Davos 2026 Opens with AI Dominating Agenda: Leaders Split on Jobs, Safety, and ROI

Summary

The opening day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos was dominated by AI, with competing visions from major tech leaders on the technology's trajectory. The discussions revealed deep divides on jobs, safety, infrastructure, and return on investment. On jobs, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted potential elimination of half of entry-level white-collar jobs, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis was more optimistic, expecting "new, more meaningful jobs" but warning that po