World Government Summit Discusses AI

The opening session of the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The opening session of the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

World Government Summit Discusses AI

The opening session of the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The opening session of the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The governments' adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies has become inevitable, which is no longer an option, according to the UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Government Summit (WGS) Organization, Mohammad al-Gergawi.

Gergawi is expected to witness an upcoming biological revolution surpassing the technological revolution, and 90 percent of media production would be through AI without human intervention.

During his opening session, "A Decade of Change," on the first day of the 10th WGS, Gergawi touched on the refugee crisis, noting that on November 15, 2022, the world crossed the threshold of eight billion people.

The world will witness a radical change in illiteracy and skills, saying illiterates would be those who can't deal with AI technologies.

The Minister indicated that natural disasters cost humanity about $3 trillion, noting that climate change, which could displace more than 1 billion refugees by 2050, costs a $23 trillion loss for the world.

In his keynote speech at the Summit, the Founder and President of the World Economic Forum (WEF) (Davos), Klaus Schwab, stressed the urgency to develop new mechanisms that strengthen international cooperation in today's multipower world.

Schwab also stressed the need for concerted efforts to implement structural transformations within various strategic sectors, including the economy, technology, and politics, in light of the humanitarian crisis the world is witnessing.

He said technological transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution would impact the world for years.

"Governments in different parts of the world should play leading roles in keeping pace with changes," Schwab said.

Regarding structural transformations to be witnessed in various vital economic sectors, Schwab said there will be about 10 billion people in need of energy by 2050. He stressed the need to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and reach zero carbon emissions.

Schwab pointed to the political changes taking place in the world, which are transforming the globe from a unipolar world to a multipolar world.

Schwab said: "A few years ago, we considered some technologies a science fiction that was difficult to implement, but today it has become a reality that we live through artificial intelligence, new space technology, and industrial biology, which heralds a major change coming during the next ten years, and requires governments to be ambitious in their decisions."

For her part, the director general of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, urged member states to accelerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to crisis-stricken countries and disaster zones to speed the recovery of impacted countries.

Okonjo-Iweala explained that the organization highlighted the importance of accelerating support operations for countries affected by disasters and attributed the decline in trade to global economic shocks.

Concerning trade disputes between member states, Okonjo-Iweala said that 99 percent of the organization's members want to reform the dispute system, which will be accomplished in the future.



US Service Sector Sags in June as Orders Sink

The ISM reported on Monday that manufacturing activity had deteriorated further in June.- Reuters
The ISM reported on Monday that manufacturing activity had deteriorated further in June.- Reuters
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US Service Sector Sags in June as Orders Sink

The ISM reported on Monday that manufacturing activity had deteriorated further in June.- Reuters
The ISM reported on Monday that manufacturing activity had deteriorated further in June.- Reuters

A measure of US services sector activity slumped to a four-year low in June amid a sharp drop in orders, potentially hinting at a loss of momentum in the economy at the end of the second quarter.

The Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing purchasing managers (PMI) index dropped to 48.8 last month, the lowest level since May 2020, from 53.8 in May. It was the second time this year that the PMI had dropped below 50, which indicates contraction in the services sector.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the services PMI slipping to 52.5. The PMI fell below the 49 level that the ISM says over time generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy. The survey's business activity measure dropped to 49.6, the first contraction since May 2020, from 61.2 in May.

The ISM reported on Monday that manufacturing activity had deteriorated further in June.

The surveys, however, likely understate the economy's health, with so-called hard data like consumer spending suggesting a moderate pace of growth last quarter. The economy is adjusting to higher interest rates, which are slowing demand.

Growth estimates for the second quarter are around a 2% annualized rate. The economy grew at a 1.4% pace in the January-March quarter.

The survey's new orders measure dropped to 47.3, the lowest since December 2022, from 54.1 in May. Services employment continued to decline. That would suggest softer job growth in the months ahead, though the sentiment surveys have not been reliable predictors of payroll gains.

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The government's closely watched employment report on Friday is likely to show nonfarm payrolls increased by 190,000 jobs in June after rising 272,000 in May, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is forecast unchanged at 4%.

Services inflation slowed a bit last month. The ISM's prices paid measure for services inputs slipped to 56.3 from 58.1 in May. That suggests the disinflation trend was back on track after price pressures flared up in the first quarter.