Neurotechnology could help billions of people. Has its time come?
Release Date: 10/02/2025
Your 'first time' can shape democracy: the psychology of voting
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Our first experiences of voting can colour our participation in democracy for life, according to political science Professor Michael Bruter. The director of the Electoral Psychology Observatory at the London School of Economics reveals other surprising findings about voter behaviour, and explains why societies appear to be more polarised than ever, and what can be done to counter that. Links: Electoral Psychology Observatory: Inside the Mind of a Voter: A New Approach to Electoral Psychology: Related podcasts: Tariffs, globalization, and democracy, with Harvard economist Dani...
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AI can lie, hack and blackmail: Yoshua Bengio on how to tame the "baby tiger" of tech
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If AIs can think for themselves, what is to stop them doing bad - perhaps really bad - things? Yoshua Bengio, one of a handful of people considered a "godfather of AI", says AIs are already displaying bad behaviours, including hacking computers and blackmailing humans. He tells Radio Davos about his work aimed at taming the "cute baby tiger" that is likely to grow up to be a man-eating wild animal if we do nothing now. Links: LawZero: Ideas on the Move: Yoshua Bengio: Annual Meeting 2026 session "Next Phase of Intelligence": Forum Centre for AI Excellence: Related podcasts: AI may...
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Indigenous peoples have lived on their lands for countless generations. But who are they, and what lessons might they have for the rest of us? We speak to two Indigenous leaders from opposite sides of the world: Deen Sanders of the Worimi Nation from Aboriginal Australia, and Fawn Sharp from the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington State, USA. Links: GFC on Natural Capital 2025-26: World Economic Forum (2023), Embedding Indigenous Knowledge in the Conservation and Restoration of Landscapes: Quinault Indian Nation: The Worimi: World Economic Forum (2025), Mainstreaming Natural...
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Scott Galloway: how tackling the 'crisis of masculinity' would also help close the gender gap
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In his book Notes on Being a Man, entrepreneur Scott Galloway examines the "crisis of masculinity" and the threat it poses to gender equality. He spoke to Radio Davos at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026. Hosts: Robin Pomeroy and Silja Baller Links: Global Gender Gap Report 2025: Notes on Being a Man: Related podcasts: In the age of the 'manosphere', what's the future for feminism? With Jude Kelly of the WOW Festival: How ‘positive masculinity’ can bridge gender gaps - and improve both men's and women’s lives: Check out all our podcasts on : - - : - : ...
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Rare diseases are not that rare. More than 300 million people have one of the 7,000 rare diseases around the world, and many more people are affected by the impact on their families. On this podcast we learn more about the personal impact of rare diseases, hear about the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution on Rare Diseases which aims to get governments to create action plans, and speak to a private sector company on why it’s worth paying more attention to the issue. Hosts: Robin Pomeroy, head of podcasts, World Economic Forum Antonio Estrella, lead, Health For All, Centre for Health and...
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Are we living in the Second Cold War? And if so, what can we learn from the last one that might help us through it? Historian and author Niall Ferguson sets out his view of global affairs right now and says why, compared to many times in the past, there is lot to make us optimistic. Gayle Markovitz interviewed Niall Ferguson at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos. Links: The Global Risks Report 2026: Related podcasts: Top global risks in 2026 and how the Davos 'spirit of dialogue' can help us face them: "Everything has changed" - Gita Gopinath on the global economy in...
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The day after AGI: Two 'rock stars' of AI on what it will mean for humanity
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Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is that point in the future when the machines can do pretty much everything better than humans. When will it happen, what will it look like, and what will be the impact on humanity? Two of the brightest minds working in AI today, Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, and Dario Amodei, Co-Founder and CEO of Anthropic, speak to Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist. Benjamin Larsen, an expert in AI at the World Economic Forum, introduces the conversation and gives us a primer on AGI. You can watch the conversation from the...
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"Everything has changed" - Gita Gopinath on the global economy in 2026
Radio Davos
"Don't be fooled. Everything has changed for the global economy." Tariffs, geopolitics and AI are all impacting our economies in ways we might not yet be feeling, says Harvard economist Gita Gopinath. Speaking at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, the former IMF chief economist tells Radio Davos why "the world is in a very different place". Links: Chief Economists' Outlook: January 2026: Related Davos 2026 sessions: Can India Become the Third Largest Economy in the World?: Are Markets Mispricing the Future?: Global Economic Outlook: Related podcasts: What just...
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The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting has set the global agenda for 2026. We ask leading figures from across the Forum to pick their highlights from Davos, and we hear clips from some of the most important speeches and discussions. WEF26 sessions mentioned in this episode: Search for any session here: Opening Concert, with Jon Batiste: Welcoming Remarks and Special Address, with Børge Brende: The Day After AGI, with Demis Hassabis and Dario Amodei: Conversation with Jensen Huang, President and CEO of NVIDIA: Conversation with Elon Musk: Special Address by...
info_outlineElectronic devices that tap into a human’s nervous system have been around for decades, for example to help paralysed people move and deaf people hear. Now, a new generation of neurotechnology promises to revolutionise treatments for a range of conditions that afflict billions of people.
We look at the benefits and assess the risks with Jen French, a campaigner for access to neurotechnlolgy who has been using a device for 25 years since a snowboarding accident made her quadriplegic. And Tom Oxley, the CEO of neurotech startup Synchron, explains how 'brain computer interfaces' are giving paralysed patients the ability to use computers and smart phones.
They also address concerns about things such as data privacy, unequal access to health tech, and device 'abandonment'.
Episode page with transcript: http://wef.ch/46Tt4Rm
Watch the video version here: https://youtu.be/KmIMQVUdHBc
Links:
Network of Global Future Councils: https://initiatives.weforum.org/global-future-council/
Related podcasts:
'We have the most to benefit, but also the most to lose': how AI could transform human health:
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