The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched a new series of reports entitled Industries in the Intelligent Age. This series provides actionable insights for businesses and governments on how to responsibly adopt and scale artificial intelligence (AI) in critical sectors. The reports address industry trends, successful applications and identify key success factors to drive innovation and promote sustainable growth.

Another of the WEF’s key initiatives is the Frontier MINDS programme. This programme aims to promote and scale effective AI solutions to global challenges such as access to healthcare, climate change and sustainable energy transition. The first cohort of this programme will be presented in 2025.

The WEF’s AI Governance Alliance emphasises that informed and adaptable policies are needed to harness the transformative potential of AI while ensuring that no one is left behind. The report series covers a wide range of topics, from healthcare to sustainable supply chains, and highlights the role of AI as a driver of innovation in a variety of industries.

Criticism

The World Economic Forum report provides a comprehensive overview of the potential of artificial intelligence, but lacks a deeper examination of the actual challenges that may arise during its widespread introduction. While the planned initiatives such as the Frontier MINDS platform and the emphasised need for cross-industry collaboration are certainly commendable, the concrete implementation of these measures remains unclear. In particular, the aspect of ‘responsible’ AI implementation is often only treated superficially.

The challenges posed by AI, such as ethical concerns, the impact on the labour market and data security issues, are addressed but not discussed in depth. For example, it remains unclear how companies and governments can ensure that AI is not only used efficiently but also fairly and transparently. The need for further training of the workforce is often offered as a general solution, without concrete suggestions as to how this can be effectively implemented in the individual sectors.

Furthermore, the question of how to address global differences in resources, access to technology and political frameworks when introducing AI remains largely unanswered. The emphasis on scalability and the idea that AI provides solutions to global challenges could give the impression that technological solutions are being considered in isolation from social and political contexts, which is a dangerous oversimplification of complex issues.

Overall, the series of reports lacks specific recommendations for action and a clear vision of how AI can not only fulfil its potential in practice, but also be used in a socially responsible and sustainable way.