Davos: The UAE Pavilion at the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum 2026, held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 19th to 23rd, hosted a dialogue session titled 'Artificial Intelligence, Sustainability, and the Question of What We Optimise For.'
According to Emirates News Agency, the session examined how artificial intelligence can influence sustainability and whether it is guided by short-term efficiency or long-term value creation for the economy, society, and the environment. The session, led by Professor Julia Binder from IMD Business School, involved young global leaders discussing AI's impact on growth, value creation, and competitiveness.
Professor Binder stressed the importance of redefining value in the AI era, highlighting that economies which align algorithms with societal and environmental priorities will lead the future, not those focused solely on short-term gains. She noted AI's potential in promoting sustainability through resource optimization, waste reduction, and responsible innovation.
The dialogue emphasized leadership's role in this transformation, pointing out that AI decisions are fundamentally about leadership and ethics. Participants stressed leaders' need to interpret global changes into strategies and adaptive models capable of handling rapid transformation.
The session also explored the circular economy as a future competitiveness driver, showing how AI can enhance sustainable production and consumption models. Participants discussed viewing global challenges as opportunities for business model innovation, asserting that sustainability embedded strategies yield long-term competitive advantages.
The discussion highlighted education's role in fostering transformation, advocating for investment in leadership skills and cross-disciplinary collaboration. It called for stronger ties between research and practice to ensure impactful knowledge application.
The session concluded by asserting that AI and sustainability are interconnected pathways shaping the global economy's future, urging leaders to focus on strategic optimization for sustainable prosperity, integrating innovation, responsibility, and human development.