Nadella calls for equitable AI benefits, warns of bubble risk at Davos

At a time when governments and enterprises worldwide are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence to drive productivity, the technology’s societal impact has become a central theme at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

Industry leaders are increasingly focused on how AI can be deployed beyond commercial applications—particularly in public systems, science-led innovation, and global development. As nations debate regulatory frameworks, energy readiness, and safety standards, the conversation is shifting toward how AI can help address widening opportunity gaps and transform essential services such as healthcare, education, and governance. It is against this backdrop that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella outlined his perspective on the direction and responsibility of the AI revolution.

Speaking at a session during the Annual Meeting, Nadella said the goal of artificial intelligence should be to improve everyone’s lives, from education outcomes to public sector efficiency. He cautioned that it would be a “tell-tale” sign of a bubble if AI conversations focused only on the supply side or on technology companies.

He emphasised evaluating AI’s role across all aspects of life, such as how it is helping pharma companies bring critical drugs to market faster or accelerate clinical trials, and called for AI-driven economic growth rather than merely increasing spending.

Nadella highlighted how AI and other advanced technologies are increasing productivity and reshaping work. “We as a global community have to get to a point where we are using AI to do something useful that changes the outcomes of people and communities and countries and industries,” he said.

He also underlined the importance of public–private cooperation to ensure adequate energy infrastructure for the AI revolution and raised considerations around data sovereignty and the risk of an emerging AI bubble. Nadella added that the benefits of AI need to be “much more evenly distributed” to prevent it from becoming a bubble.