The “intelligent age” being touted at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum this week is being met with very immediate challenges – political polarisation and increasingly nationalist political agendas.
With decades-long crises like the occupation of Palestine and wealth inequality, the intelligent age should present solutions, but the fear is that it will widen the disparity.
The Davos meeting was in full swing on Tuesday. In his opening address, WEF president Borge Brende reminded participants that “we can only address challenges together … we need to find more effective ways for working together”.
And while one of the themes this year is “developing pathways for greater co-operation”, WEF chairman Klaus Schwab acknowledged that the world is “in search of a new balance between global needs and national interests”. National and corporate interests are both challenging that need, particularly when it comes to inequality.
Microsoft’s president of research Peter Lee gave a refreshingly honest and open answer as to why AI applications for healthcare diagnosis are not applied on mass scale, stating in a session that “business expectations” are not aligned.
That lack of alignment is in reference to a focus on prioritising revenue generation.
And yet there are incredible opportunities presented by technological advancements, including in health care and scientific development, which Mr Lee said would include “learning nature’s language” and knowing more about its capacities.
Mr Schwab spoke of a “new renaissance with advancements in technology, health, culture and more”.
Yet the renaissance is also met with fears from many that the speed of change may leave them behind. Mohamed Kande, PwC’s global chairman, addressed this challenge by saying access to technology across countries and societies, in addition to upskilling workforces, will change the way work and society is organised.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman took part in two public sessions on Tuesday, talking about the success of mediation in reaching a Gaza ceasefire, and collaboration between different mediators and actors.
“We feel sorry for the time wasted” getting to the ceasefire, saying the agreement was the same as what had been proposed in December 2023. He stressed the importance to avoid wasting further time.
The appeal to avoid wasting time that can affect lives directly – from the Middle East to global co-operation to tackle climate change – is one that leaders at the World Economic Forum would do well to heed.
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
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