Geneva G7 counter-summit debates perils of AI

Left-wing activists, trade unionists, academics, and politicians met for the G7 counter summit SRF / Philippe Reichen

Critics of the G7 met for a counter-summit over the weekend to talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and inequality.

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Protests and riots marked the weekend in Geneva as opponents of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, made themselves heard. The counter-summit organised by G7 critics received little attention in the process.

Left-wing activists, trade unionists, academics, and politicians met in conference halls for panel discussions and debates. The focus was often on the impact of AI on everyday life.

In a packed hall, everything revolved around the US technology company Palantir and its business model. The company collects and analyzes huge amounts of data about citizens to sell this information to governments, armies and intelligence services for surveillance purposes.

In another room, Cédric Durand, professor of economics at the University of Geneva, spoke about the impact of AI on the world of work. He analyses the global effort to further economise the world of work through AI.

Durand’s thesis is that AI is increasingly replacing humans, boosting profits and exacerbating economic inequality between the super-rich and everyone else. “Some of the super-rich are simply disconnecting from our society. This not only makes the question of fairer taxation ever more pressing but also necessitates social rights and a form of democratisation of the economy,” said Durand.

Lasting impact

Durand was already present at the counter-event during the last G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains in 2003 – back then still as a student. He believes that the dangers of globalisation based on neoliberal principles were rightly pointed out at the time.

“Those who protested in 2003 and said, ‘Warning, this is leading us straight to catastrophe,’ were right,” said Durand. The dangers they warned about back then are now a reality, he added.

Globalisation has plunged the world into a crisis. This also poses a danger to the political left, because the crisis is fragmenting society and destroying solidarity. “It is becoming increasingly difficult for movements to build international solidarity. This is, of course, a cause for concern,” says the economics professor.

The counter-summit is about passing on and sharing knowledge, said Susana Perdiz, who works on sustainability at the University of Geneva. “We need to understand the mechanisms in order to change them and propose an alternative,” she said.

The fact that a G7 summit in Geneva is bringing together left-wing intellectuals for a kind of people’s university has an ironic aspect, but above all it’s a good opportunity, according to Perdiz. “This is a chance we must seize. We would now like it to always be like this.”

When the heads of state and government depart on Wednesday, the Geneva summit critics intend to continue their dialogue. According to Perdiz, a coalition of 60 organisations will continue working on the fundamental issues. Their summit is thus intended to have an impact beyond the three days.

Adapted from German with AI/mga

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