In a polarised world, with the most powerful nations and the UN unable to prevent or end many wars, could the so-called 'middle powers' step up? This week's two guests, both members of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Geopolitics, think so, and say those countries might even consider setting up an 'M-10' of middle powers seeking …

“Climate Capitalism is an antidote to the dominant narrative that because we’ve ignored the climate crisis for so long, it will soon be too late. While it’s true that we’ve not done enough yet, we’re nowhere close to being too late.” So says Akshat Rathi, Bloomberg’s senior climate reporter and host of the podcast Zero, in his new book Climate Capi…

For half a century, Nile Rodgers has been making hit records that have touched people's hearts around the world. The creative force behind disco pioneers Chic, and some of the best known songs of David Bowie, Madonna and Beyoncé, tells us the definition of an artist: someone whose work "speaks to the souls of a million strangers". But what if gener…

Theatre director Jude Kelly founded the Women of the World (WOW) Festival almost two decades ago to spur conversations about women, men and feminism. WOW is now a global phenomenon, but does the rise of online misogyny pose a threat to progress on gender equality. Jude Kelly, who spoke to Radio Davos on World Women's Day 2024, says why it is vital …

A year ago in Davos, energy - particularly the disruption to supply and prices caused by the war in Ukraine - was a top issue at the Forum's Annual Meeting and on Radio Davos we invited two experts in to set out the top lines of the energy discussion. Roberto Bocca, who heads up energy at the World Economic Forum, and John Defterios, a business pro…

What's in store for 2024? Ian Bremmer's political risk consultancy predicts an 'annus horribilis' but Exponential View's Azeem Azhar says we are in an 'incredible decade'. So is the state of the world 'glass half empty, or half full'? And in an uncertain world, Oxford University's Rachel Botsman, tells why trust is so vital, and how it can be re-bu…

The UNHCR, cares for 114 million refugees and displaced people worldwide. Filippo Grandi, the head of the United Nations refugee agency, says that number could double in a decade if the world cannot find ways to stop war. Mentioned in this episode: Refugee Employment Alliance: https://www.weforum.org/projects/the-refugee-employment-and-employabilit…

If 2023 was the year we all got familiar with generative AI, is 2024 the year when governments will act on the governance of this powerful technology? At Davos 2024 we spoke to these experts, from the industry and civil society: Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology Aidan Gomez, Co-founder and CEO of Cohere Anna Makanju, Vi…

Technology is revolutionizing global commerce and investment, and digitalizing the trade ecosystem holds the potential to increase trade by nearly $9 trillion by 2026 within the G7 alone. On the eve of the World Trade Organisation's 13th Ministerial Conference, MC13 (26-29 February, 2024) in Abu Dhabi, we speak to the event's host, UAE Minister of …

"This is going to be the most transformational moment, not just in technology, but in culture and politics of all of our lifetimes." Three AI pioneers, all of them in Time's Top-100 most influential people in AI, share their views on the past, present and future of this transformational technology. Guests: Aidan Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO, Cohere Mu…

In an episode recorded before the escalation of conflict in the Middle East, we hear from two private-sector companies involved in the distribution of food, about how they manage to operate in a war zone like Yemen, which has been in a state of civil war since 2015. Guests: Mohamed Nabil Hayel Saeed, Senior Strategic Advisor, HSA Niels Hougaard, Ma…

What do social media content creators make of Davos? We speak to three YouTubers - with a collective audience in the millions - who were given full access to the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2024 to ask who they met and what stories they would be telling. Featuring: Jacob Beautemps, @BreakingLab Adanna Steinacker, @houseofadanna Gohar Khan…

The World Economic Forum just held its Annual Meeting - but what impact will it have on the world beyond Davos? The people who lead the Forum's work throughout the year tackling the world's most important issues pick the highlights of the week that show how Davos 2024 will make a positive impact. And we hear clips from some of the most impactful di…

What's Dwight from The Office doing in the metaverse? Actor Rainn Wilson joins us, in avatar form, to check out a virtual world created by the World Economic Forum that aims to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the Arctic and the rest of the world. We also hear from Gail Whiteman, Professor of Sustainability at the University of Ex…

As leading figures from government, business, academia and civil society head to Davos for the Annual Meeting 2024, what are the big global challenges they will be discussing? The World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report sets out the biggest issues over the short and medium terms, based on a survey of more than 1,400 global risks experts, policy-…

Radio Davos is a podcast that is as wide-ranging and thought-provoking as the work of the World Economic Forum itself. Rather than being restricted to any one topic, each week it focuses on a particular issue of global importance, such as macro-economics, the environment, technology, health, social inequalities and much more - always seeking soluti…

