Mountains overlooking Davos, Switzerland

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As we showed up for the summer camp edition of Davos, I was struck by the incredibly beautiful weather. Yellow flowers bloomed against fields of green, in sharp contrast to the typical snowy slopes that we were accustomed to.

Imperial’s host venue for Davos 2022 is Hub Culture, a global community of innovators. And indeed, at the opening dinner on Sunday night I sat next to Bill Gross, one of the most prolific entrepreneurs in recent history with over 200 startups, and over 10 unicorns, as well as the proud father of a recent Imperial College Business School graduate. And I chatted with Dr Mandeep Rai, author of The Values Compass. Stan Stalnaker, founding director and Chief Strategy Officer for Hub Culture, spoke of intentionality and transcending from obligation to privilege.

It’s too early to detect themes from this year, but my preliminary impressions suggest a thread of renewal and rebirth. People have told me Davos has “jumped the shark” each of the seven times I’ve gone, and yet it soldiers on. 

My conversations with the tastemakers and creators of the future have been infused with essential optimism. In preparing for our trifecta of experiences on Monday, spanning from artificial intelligence to a celebration of life, I feel a sense of great hope.

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Headshot of David Shrier, Professor of Practice

About David Shrier

Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation; Director, Centre for Digital Transformation
David Shrier is a Professor of Practice, AI & Innovation at Imperial College Business School. His latest book, Augmenting Your Career: How to Win at Work in the Age of AI was recently published by Little Brown.

David is a member of Imperial's Centre for Digital Transformation, and leads both the Translational AI Lab (TRAIL), applying trusted AI solutions to problems of business, government, and society, and the Institutional Digital Assets Project, helping organisations understand and adopt digital assets such as crypto.

You can find the author's full profile, including publications, at their Imperial Profile