Why Davos 2026 can’t stop talking about Artificial Intelligence

AI won’t headline just one panel—it will quietly underpin nearly every Davos conversation. From trade and climate to healthcare and geopolitics, leaders arrive knowing decisions are already being shaped by algorithms running far from public view.

At Davos 2026, the buzz shifts from chatbots to “agentic AI.” Executives discuss systems that don’t just assist humans but plan, negotiate, and execute tasks autonomously—reshaping supply chains, customer service, and even corporate hierarchies.

Behind AI’s promise lies a resource shock. Data centers now rival small nations in power demand. WEF sessions zoom in on electricity, water, and rare minerals, asking whether AI progress risks colliding headfirst with climate goals.

AI anxiety pulses through workforce panels. WEF-linked studies project millions of roles disrupted even as new ones emerge. The real fear isn’t job loss—it’s speed. Can workers reskill fast enough before automation outruns adaptation?

Forget coding alone. Davos reframes “AI literacy” as essential as reading or math. CEOs and ministers debate how schools, companies, and governments can rebuild education systems that currently move far slower than technology itself.

Powerful models, opaque decisions. From biased algorithms to surveillance fears, trust emerges as AI’s biggest bottleneck. Expect heated debates on explainability, accountability, and who gets blamed when machines make costly mistakes.

Regulators scramble to keep up. Davos becomes a battleground between innovation speed and legal restraint, as nations push competing AI rules. The risk: fragmented regulations that slow progress—or no rules that invite chaos.

One fault line dominates: open-source versus proprietary AI. Developing nations push for access and co-creation, warning that closed systems could lock global power into a handful of tech giants and countries.

The subtext of Davos 2026 is reconstruction. AI isn’t framed as a tool but as a force demanding new economic models, governance structures, and social contracts—a reset moment few leaders feel fully prepared for.