Позитивные изменения. Том 3, № 4 (2023). Positive changes. Volume 3, Issue 4(2023)

What kind of resources are needed to withstand a global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees?[96] Conference speakers noted that many so-called nature-based solutions[97] are new and untested. The challenge is, on the one hand, to test hypotheses, and on the other hand, to scale solutions that show the first results and a clear environmental impact. This is why the concept of blended finance is so important: it is necessary to mobilize private investment in solving this global problem by providing a guarantee to investors in the form of a cushion of public capital.

James Mansfield, managing director of Finance Earth in the UK, gave an example of blended finance project in the environmental technology sector: the company raised £30 million of public funds to invest in new promising climate solutions, which acted as a catalyst for private investors who had not previously worked in the climate sector. The company also organized an accelerator for entrepreneurs and helped them refine their business models and be ready to attract additional investments. The catalyst function of the governmental and philanthropic capital for private investors is the essence of the concept of blended finance. It was in the UK that the so-called Social Impact Bonds[98] appeared a few years ago, an instrument that subsequently spread throughout the world.

Before delving deeper into these topics, let us celebrate the involvement of youth at the conference. In an early session of the day, we saw 15 young individuals trained in impact investing purpose and tools presented; their task now is to create youth initiatives with investment potential. Their participation stemmed from genuine concerns about the future — fears of losing access to fresh air, water, nature, and the impacts of climate change and human conflicts. Yet, their eagerness to learn and act now is a testament to their desire to shape a world they want to live in.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, FEMININITY, ECONOMIC GROWTH. WHAT IS THE SECRET OF SYSTEM CHANGES?

The first session of the conference was called Big Conversation which gathered three top officials of large businesses and foundations as speakers. The session took place in an unusual format: when asking a question, the moderator threw the ball to one of the speakers, who answered it and passed the ball to his colleague on stage. In this dialogue, the speakers raised several relevant issues.

The first day’s major debate centers on the AI dilemma: Will AI be our downfall or advance our society? Can it help us overcome pressing challenges, or will it exacerbate them? Will it lead to widespread job loss, or enable us to focus on creative tasks while AI handles the mundane? But what about the fact that AI translates stereotypes and is generally biased?

The moderator of the session, also CEO of the Laudes Foundation, Leslie Johnston, recalled that earlier in 2023, the Center for Artificial Intelligence Security released an open message signed by the CEOs of key companies in the field of AI (Open AI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, etc.), which contained just one sentence: “Reducing the risks of extinction from AI should be the same global priority as other risks to society as a whole, such as pandemics or nuclear war.” The first speaker of the session, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President of the National Transformation Partnership at Microsoft Corporation France, taking the ball from the moderator, assured the audience that, having spread throughout the world, artificial intelligence will not remain free for long — governments will begin to regulate his presence, just as in the last century they established the rules for cars on the streets. On the issue of job loss, the expert cited interesting statistics: in 80 % of areas of activity in the United States, 20 % of work tasks are automated, and in 20 % of areas of activity, 60 % of tasks are automated. It seems that artificial intelligence has already opened up the potential for increasing automation. Other speakers agreed that humans are much more advanced than AI and will use it more as a professional assistant. It is clear that AI can contribute to the diversity and inclusion, for example by helping people with disabilities access information in a format that suits them. But what will happen to the standard of living of people whose jobs are replaced by AI remained outside of the scope of the discussion.