Radio Davos

How we develop and use AI will either strengthen prosperity or deepen inequality, argues Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu. Today's choices could even put democracy under greater strain. In a special conversation, he shares insights collected in his latest book, What Happened to Liberal Democracy? Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity , breaking down:  - The forces weakening communit...

You're not imagining it: the world really is more unpredictable than it used to be. That's the opinion of the chief risk officers at carmaker Volkswagen and the World Trade Organisation, who join us on Radio Davos to discuss how we can best confront the ever more complex risk landscape. Geopolitics, supply chains, disinformation and artificial intelligence are among the headline risks that are inc...

Global demand for electricity is soaring, as wars in Ukraine and Iran squeeze fossil fuel supply chains and the race for AI makes data centres a significant power consumer.  Divya Reddy, Manager of Energy Initiatives at the World Economic Forum sets out the challenge, and Varun Sivaram, Founder and CEO of Emerald AI explains how data centres can be made "good citizens to communities and power grid...

Conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East have exposed the vulnerability of fossil fuel supply chains and prices. Coupled with Chinese supply of cheap renewables hardware, that makes the transition to green energy unstoppable, despite political resistance in some parts of the world. So says historian and podcaster Adam Tooze, director of the European Institute at Columbia University. In this wide-ra...

Why are there so many headlines right now about bond yields and interest rates? And what does it all mean for the global economy? The latest Chief Economists Outlook, a regular pulse-check of the global economy, shows an uptick in the number of economists expecting stability rather than a downturn. We ask EY's Chief Economist Gregory Daco why that is. And he weighs in on the issue of interest rate...

Cutting the greenhouse gas emissions from heavy industry has often been framed as a cost problem: why pay more for low-emission products when the conventional versions are cheaper? But many companies are pushing ahead, with an eye on staying competitive, securing supply chains and preparing for future markets. This episode hears from two companies and an investor who say low-emission technologies...

For today's undergraduates, the impact of artificial intelligence on the jobs market means massive job uncertainty. So how should young people prepare themselves for the unknown unknowns of a career in the age of AI? "The uncertainty will be overwhelming for a fraction of them, but I think for a fraction of them they will look back in 10 years and say this was a period of such great opportunity,"...

As an astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti knows a lot about leadership and teamwork. She spoke to our sister podcast Meet the Leader at the Annual Meeting in Davos in January. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI_7QcZy5A8 and find a transcript and more information here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/samantha-cristoforetti-esa-teamwork-leadership/ Chec...

Artificial intelligence is already having an impact on the way most of us work - but it's still early days and it's hard to predict exactly which jobs will disappear completely, what new ones will be created, and when and where this will happen. It's a subject that's important to all of us - so Radio Davos spoke to the head of an AI services firm, Ravi Kumar of Cognizant, and to the head of the Wo...

Workslop – low-quality work produced through poor human-AI collaboration – is wasting time, slowing teams down and limiting the productivity gains leaders expect from AI. But the problem isn't always the technology – it's often a signal to leaders that teams need more support. Alexi Robichaux, CEO of digital learning platform BetterUp, says AI can amplify both good and bad leadership standards and...

China is a partner and rival to many countries around the world. But what should we know about this country that is central to the global economy and is playing an ever greater role in geopolitics? On this joint episode of Radio Davos and Asian Insider, a podcast from the Singapore-based Straits Times, we speak to Qian Liu , whose company Wusawa helps advise companies understand China. Co-hosted b...

Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation, spoke to the World Economic Forum's Meet the Leader podcast at the Annual Meeting in Davos in January for an episode called "How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era". You can watch the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI and find a transcript and more information here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-l...

"Polycrisis" was a term coined to describe the convergence of multiple global challenges: political polarisation, conflicts, and the breakdown of post-World War Two norms on issues such as trade and security. Yuen Yuen Ang, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University, says polycrisis was a useful way of framing the problem, but to find solutions we should consider the global "polytun...

Women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men and are 50% more likely to die of a heart attack than a male patient. The statistics are staggering - but there are some relatively simple and cost-effective ways healthcare systems can improve the situation. Lucy Perez of the McKinsey Health Institute sets out the challenges and talks us through these potential solutions. Links : CARE fo...

"One of the most common refrains you used to hear 10 years ago was 'US innovates, China imitates, and Europe regulates'. Today, I don't hear that anymore." Aparna Bharadwaj, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group, joins us to analyse what we learned about geopolitics and business relations at Summer Davos, AMNC26. And Yang Yanqing, director of ShanghaiTech's Center for Education, Innovatio...

Is 2026 the year it all changed for energy? The Strait of Hormuz closure was "the largest oil supply disruption in history" but has not (yet) brought the global economy to its knees. But are we now living in a post-Hormuz world where countries and companies are seeking to diversify energy supply and ramp up renewables? Jason Bordoff of the Center on Global Energy Policy and the Columbia Energy Exc...

The Chinese port city of Dalian just hosted the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions - AMNC26 - often known as the Summer Davos. Innovating at scale was the official theme, and we heard lots on that - but also geopolitics, not least the rivalry between China and the US. On this episode we get a flavour of the discussions and hear from the people at the World Economic Forum who are working on t...

Stacey Vanek Smith, co-host of Bloomberg Business Week's Everybody's Business podcast joins us to look ahead to the final day at the Summer Davos, AMNC26. Links: AMNC26:  https://www.weforumasia.cn/meetings/annual-meeting-of-the-new-champions-2026/ Liveblog: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/06/summer-davos-amnc-2026-day-3-live-updates/ Related podcasts: AMNC26 Day 2 - Adam Tooze on Premier Li,...

Professor Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute at Columbia University, joins us to look ahead to the action at AMC26 on Day 2 where Premier Li Qiang is due to speak. Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26. Links: AMNC26: https://www.weforumasia.cn/meetings/annual-me...

Revolutionary healthcare treatments, a rethink of energy systems, and advances in AI, quantum and biotechnology: these are all among the breakthroughs contained in the latest Top 10 Emerging Technologies report. We look at each of the technologies in the 14th annual Top 10 Tech report from the World Economic Forum. Guest: Kimmy Bettinger, Lead, Expert and Knowledge Communities, World Economic Foru...

It's Day 1 of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, AMNC26, in Dalian China. Olivia Siong, Senior Correspondent at Channel News Asia, joins us to look ahead at the action at the Summer Davos where tech, innovation and geopolitics will be some of the main themes. Catch up on all the action from World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social med...

The World Economic Forum's 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 will be held in Dalian, People's Republic of China, on 23-25 June. The meeting will bring together more than 1,700 leaders from over 90 countries to explore how innovation can be scaled and unlock wider economic growth. Radio Davos is covering AMNC26 daily during the meeting. On this preview episode, Forum Managing Director M...

The World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index has been charting the progress of global energy systems for the last 16 years. The latest edition is published as the world has experienced an energy shock due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. We discuss what is helping and what is impeding the global transition to cleaner, more secure, more equitable energy. Guests: Lucy Craig, Director of...

On this episode we team up with The View Beyond, a podcast from wealth management group Julius Baer, to discuss how to navigate crises.  Julius Baer's Group Chief Investment Officer Yves Bonzon gives his perspective as someone who has spent decades making high-stakes decisions on behalf of investors. This episode is a collaboration with The View Beyond, the weekend edition of Moving Markets, Juliu...

The global economy is fragmenting, and it could lead to a hit of $6 trillion to GDP worldwide. That's more than the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic or the 2008 financial crisis. So what exactly is causing this fragmentation, and can the impacts be mitigated? Finance industry experts join us to explore the forces of fragmentation and examine a new report by the World Economic Forum and Oliver Wyma...