AI’s Role In Global Economic Transformation Explored At The World Governments Summit Forum

At the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2026, the Artificial Intelligence Forum gathers ministers, researchers, and industry leaders to examine how AI is reshaping economies, science, and governance. Participants assess how AI affects productivity, labour markets, and infrastructure, while also considering security, energy use, and inclusion for both advanced and emerging economies.

The Forum also stresses that AI progress is outpacing many existing regulatory models, increasing competition for computing power, data, and talent. Speakers explain that governments now face mounting pressure to align innovation with scientific integrity, safety checks, infrastructure capacity, and fair access, while keeping sustainability and climate commitments firmly in view.

Serving as a global platform, the Artificial Intelligence Forum aligns international views on AI’s economic role, including productivity gains, workforce change, and safer infrastructure. Discussions also address geopolitical dimensions and how to share AI gains fairly. Several speakers acknowledge the UAE’s leadership in shaping shared visions for AI over recent years, especially across government services and digital transformation.

David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Minister of the Republic of Sierra Leone, and Munyeong Lim, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Council on National Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Republic of Korea, officially open the Forum. Sengeh urges governments to treat AI as a central policy priority because of its influence on societies, economic growth paths, and long-term development models across regions.

Sengeh argues that leadership must embed fairness, equal opportunity, and inclusivity in every AI strategy. He highlights Sierra Leone’s recent digital reforms and praises the country’s political vision. "Sierra Leone has demonstrated that true impact extends beyond metrics and indicators to tangible outcomes, such as expanding access to banking and financial services, investing in human capital development, and improving healthcare delivery through practical digital solutions that empower educators, enable citizens, and deliver measurable value on the ground," Sengeh noted.

In his keynote, Lim describes how national values shape AI strategy in the Republic of Korea. Lim recalls that the country has historically protected its democracy through "the power of knowledge rather than force." Building on this heritage, Lim says Korea now intends to work with other nations to create an "AI Basic Society" where AI benefits function as "a universal right for all humanity."

The session "The AI Economy: From Adoption to Advantage" features Arvind Krishna, Chairman, President, and CEO of IBM, and focuses on moving from experimentation to strategic AI deployment. Krishna links AI to earlier productivity shifts, from the printing press to mechanisation and industrial revolutions, arguing that these shifts drove GDP expansion, new investment, and more durable prosperity across many regions and sectors.

Krishna warns that shrinking population growth and slowing productivity now challenge global prosperity. "Today, the world faces a challenge: declining population growth and productivity. AI represents a decisive force in narrowing this gap by augmenting human capabilities and redefining what can be shared across citizens, economies, and technologies," he explained. "Despite widespread concern surrounding AI risks, the practical approach is to move away from fragmented, low-impact experiments and instead focus on a limited number of scalable, low-risk use cases. This allows institutions to test AI responsibly, scale it with confidence, and achieve meaningful enterprise-level impact," he said.

The same session assesses foundations for a successful AI economy, including redesigning processes and business models around AI. Speakers highlight the need to enhance productivity, speed up innovation, and improve customer experiences. They stress responsible AI practices, with emphasis on transparency, security, and trust, so that large institutions can adopt AI at scale without undermining public confidence or regulatory compliance.

Another discussion, "A Global Preview of the Corporate AI Adoption," features Antonio Zappulla, CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Zappulla outlines how AI is altering business models, executive decisions, and risk management structures. The session underscores strong data governance, openness about AI use, and responsible design as essential to sustainable returns, while leadership must reskill employees, support adaptive cultures, and drive global debate on standards and accountability.

Artificial intelligence in science, financial systems, and real-world impact

In the session "Can Artificial Intelligence Think Like a Scientist?" Prof. Amnon Shashua, President and CEO of Mobileye, examines whether AI can mimic scientific reasoning. Moderated by Paul Wallace of Bloomberg, the conversation contrasts statistical pattern recognition with deep causal understanding. The session explores how these approaches might allow AI systems to generate hypotheses, test them, and issue more reliable decisions across complex scientific and industrial problems.

Shashua’s session also explores ethical and technical hurdles in building trustworthy AI that operates in high‑stakes environments. Speakers highlight advances in agentic AI systems, robotics integration, and efficient computational architectures. They discuss how these developments could support more autonomous experimentation while still requiring rigorous oversight, documented validation methods, and clear accountability structures for developers, regulators, and end users.

In the "Artificial Intelligence in Financial Systems" session, Gary Kazantsev, Head of Quant Technology Strategy at Bloomberg, focuses on equity and inclusion. Kazantsev maps strategies for developing economies to improve AI readiness, including reliable data infrastructure, specialist training, greater computing capacity, and international partnerships. These steps are presented as essential for reducing digital divides and supporting financial stability, innovation, and more inclusive growth.

Generative AI, AI agents, and workforce transformation

The Forum hosts "What Comes After Generative AI: The Road to Real-World Intelligence," where Lila Ibrahim, COO of Google DeepMind, discusses turning research into durable value. Ibrahim explains how generative AI can power high‑return applications across many sectors, provided institutions measure actual outcomes, such as wellbeing and service quality, rather than only focusing on model performance metrics or short‑term efficiency gains.

Ibrahim also underscores the need for scalable and trustworthy systems that integrate smoothly into regular institutional workflows. The session notes that generative AI must fit with existing processes in government and business. Participants call for investments in cloud infrastructure, advanced chips, and human skills to support safe deployment and continuous monitoring of AI tools used in everyday operations.

A panel titled "Humans and Agents: The Next Productivity Frontiers," moderated by Amandeep Bhangu of Voice Media London, brings together Carl Pei, Co-Founder and CEO of Nothing; Tuan Tran, President of Technology and Innovation at HP; Simon de Montfort Walker, Executive Vice President for Industry Applications at Oracle; and Masoud Mohamed Sharif, CEO of e& UAE. Panellists analyse how AI acts as a strategic driver of global productivity and economic growth.

The "Humans and Agents" discussion highlights new patterns in scientific discovery, workforce change, and the rise of AI agents that manage complex systems. Speakers explore what skills workers will need as AI agents handle routine tasks, and they review policy frameworks that can prepare societies for this next phase of AI integration. They also consider how employers should update training, hiring, and performance evaluation.

AI, data centres, energy systems, and global implications

The session "How Data Centres Are Reshaping Energy," moderated by Mike Allen, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Axios, features Guillaume Verdon, Founder and CEO of Extropic, and Enass Abo-Hamad, Co-Founder and CEO of H2GO Power. The discussion analyses how rapid data centre expansion influences global energy demand, especially as AI workloads increase the need for dense computing clusters.

Speakers examine problems linked to rising electricity consumption and the search for clean, flexible energy sources, including advanced nuclear technologies and hydrogen. They discuss innovative storage and cooling approaches designed to reduce emissions and manage peak loads. The session stresses close planning between technology and energy sectors to support sustainable AI growth aligned with climate goals, while acknowledging emerging geopolitical and economic implications.

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The Artificial Intelligence Forum at WGS 2026 presents a detailed picture of AI’s role in economic transformation, scientific research, and governance. Across sessions, speakers call for inclusive strategies, responsible deployment, and careful energy planning, while recognising the UAE’s role in convening global dialogue. Collectively, the discussions highlight that balanced AI policies can support productivity, stability, and shared progress for both advanced and developing economies.

With inputs from WAM