Global Outlook: - The hope lies in technology

She believes there is a lot of positive drive in many companies that can take a lead in the technological development needed for the green transition.

-It’s easier to be a pessimist. Then nothing will happen. But in the technology industry, optimism exists. You can develop anything from software, she emphasizes.

Seeing the World as It Is – and as It Can Be

Global Outlook 2024 – "Seeing the World as It Is" was this year's theme. Viewing the world realistically as it is, is crucial for finding solutions for the future – in business, politics, and the environment.

-I used to look at the world as a young environmental activist, and the world I see now is still the same. Seeing the world as it is, is just the start, and it’s seeing how it can be that’s interesting, she says.

Ensuring Access

-We can’t handle the climate crisis without an energy transition, and the good news is that a change is already underway. This year, renewable energy is expected to account for half of Europe’s energy use, she says. The shift to renewable energy is accelerating, and it is crucial to ensure sufficient energy availability.

-Creating power systems where energy is available when and where it’s needed requires coordination at a different level than we’ve seen so far. Both production and consumption are becoming more complex and unpredictable. That’s why digitalization is not just important; it’s necessary, she stresses.

Opportunities for New Businesses

-The green transition means business and opportunities, and it means that customers both inside and outside of Europe can benefit from the expertise we have, she points out.

Where there are challenges, there are opportunities for new solutions, especially in AI. Artificial intelligence plays a vital role in the green transition. This was also emphasized by Professor Selmer Bringsjord, head of the Rensselaer AI and Reasoning Lab, during Global Outlook – though with a more critical stance on AI.

-Humans are much more intelligent than AI today and will always be more intelligent than AI, he says.

Read more about him here

Ingeborg Gjærum stresses that AI and human intelligence together must develop software technology.

-Software cannot build itself. It is built by people, with expertise, experience, and ideas. We need people with curiosity for solutions, enthusiasm, and the drive to realize them, and who, when they see the world as it is, choose optimism, she emphasizes.