One speed, she explained, is the pace of change, breakthroughs, and scientific discovery. The other is slower—the pace of adoption.
“That’s the speed of adoption in a truly substantive way, so that each one of us can experience the economic uplift that AI offers,” Porat said. She added, “The upside from AI does require a fundamental rethink of every process.”
Porat noted that while working on chatbots can be useful because it gets organizations thinking about the AI journey, “it shouldn’t stop there.” The big question, she said, is: What does AI mean for my country and for my business?
“The real prize is changing business processes end to end using AI,” Venkatakrishnan said. Barclays is already seeing the benefits of AI in customer service and document management, but “we’re still at the tip of the spear—there’s a lot more to be done,” he added.
Venkatakrishnan said leaders’ responsibility is not just to use AI for productivity, but to empower people to take on bigger, more interesting, and more valuable work. “That is the real promise of AI,” he said.
Saudi Arabia’s minister of investment, Khalid Al-Falih, shared what he’s hearing from companies around the world about how they’re navigating global economic complexities. “I believe people are looking for partners they can trust—partners who are not short-term or transactional,” he said.
Al-Falih added that both governments and companies want to ensure their capital and resources are allocated not only to technology, but also to talent. Despite all the focus on technology, the human element remains essential, he said.
Porat agreed with Al-Falih that executing AI responsibly is key to ensuring everyone benefits from its upside. “A core part of any strategy must include training, education, and skilling,” she said.
She added that investment in energy, infrastructure, and grid modernization will support AI expansion. “There are 2,500 gigawatts of energy in development in the U.S. waiting to get on the grid,” Porat said.
The challenge for leaders as AI enters its next chapter will be not just harnessing its power, but ensuring its benefits are shared among workers, companies, and economies alike.
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