Davos 2025: Trade, tariffs, AI and UN chief Guterres dominate World Economic Forum agenda

DAVOS, Switzlerand — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres ratcheted up his warning about climate change and said the world's thirst for fossil fuels is a ''Frankenstein monster'' that spares no one, while calling for greater attention to risks posed by artificial intelligence if its ascent goes ungoverned — even as some leaders played up its promise.

The United Nations' chief headlined a flurry of activities and talk sessions on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, where shifts underway in Washington during U.S. President Donald Trump's first week back in office also featured heavily in the scheduled events and side chats of government officials, academics and business executives.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy combed the corridors, meeting with leaders such as Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong, as well as German opposition leader and would-be chancellor Friedrich Merz in an effort to stir up support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.

Here are some highlights from Wednesday's session:

UN chief issues warning about Big Oil ...

With energy and tech industry executives on hand, Guterres returned to one of his most frequent appeals: for the world to do more to fight global warming.

Trump's promises to '' drill, baby, drill '' and an array of worries about economic growth in some big but moribund economies in Europe and beyond have rattled public and private commitments to reduce carbon emissions.

''And rising temperatures, which are, overwhelmingly, caused by burning fossil fuels,'' he said. ''Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein monster, sparing nothing and no one. All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master.''

Companies that have recently backtracked on their climate commitments are ''on the wrong side of history,'' he added.

... and ''ungoverned'' AI

The U.N. chief lauded the promise of artificial intelligence, saying it could revolutionize learning, help improve health care and support farmers with tools that boost productivity.

''But with this promise comes profound risk, especially if AI is left ungoverned,'' he said. warning that it could be used "as a tool of deception,'' erode trust in institutions, disrupt labor markets and affect the conduct of war.

The Stargate project's goal us to build out data centers and the electricity generation needed by voracious power needs of fast-evolving AI in Texas, the White House said.

Julie Sweet, chief executive officer of Accenture, the multinational information technology and consulting firm, hailed the Stargate investment as an ''absolute validation that AI is important for companies and countries.''

She said the United States appeared set to maintain its approach toward AI of innovation first, then applying ''appropriate guardrails'' — unlike other places that put the guardrails first.

''AI will not be successful if people don't trust it,'' Sweet told The Associated Press. "So I'm not worried about it (being) too deregulated because the interests of making sure AI is trusted are aligned across all groups.''

Malaysian PM Anwar sees challenge, promise with AI

Anwar was speaking in Davos after the Southeast Asian nation and its neighbor Singapore struck a deal to create a special economic zone that would ramp up job creation and lure investment.

''AI is, of course, a new challenge. We don't have the expertise (or) knowhow,'' he said. ''But AI means changing the education system, health services, blockchain, so it will have to come about.''

From AI to social media: Spain's Sánchez wants EU to act

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for the EU to help ''make social media great again'' by taking tough regulatory measures against the technology platforms he described as being run by tycoons who flaunt the law.

''The tech billionaires want to overthrow democracy. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the truth of the terrible threat we face,'' Sánchez said, citing the spread of misinformation that has fueled anti-liberal political movements. ''The technology that was intended to free us has become the tool of our own oppression."

''And they have ended up in the hands of a reduced group of men — by the way, only men — whose combined (net) worth triples the entire European Union's budget,'' he added.

Sánchez said he would ask the EU to enact policies to end what he called anonymity of social media users, use existing legislation to ''force open the black box of social media algorithms,'' as well as hold the owners of social media platforms ''personally accountable'' for any wrongs brought by their sites.

Can Britain avert Trump tariffs? UK's Treasury chief hopes so

Much buzz has been about where Trump's much-trumpeted tariffs — such as goods from rival China and even allies Canada and Mexico — will land.

Britain's new Treasury chief, Rachel Reeves, noted Trump is mulling tariffs on countries that are running big trade surpluses with the United States, which is not the case with the U.K. — ins has a small trade deficit with the U.S.

''There are a million Brits working for American firms and there are a million Americans working for British firms,'' she told reporters. ''Our economies are closely intertwined and I don't believe that tariffs between our countries would be in either of our interests.''

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