05-02-2025
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has once again gathered around policymakers, business people, civil society representatives and a few academics, and other leaders in Davos to set the agenda and discuss pressing global issues.
The WEF 2025 reflected the pressing challenges and opportunities shaping the global landscape. While legitimate criticisms can be forwarded as to what Davos stands for in its gathering of the world’s elite, by at times disregarding factors that contribute to the issues under discussion that are perceived as inconvenient for business. Despite incremental and timid steps towards democratisation, it still represents ‘the few not the many’. As the world navigates this complex era, reflection, collaboration and forward-thinking solutions will be key to meeting the challenges ahead.
The 55th edition, entitled ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age’, directly echoed the massive technological developments of the past years, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, many were preoccupied with the wider geopolitical landscape, marked in particular by Trump’s return to the White House.
Artificial intelligence in the spotlight
Artificial intelligence was one of the central topics at Davos this year. Indeed, most discussions focused on the transformative power of AI and its impact on business, industry and finance. As highlighted by The Good Lobby, AI also has a role to play in shaping democracy, with platforms testing AI tools for use in relation to digital public participation, especially for content moderation as well as recommendation systems.
Some Davos speakers also referred to the ‘AI paradox’, which highlights the question of whether new technologies will be able to solve more problems than they create. This connects, for instance, to the concerning final revisions made to the EU AI Act as lobbied for by Member State governments that provided for broad national security exceptions for the use of AI in public spaces. Hence, AI is not only relevant to the economy but also to democracy itself.
Natural capital and biodiversity at the centre of concerns
As reported by the Pioneers Post, while climate change and the energy transition remained central topics, discussions increasingly focused on natural capital and biodiversity, reflecting a growing trend. Nature-based solutions, i.e. harnessing ecosystems to solve environmental and social problems, were presented as essential to breaking the cycle of biodiversity loss, resource depletion and carbon emissions. In addition, the need to encourage investment in the protection of natural ecosystems emerged as a crucial consideration, particularly among impact investors.
However, a factor that is often overlooked when it comes to ‘Safeguarding the Planet’ – one of the 2025 WEF’s main themes – is responsible political engagement. Businesses wield significant influence over environmental policy, and so corporate political activity can either drive progress or hinder it when influence is misused. More and more, investors care about companies living up to their sustainability commitments and dedication to environmental, social and governance goals, as highlighted in our Tracker report.
The new Trump era
Just three days after his inauguration, United States President Donald Trump gave an hour-long speech by video conference to explain his vision of America’s new ‘golden age’. Unsurprisingly, in his speech he set out a number of measures that will significantly roll back global ambitions to tackle the climate crisis, in addition to plans for deregulation, tax cuts and boost manufacturing.
As Professor Alberto Alemanno told the Pioneers Post last November: ‘Trump’s understanding of the market is antithetical to social entrepreneurship. The marketplace is the only arena for individual – not collective – advancement and success.’ He added: ‘The very concepts of social economy and social innovation will struggle to find some room.’
Davos 2025 once again served as a high-profile platform for discussing critical global challenges, from AI’s transformative potential to the urgent need for biodiversity protection. Yet, as in previous years, the forum’s blind spots remain evident. While technological and environmental concerns dominated the agenda, the deeper political and systemic forces shaping these issues often received less attention—especially when they posed challenges to business interests. As the world struggles with an era of uncertainty, the question remains: can Davos evolve beyond a forum for the few to a more democratic and action-oriented approach? Time will tell whether it remains an elitist echo chamber or becomes the catalyst for meaningful global change.