Imagination reigns over fast-changing world: Gergawi
dubai — As we shift from an age of information to an age of imagination, the role of technology will slowly dominate government focus, however, an immigration of ideas from people is what will drive talent in the future. It is that which will separate human beings from artificial intelligence (AI).
Speaking at the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai on Sunday, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the WGS, said the “difference between humans and AI is imagination”.
“Forty-five per cent of jobs in the future will change. As for the jobs that require creativity and creation of content, like design, arts and music, these are the jobs that will create a niche for human beings.”
Today, the value of the creative jobs industry sits at $2.5 trillion. But by 2030, there will be a shortage of 85 million jobs within this sector — and the government is looking to fill this gap.
“We must teach creativity and imagination and get the youth interested in the creative sector; a sector which will be worth $8.5 trillion by 2030,” Gergawi said.
During the summit’s opening session titled ‘Globalisation 4.0 – How Governments Design the Future of Humanity?’, Gergawi, alongside Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, discussed how communication has changed and how it is shifting the focus of our daily habits.
“Man has moved from bilateral communication to multi-way communication. It is a completely different process and adapting to it is important. In the future, we will have around 30 billion smart devices in our cars, homes linking the world together. This will create a huge investment opportunity for governments,” Gergawi said.
Future communication will change a lot of components in dayto-day life — like transportation with driverless cars and healthcare with virtual doctors — so how the government copes with this change will determine its success.
As mentioned by Gergawi, we are living in a “changing world and are witnessing political and social changes”. Because of this rapidly changing situation, creating opportunities for people and investing in the right areas — like improved communication and filling in gaps in the creative employment sector — will carve out a better future for people.
In a question to Schwab, Gergawi asked: “How will the fourth industrial revolution impact cities?”
Schwab answered: “Cities have to create an entrepreneurshipfriendly ecosystem. Imagination and innovation will drive tomorrow. They will be the key factors of global competitiveness. Cities have to become role models for creativity and they have to create an atmosphere where start-ups can flourish. The government has a role to play in that. Cities have to become a platform, and this platform has to be multi-stakeholder.”
And he ended with a key takeaway.
“I would also safeguard against planning too much today. You have to be agile. Explore and adapt and if something is good, scale it up.”