As global attention focuses on the geopolitical economic fluctuations brought by US President Trump and the AI investment boom, the ongoing World Economic Forum 2026 Annual Meeting is attempting to find a stable anchor amidst the noise. A dialogue was held in Davos with The Economist Intelligence Unit's Chief Economist, Constance Hunter, exploring how businesses can navigate the fog of political cycles and how technological revolution can be genuinely translated into growth momentum in an era "craving certainty".
AI is entering a phase of "concrete application", with China demonstrating technological leadership. Hunter mentioned that discussions about AI are shifting from abstract concepts to specific application scenarios. "During this year's Davos meeting, most entrepreneurs I encountered are engaged in AI-related businesses," Hunter observed, "People are no longer discussing AI abstractly but are focusing on concrete implementation scenarios." Hunter pointed out that AI is spawning a vast number of entirely new roles, many of which did not exist just a year or two ago. At her own institution, The Economist Intelligence Unit, team productivity has been significantly enhanced with the help of cloud-based programming tools. The organization's newly launched internal AI agent enables natural language interactive queries of historical data (dating back to 1956), capable of directly generating research-based answers traceable to the original source. She believes this indicates that AI's core value is universally manifesting as "enhancing existing capabilities". Addressing concerns about whether technological proliferation will exacerbate global inequality, Hunter believes the key lies in design: "If designed properly, AI should be universal—everyone can use it." Using her own team as an example, she noted that even the oldest member is proficient with AI tools, concluding that "technology adoption ultimately depends on personal choice and product accessibility". Looking ahead, she predicts AI will have a disruptive impact in two frontier areas: in healthcare, "shortening the time-to-market for life-saving drugs, potentially significantly extending life expectancy in the next decade"; and in robotics, where "using video data processing as a foundation for enhancing robotic applications" will be a major breakthrough direction. When asked if she had engaged with Chinese tech companies during the annual meeting, Hunter stated that while there were no exchanges on this trip, as a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations participating in the "U.S.-China Economic Track II Dialogue", she visits China almost annually and has witnessed its rapid technological progress firsthand. "The DJI equipment you are using for this interview is a case in point," she pointed out, "Chinese entrepreneurs and innovators contribute greatly to the world." Electric vehicles are just one epitome of China's technological leadership. Having personally experienced BYD vehicles, Hunter believes "if we are to address climate change, global electrification is crucial, and China is a leader in these technologies".
Climate challenges require technological breakthroughs; E, S, G should not be rigidly bundled. The UN Environment Programme's "2025 Adaptation Gap Report: Treading Water" points out that by 2035, the annual adaptation finance needed by developing countries will exceed $310 billion, which is 12 times the current international public adaptation finance flows, reflecting that climate impacts are accelerating while adaptation finance is failing to keep pace. Confronting the challenge of insufficient climate investment, Hunter highlighted two difficulties: first, the need for cooperation, which is inherently challenging as discussed; and second, humanity's general lack of skill in considering long-term consequences. The mindset of investing today and enduring short-term pain for long-term gain is crucial for solving the climate problem. However, she pins her hopes on technological breakthroughs: "Quantum computing may be realized in the coming years, and combined with AI's research capabilities, nuclear fusion might soon become a reality, bringing cheap, clean energy. Therefore, in my view, while current investment is important, the key to saving the climate is not limited to it; true breakthroughs will come from technological advancement and innovation." Regarding mechanisms for private capital participation in green projects, Hunter noted that the challenges have persisted historically. Governments have typically promoted emerging market projects through public-private partnerships, offering financing incentives, or investment guarantees. Emerging markets have an opportunity to "leapfrog" by adopting green technologies, much like Africa "skipped the landline era and went straight to mobile communications". When technologies like wind, solar, and geothermal become price-competitive compared to traditional fossil fuels, people will adopt them directly. When asked if this can achieve energy equity, she admitted that "it is very difficult to achieve complete fairness when people cannot see returns immediately or for many years," but "at least reducing inequity would be a good start". Before joining The Economist Intelligence Unit, Hunter served as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategy & ESG at American International Group Inc (AIG) and has long been engaged in investment. She believes the three letters—E (Environmental), S (Social), and G (Governance)—should not be rigidly bundled together. She analyzed that at the G (Governance) level, investors should always have been concerned with good corporate governance, and in corporate operations, a good governance framework creates a level playing field, so governance is always important; at the S (Social) level, for companies, low employee turnover is very important due to the high cost of recruiting new talent—higher engagement can lead to lower turnover. If companies fully attend to social factors, it can aid operations and deliver good investment returns; at the E (Environmental) level, she believes the core lies in technology. Technology making green energy more economical than fossil fuels is the fundamental driver of change. "We are gradually getting closer to the goal, just the path is not a straight line." Hunter pointed out that from an investment logic perspective, the intrinsic goals and measurement standards of the three dimensions—Environmental (E), Social (S), and Governance (G)—do not naturally align. Mechanically bundling them into a single investment framework may not be the optimal strategy.
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