Women leaders are trying to push the AI debate beyond who builds the best model and toward who can build a system that lasts. At a dinner moderated by Diane Brady and hosted by the Digital Cooperation Organization with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, participants included IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, UN Women Executive Director Dr. Sima Sami Bahous, ministers, ambassadors, and corporate leaders from around the world.
Deemah Al Yahya, the DCO secretary-general, said the goal is to promote women's participation in the digital economy, from shaping policy priorities and business models to building resilience and shared prosperity. The discussion centered on skills training, energy priorities, safety concerns, and entrepreneurial opportunities, rather than AI as an abstract existential threat.
The backdrop is not soft. The conversation in New York comes amid Climate Week, the UN General Assembly, and broader debates over how to power the AI buildout. That includes data centers, energy sources, critical minerals, financing, and the environmental toll of the technology. The piece also points to federal policy shifts that have stalled investments in clean energy, while other countries keep pushing ahead.
There are also growing concerns about job disruption, safety standards, and the power of the firms building the models, chips, and infrastructure. Diane Brady noted that policymakers are imposing moratoriums on data center buildouts over concerns ranging from water use to grid reliability. In that environment, the race is no longer just about who moves fastest. It is about who can secure the inputs and accept the limits.
Brady also cited a meeting with Éléonore Caroit, France's minister delegate for the Francophonie, International Partnerships and French Nationals Abroad. Caroit said France has attracted the most foreign direct investment in Europe and is partnering with allies like Canada in new ways. She described Europe as 'a pole of stability' with countries that 'have managed to work together and create a very large market, with rules and predictability.'
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, in an interview with CBS, called predictions that artificial intelligence could end humanity by 2030 'irresponsible' and said there is a 0% chance of such an event. He added that the risks are real and that businesses should focus on safeguards rather than frightening the public.
The bigger point is that capital rewards clear rules. If AI is going to reshape productivity, it will also expose the cost of weak infrastructure and vague regulation. The companies and countries that can provide reliable power, predictable rules, and real access will have the edge.
That is the part the loudest voices often miss. Supremacy is a slogan. Sustainability is what turns innovation into durable value, protects the taxpayer from policy chaos, and gives markets something they can actually price.
