World geniuses from the Emirates: Artificial intelligence is a societal choice and shifts in jobs and policies depend on our decisions

Dubai, 1st February / WAM / The Artificial Intelligence Science Forum, within the activities of the World Summit of Scientists, which was launched today in conjunction with the World Government Summit, discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on shaping the economy, the future of jobs, formulating decisions, and its ability to accelerate science and research.

The World Summit of Scientists is considered the largest global gathering of its kind, as it brings together over three days more than 100 scientists and participants including Nobel Prize laureates and other international scientific awards and leaders of research institutions, in conjunction with the World Government Summit 2026, which will be held from February 3 to 5. February 3 has been designated as a joint day that brings together scientists with heads of states and governments, ministers, and leaders of international organizations and institutions participating in the World Government Summit.

Forum participants emphasized that the future of artificial intelligence is not inevitable or due to technical details, but rather a shared societal choice that requires global dialogue, responsibility and innovation, and that shifts in jobs and policies depend on our decisions.

The forum brought together an elite group of Nobel and Turing Prize-winning scientists. In his opening speech, Professor Asher Cohen, former president of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, described artificial intelligence technology as the decisive force in the modern era.

He pointed out that the deep learning revolution for artificial intelligence has pushed it to become part of all aspects of life, beyond the scope of discussions that focus exclusively on language models.

Cohen pointed out that artificial intelligence is now playing an essential role in the cultural, economic, and scientific fields, contributing to formulating decisions, starting from medical treatments, to employment decisions, all the way to making public policies.

While Cohen stressed the great benefits offered by this revolution, he warned that the growing spread and future expectations of artificial intelligence technology simultaneously pose major social challenges that require collective study.

For his part, Professor Christopher Pissarides, Nobel Prize laureate in economics (2010) and professor at the London School of Economics, considered artificial intelligence part of the long process of economic history.

In his keynote speech at the forum, he stressed that technological changes do not lead to the elimination of jobs as much as they cause them to transform, and that employment outcomes are still subject to human choices, not just technology.

In comparison with the economic transformation phase that China witnessed, which took decades, Professor Pissarides warned against being carried away by expectations that artificial intelligence will achieve miracles in the field of productivity.

He focused on the challenges that may slow down the adoption of artificial intelligence, including the need for major investments, energy infrastructure, communication lines, and retraining of the workforce.

He sent a message to policy makers about the need to invest in infrastructure and energy sectors now. He also urged scientists and employees alike to be patient and focus on AI technologies that contribute to improving human effort rather than replacing it.

In turn, Professor Michael Levitt, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2013) and professor of structural biology at Stanford University, focused on the impact of artificial intelligence on scientific discovery, stressing that science is based on experiment.

He pointed out that artificial intelligence allows scientists to explore more ideas and speed up computing work by about 10,000 times, thanks to its role in greatly reducing the costs and time of experiments.

Professor Levitt pointed out that differences and barriers related to working methodologies in the field of science are rapidly declining, allowing researchers to work in multiple fields with unprecedented ease.

In a keynote address on collective intelligence, Professor Michael Jordan, winner of the International Association of Senior Scientists Award (2022) and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, described modern AI systems as large-scale socio-technical networks rather than isolated tools.

According to Professor Jordan, the use of artificial intelligence allows users to effectively communicate cumulative human knowledge. These systems now form the basis of the logistics, healthcare and transportation sectors, raising important questions about data flows, incentives and governance. Professor Jordan warned that basic models of artificial intelligence, although they excel in relation to previous knowledge, do not show the same efficiency when it comes to modern scientific discoveries.

In the closing keynote, Professor Whitfield Davie, Turing Award winner (2015) and consulting scholar at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, addressed concerns about AI control, noting that society will continue to embrace AI technologies, and warning against imposing strict restrictions and precautions that give AI broad powers within a system that lacks transparency.

During a dialogue session moderated by Professor Cohen, scientists explored the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence. Dr. Caixin Dong, associate professor from Tsinghua University, highlights the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate education and research, while warning against students’ over-reliance on this technology.

Dr. considered it Stuart Haber, President of Stuart Haber Crypto, described the spread of deepfake videos as a major threat to the shared truth, calling for international cooperation and the use of cryptographic tools for investigative purposes in an effort to protect the integrity of information.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter