Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, will collaborate with senior executives from companies like Microsoft and Google this week as a covert gathering of the economic and political elite gets underway in Lisbon, Portugal.
The chief executive of ChatGPT will discuss artificial intelligence at the annual Bilderberg summit alongside Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Political heavyweights like former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dymtro Kubela will join the tech giants for a spectrum of conversations encompassing global trade, energy, and finance.
A total of 130 people, from 23 nations, are expected to attend the private meeting, which is about the same as in prior years. A number of EU officials as well as Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, BP CEO Bernard Looney, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne, investor Peter Theil, and others will attend.
The three-day gathering, which this year takes place from May 18 to May 21, is cloaked in secrecy. Secret meetings are held behind closed doors and are governed by Chatham House rules, which stipulate that speakers’ identities and affiliations may not be made public.
That has inspired conspiracy theories, like to those made against high-level conferences like the global Economic Forum in Davos, by individuals who assert that participants want to create a “new world order.” Nevertheless, the event’s planners assert that its secrecy will promote greater conversation freedom.
What will be on the schedule in 2023?
The meeting’s organizers released a list of the primary subjects for debate this year on Thursday, outlining what they believe to be the most important global affairs issues:
A.I., the banking system, China, the transition to renewable energy, Europe’s fiscal issues, India’s industrial policies and trade, NATO, Russia, transnational threats, Ukraine, and U.S. leadership
The discussions take place as worries about the rapid advancement of technology have grown in response to the release of artificial intelligence tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. Altman is scheduled to speak before the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, with indications of discord in U.S. and European policy growing in recent months, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and worries about growing Chinese threats have become a continuing topic of conversation among Western leaders.
Describe Bilderberg.
The Bilderberg meeting, now in its 69th year, was started in 1954 to promote communication between Europe and North America.
According to a statement on its website, approximately two-thirds of participants today are from Europe and the remaining third are from North America, with roughly a quarter coming from politics and government and the remaining half from other professions. There are about 5% women.
As always, caution is crucial. Participants participate individually rather than in any official capacity, and neither the talks nor the official complete agenda are publicized.
The Foundation Bilderberg Meeting, which is overseen by a revolving steering group, is responsible for planning the event and raising the necessary funds. The event is free to attend, however participation is by invitation only, and attendees are expected to cover their own travel and lodging expenses.
Key Takeaways from Article:
As the covert Bilderberg Meeting gets underway on Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will team up with important executives from Microsoft, DeepMind, and Google.
The discussions between representatives of the business and political elite in Lisbon, Portugal, will center heavily on artificial intelligence.
The annual Bilderberg meeting is cloaked in secrecy, with discussions taking place in secret and in accordance with Chatham House guidelines.
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