schwarz on a session dedicated to generative AI at the World Economic Forum's Growth Summit 2023.

"When AI makes us more productive, we as mankind ought to be better off because we are able to produce more stuff with less: less work, less toil and less use of resources."

AI and the rise of generative AI – and how it will impact the future of work and education – was an overarching theme of the summit, and was touched on again and again during the 60 sessions.

Have you read?

Panellists discussed the opportunities and challenges with the technology, including the need for regulation and how to ensure we avoid doing harm by harnessing the right ethical values, and the potential threat from bad actors.

AI could help to transform work across the globe, said Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo, Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO), speaking at the session Global Economic Outlook: What Next For Globalization?

"The use of AI and technology is more open to all countries than you'd expect in the past, so it will depend heavily on those countries that are much more prepared to transform their technology modus operandi."

Discover

How is the World Economic Forum ensuring the responsible use of technology?

The Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023, released during the summit, found generative AI is expected to be adopted by nearly 75% of surveyed companies.

Many clerical or secretarial roles are seen as likely to decline quickly because of AI, but roles for AI and machine-learning specialists, data analysts and scientists, and digital transformation specialists are expected to grow rapidly.

Fastest growing vs fastest declining jobs.
How jobs will be impacted by AI. Image: World Economic Forum

"There is no doubt that the future of work will be disruptive," the Forum's Managing Director, Saadia Zahidi, writes.

"But it need not be dystopian. Instead, it can be an opportunity to lay the foundations for putting people firmly at the centre of the new global economy."

Key takeaways on AI at the Growth Summit 2023

Catch up on all the key quotes on Twitter – or watch the sessions in full.

Generative AI has the potential to disrupt nearly every industry – promising both competitive advantage and creative destruction.

How will generative AI impact organizations and industries, and what strategies can help leaders leverage growth opportunities and manage challenges?

Loading...

Advances in generative AI are expected to have an unprecedented impact on the global workforce and present a turning point for education. How can governments, employers, educators, workers and learners respond?

Loading...

Jobs are being disrupted at remarkable speed by AI and automation and the green transition, shifting supply chains and changes in working practices.

What is the outlook for jobs and how should governments, employers and workers prepare?

Loading...

Must-reads on AI's impact on the future of work

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Future of Work

Related topics:
Forum InstitutionalEmerging TechnologiesJobs and the Future of Work
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of Work is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

Davos 2025: What to expect and who's coming?

Gayle Markovitz

December 9, 2024

Unlocking renewable energy future in emerging markets

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum