After often-gloomy Davos, I’m still optimistic about the future

Davos is back with a bang. After returning to in-person meetings with a belated, pared-down version last May, this week the World Economic Forum’s annual conference has been packed with attendees trying to learn more about the world in 2023. It’s not a bad place to try. The conference was a truly global event; I was able to meet with Chinese officials, American CEOs, Ukrainian human rights activists and Middle Eastern entrepreneurs.

Every year, some country or trend is surrounded by buzz. This year, there were three such topics — the Gulf States, India and artificial intelligence. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, flush with oil wealth, were showcasing their formidable ambitions. From India, which might be the most optimistic country in the world right now, came representatives of many of its states, competing with one another for attention and investment. And AI was the futuristic topic that almost no one really appeared to understand but everyone was discussing.

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