As 2023 draws to a close and the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting approaches, we look at an issue that will be on everyone’s lips in Davos: artificial intelligence. Cathy Li, head of AI at the Forum tells us about the work of the AI Governance Alliance, which has brought stakeholders together to seek the best way for humans to oversee the rapi…

If you’re a ‘digital native’ - someone who can’t remember a world before the internet - you might feel you have a good idea of the role technology will play in your life and perhaps in that of future generations. But journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, author of a history of another transformative technology from more than five centuries ago - the pr…

Plastics pollution is a very visible, global environmental and health challenge, and last year the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) launched a process to draft a global treaty aimed at solving the problem. Earlier this week, delegations from all over the world met in Nairobi to work on the first full draft of a treaty that could set bindi…

When Professor Tom Crowther published research into the massive potential of trees to absorb more carbon than previously thought, he helped spur the Trillion Trees movement to plant, restore and conserve forests. But it also caused massive debate. As he publishes updated research, Crowther tells Radio Davos that growing trees must increase biodiver…

The concept of 'value based health care' - where patient outcomes are monitored and health care services are funded on the basis of the quality of care, rather than the quantity of procedures - has been around for a couple of decades, but has yet to become the norm. This podcast explores the potential benefits of a shift from 'volume' to 'value', t…

This week we’re celebrating 100 episodes of our sister podcast Meet the Leader. Every week, Linda Lacina interviews leaders - of major companies, organisations, or what we might call ‘thought leaders' in the fields of academia or campaign groups. If you want to know what makes these individuals tick, and what lessons we might learn from their exper…

In 2003 - the a year before a 19-year-old Harvard student called Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook - Philip Rosedale launched Second Life - an online virtual world that looked set to transform the internet. Two decades later, with the Facebook company, now called Meta, and its competitors seeking to develop the metaverse, what does Rosedale see as t…

What is the single most important thing that any individual can do to help alleviate the climate crisis? Katharine Hayhoe is the chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy, a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University and the author of Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. She believes that only if we …

At the start of this year, the World Economic Forum published its annual Global Risks Report - a major survey of sentiment about what are the big things that could go wrong - in the economy, the environment, in health, cybersecurity, geopolitics - and more. In this podcast, we invite back the two guests who appeared on Radio Davos in January to tal…

Sourcing and scaling viable innovations to decarbonize ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors like mining and aviation will be critical to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals. How can we leverage cutting-edge technologies and adopt novel strategies to accelerate the race to net-zero in these sectors? This is the full audio from a panel discussion at …

Gender parity has recovered to pre-pandemic levels globally, but the pace of change is stagnating. It will take an estimated 131 years to reach full parity at the current trajectory. How can we boost women’s economic participation and political empowerment and achieve gender parity at all levels of society? This is the full audio from a panel discu…

Small and medium agricultural enterprises (agri-SMEs) are Africa’s largest employer and economic engine—and the key to transforming food systems and improving food security for the continent. Yet three out of four agri-SMEs can’t access formal bank financing, and are too large for microfinance, creating an estimated $100 billion gap in unmet demand…

The World Economic Forum has just published its latest Chief Economists Outlook, a regular report based on the views of senior economists around the world. This edition shows a glass half full and half empty, with concerns of widespread economic recession easing since the last report in May, but slowing global growth and continued economic uncertai…

Semiconductors make the world go round, and the most cutting-edge versions are necessary to propel the artificial intelligence revolution. Historian Chris Miller, author ‘Chip War’, explains what chips do, how they are made, and why they are so vital to global supply chains and international relations. Transcript available here: https://www.weforum…

Professor Stuart Russell shares his concerns about the rapid rise of generative artificial intelligence. Listen back to our 5-part series on generative AI: Episode 1: AI: Why everyone's talking about the promise and risks of this 'powerful wild beast' Episode 2: A common good? The companies making the AI products we'll soon all be using Episode 3: …

Designer phages, spatial optics, plant sensors and bendable batteries - just some of the items on this year's World Economic Forum Top 10 Emerging Technologies that will change our lives in the next 3-5 years. To talk us through all 10, we hear from the two people who led the work compiling the list: Mariette DiChristina, Dean and Professor of the …

Is the metaverse still a thing or has the world’s attention moved on to generative AI? On this episode of Radio Davos, we speak to a vice president of the consumer electronics company HTC. Pearly Chen heads Business Development & Content Partnerships for VIVEPORT a subscription plan for virtual reality gaming - immersive video games played using VR…

Claude Marshall fled Nazi Germany as a small boy in the 1930s and now helps today’s refugees by fundraising for sports facilities in refugee camps. He tells Radio Davos why sport is so important for traumatised young people, and compares the plight of people today forced from their home with his own childhood experience. Related links: The World Ec…

Can we prevent a repeat of COVID-19? In a new book, Disease X, author Kate Kelland looks at what we learned from the pandemic and how scientists, governments and societies can be better prepared for the next one. Links World Economic Forum’s Website page for the “Centre for Health and Healthcare”. https://centres.weforum.org/centre-for-health-and-h…

The final episode of our AI series comes from the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC), the World Economic Forum’s ‘summer Davos’, in Tianjin, China. Cathy Li, head of AI at the World Economic Forum, says what needs to happen next as the world gets to grips with generative AI, and introduces the AI Governance Alliance. And we listen in to dis…

Amid pressures on the global economy from recent major crises and renewed turbulence in financial markets, stakeholders will need to convert the bright spots of accelerated trade and investment in green and innovative industries into a new paradigm for sustained growth. How can both government and the private sector draw on the opportunities stemmi…

In most parts of the world, the gender gap - the difference in opportunities and outcomes for women compared to men - is closing. But closing so slowly that it would take, at the current rate of progress, until 2154 for men and women to be truly equal. That statistic comes from the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, an extensive, annu…

"AI will have some form of intelligence that will either compete with us or augment us. This is a question for us as a species. For the past thousands of years, we didn’t have a cousin or a brother and now we may have one. So it is how we understand that and how we deal with it." On Episode 4 of our special series on generative AI, we consider the …

The rise of generative artificial intelligence raises a lot of philosophical questions. So can philosophy help us make AI that serves humanity for the good? On this episode we hear from 'applied ethicist' Cansu Canca, AI Ethics Lead at the Institute for Experiential AI, Northeastern University, USA; and from Sara Hooker, head of Cohere For AI, a re…

For a transcript, visit the episode page at: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/ai-episode-2-microsoft-hugging-face In the second a special series on generative artificial intelligence, we hear from two companies involved in the AI revolution - one of the biggest and oldest names in computing, Microsoft, and a young startup makin…

In the first of a special series on generative artificial intelligence, we ask why AI is suddenly such big news and where things might go from here. Speakers: Cathy Li, Head, AI, Data and Metaverse, World Economic Forum; Francesca Rossi, AI Ethics Global Leader, IBM Research; and Pascale Fung, Professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Techno…

We are still in a period of great economic uncertainty, with inflation posing a risk around the world and forcing central banks to tighten policy. Three chief economists spoke to Radio Davos at the World Economic Forum's Growth Summit. Hear where they think the global economy is headed. Featuring: Jorge Sicilia of BBVA, Razia Khan of Standard Chart…

Against a backdrop of persistently sluggish growth, the global economy and markets continue to be roiled by crisis after crisis. What trends will determine the prospects for the year ahead, and are there grounds for optimism that the worst may be over? This is the full audio of the Chief Economists Briefing session at the Growth Summit, on 3 May 20…

With an estimated shortfall of 10 million workers in the sector by 2030, the health and care economy is under severe stress. What multi stakeholder policies and strategies can help recruit, retain and rethink healthcare jobs? This is the full audio from a session at the World Economic Forum’s Growth Summit 2023, Future of Work - Health and Care. Wa…

Wondering what job you’ll be doing in five years’ time? Chances are it may be quite different from what you do now, and you’ll need different skills. The transition to clean energy and the rise of artificial intelligence are likely to have a big impact on the world of work so employers, too, need to adopt a ‘skills-first’ mindset. We hear from Tan …

What’s going on in the global economy? Christian Keller, the Head of Economic Research at Barclays, joins Radio Davos to discuss the latest Chief Economists Outlook and explore what likely lies ahead for consumers, businesses and policymakers. Read the Chief Economists Outlook: https://www.weforum.org/reports/chief-economists-outlook-may-2023 More …

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report is a snapshot of the world of work now, and a look into where we are going. The latest edition comes as we are still digesting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and as we all become aware of the massive impact that Artificial Intelligence is likely to have on pretty much every job humans do. Forum …

“Arguably the most common devastating disease that most people have never heard of. It affects at least one in nine women. It is the cause of up to 50% of infertility cases in women.” Endometriosis is the subject of director Shannon Cohn’s documentary Below the Belt. She tells how women have been overlooked, disbelieved and gaslit by medical practi…

COVID transformed the world of work, but AI’s impact will be much bigger. “It’s the first time in the history of humanity that we have to rethink what it means to be human. It’s no longer, ‘I think, therefore I am’. Most of our thinking can be outsourced to machines.” Artificial intelligence is about to transform the world of work, says Tomas Chamo…