Yahoo Finance reports from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the docket this year will cover the explosion in artificial intelligence and how leaders should think about innovation and regulation.The World Economic Forum was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation. The so-called masters of the universe will convene around the theme of ‘rebuilding trust’. Over 1,600 business leaders will be in attendance, including over 800 CEOs and 60 heads of government. Yahoo Finance’s Julie Hyman and Brian Sozzi will ask the most important questions to the world’s most high-profile leaders: is the world more divided than it has ever been? Is AI really bigger than the internet? Is this year’s huge election cycle the risk we’ve all been missing? Will the bull market in stocks end badly?Yahoo Finance will bring you on the ground interviews from January 15th - January 18th.

Video Transcript

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JULIE HYMAN: I'm Julie Hyman.

BRIAN SOZZI: And I'm Brian Sozzi.

JULIE HYMAN: And we're here at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a huge gathering with 60 heads of state and government, 800 CEOs, 1,600 business leaders of all kinds. The theme this year, rebuilding trust.

BRIAN SOZZI: And I'm glad you mentioned CEOs, Julie. Some of the biggest names in global business are, in fact, here at Davos. We have Bill Gates, HP CEO Enrique Lores, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins. Really everyone here to talk about rebuilding trust, Julie, but also building that trust into AI and then making a lot of money off AI.

JULIE HYMAN: Yes, most definitely. There's a lot of sort of behind-the-scenes discussions that go on here between business leaders and political leaders. But also really one of the main themes of Davos every year is how to make the world a better place through these kinds of partnerships, right, how to be good stakeholder capitalists, right, that is using the business world the corporate world to work on big, thorny issues like climate change and poverty around the globe.

BRIAN SOZZI: Julie, good clean air, good clean water, and me partnering with you again for another Davos. New coat for you, new coat for me, I'm psyched.

JULIE HYMAN: Nothing but up from here.

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It's a balmy 32 degrees here in Davos, Switzerland. This is the highest town in Europe with a population of just under 11,000 people year round.

BRIAN SOZZI: Julie, I was trying to figure out why we are in fact here, and I've come-- I've come upon it. It's just to collect these fancy badges like this white exclusive one, right?!

JULIE HYMAN: Well, listen, this conference started here in 1971. And there's a lot of speculation-- some of it's true. Some of it's not-- about why it's held here.

There's some talk that perhaps the founder of the World Economic Forum got a deal on the Congress Center that this was a good time of year from that perspective to hold this-- there's also the thinking that it sort of democratizes the event if everybody has to walk around in big coats, and it's uncomfortable for everyone.

BRIAN SOZZI: Get this one. I'll leave it on this. This AI talk at Davos is going to heat up the snow.

JULIE HYMAN: [LAUGHS]

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Climate change, geopolitical conflict, the global economy and whether it's slowing, particularly China, all of those things are going to be focused here at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

BRIAN SOZZI: Also really in focus, a lot of AI right down the prominent here, the main road in Davos, you have C3 AI talking all things AI. You have Intel promoting AI, Salesforce promoting AI.

JULIE HYMAN: Microsoft.

BRIAN SOZZI: Microsoft, Julie. So much AI, I feel-- I feel like a robot. I feel like that.

JULIE HYMAN: Well, luckily we're here in person. And no robot can bring you this kind of coverage that we're going to bring you here from Davos.

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