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SAIC's CEO, Toni Townes-Whitley, discusses her approach to strategic transformation at SAIC, focusing on fine-tuning and employee upskilling rather than wholesale change. She also emphasizes the incorporation of cutting-edge technologies, such as generative AI, with appropriate safeguards for government clients.
Future of Business: SAIC’s Toni Townes-Whitley on Leading Strategic Transformation
By 2030, 1 in 6 people globally will be aged 60 years or older. This demographic shift presents opportunities for startups to deliver positive change in the longevity economy. Ten award-winning startups have been identified as innovators in this space. These startups are reshaping financial wellness, redefining retirement planning, democratizing financial planning, empowering older adults through learning experiences, transforming caregiving, revolutionizing chronic condition management, promoting healthy aging, and more. This recognition highlights the potential for startups to drive innovation and economic growth in the longevity economy.
10 start-ups to watch in the longevity economy
AI has the potential to modernize pension and retirement systems by helping individuals make better decisions about their retirement and assisting in investing retirement assets. By utilizing predictive and generative AI, retirement plans can be optimized in terms of adequacy, sustainability, and integrity. AI can also be used to improve investment practices and design better employee benefits programs. However, ethical challenges, such as governance and human oversight, need to be considered, and data security must be ensured to mitigate risks associated with AI-powered investments.
Financial services
How AI could help modernize pension and retirement systems
Non-trade objectives are increasingly being integrated into trade policies by governments to promote values such as human rights and environmental protection. This shift towards value-based trade policies has the potential to fragment the global trading system and complicate trade relations. The World Economic Forum's white paper provides insights on how businesses can navigate these complexities and how governments can maintain open and collaborative trade. Developing economies and small and medium-sized businesses may face challenges in meeting the high standards demanded by their trading partners, potentially leading to unfair targeting and adverse economic effects. The paper emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between shared values and open trade to ensure inclusivity and collaboration.
Burundi, Namibia | Financial services
Value-based trade policies are on the rise. Here’s what businesses need to know.
Trade policies have evolved beyond economic efficiency to incorporate non-trade objectives such as climate action and human rights. This has led to countries using market access to promote values-driven agendas. Balancing shared values with open trade systems is crucial, especially for developing countries. The paper explores the intersection of values and trade, addressing complexities such as geopolitical tensions and the rise of "friendshoring." Collaboration and inclusive participation from developing nations are highlighted as important. Businesses also face pressures to balance economic growth and social responsibility. The paper emphasizes the need for careful management of values-driven trade for inclusive global development and prosperity.
Financial services
Trade and Values: Navigating the Intersection of Policy and Principles
Trade policies now go beyond economic efficiency and incorporate non-trade objectives such as climate action and human rights. This shift presents both opportunities and challenges for countries using market access to promote their values. It is crucial to balance shared values while maintaining open trade systems, particularly for developing nations. A white paper explores the complex interactions between values and trade, including geopolitical tensions and the rise of "friendshoring." The paper emphasizes the importance of collaboration and inclusive participation from developing nations. Businesses also face the challenge of balancing economic growth with social responsibility, driven by pressures from stakeholders and market demands. Effective management of values-driven trade is necessary to ensure inclusive global development and prosperity.
Financial services
Trade and Values: Navigating the Intersection of Policy and Principles
AI technology is being used in the fashion industry to boost production and reduce environmental impact. However, the adoption of AI poses a threat to the millions of workers employed in the labor-intensive industry. While some experts believe that AI will complement rather than replace human workers, studies show that automation, including AI, could lead to significant job losses. The fashion industry needs a plan to reskill workers and provide them with the skills needed for new jobs in the industry or other sectors.
AI supports fashion's climate goals but workers may be left behind
Pilot free trade zones along China's Yangtze River have launched an initiative to enhance innovation and development. The program aims to deepen cooperation between multinational companies and the free trade zones by aligning with national development strategies and promoting openness. The initiative also seeks to highlight each region's advantageous industries, encourage collaboration across sectors, and attract multinational investment. These free trade zones, despite occupying a small portion of land, contribute nearly one-fifth of China's foreign investment and trade volume. A higher-level pilot free trade zone is expected to create a more favorable business environment and market opportunities for both Chinese and foreign enterprises.
Yangtze Free Trade Zones Join Hands to Advance Foreign Investment and Trade
The Brooks Tech Policy Institute has released a new report that offers a framework for analyzing the regulation of AI technologies. The report, produced by Sarah Kreps and Adi Rao, presents a regulatory framework called "the SETO loop" that helps policymakers engage with complex regulatory challenges in the field of AI. The framework involves examining the scope of the problem, reviewing existing regulations, selecting appropriate policy tools, and identifying the organization best positioned to act. The report aims to be a useful tool for regulators as they navigate the challenges and possibilities of emerging AI technologies.
BTPI releases new report on AI regulation
China's 136th Canton Fair attracted a record number of overseas buyers, with 253,000 attendees from 214 countries and regions. The value of intended export transactions reached USD 24.95 billion. Buyers from Belt and Road countries accounted for over 60% of attendees. Digital, intelligent, and eco-friendly products were particularly popular among international buyers. The fair also focused on intellectual property protection and trade dispute resolution, with 455 companies receiving IP complaints and 20 trade disputes being accepted for mediation.
China's 136th Canton Fair Sees All-Time High of Foreign Buyers
AI is being used to detect fake news by analyzing biomarkers such as heart rate, eye movements, and brain activity, which change in response to fake and real content. This knowledge can help AI mimic what humans look for when distinguishing between real and fake content. Personalized AI fake news checkers can be designed to anticipate and detect which content triggers the strongest reaction in individuals. Countermeasures to fake news, such as warning labels and links to credible content, can also be personalized based on individual interests, personality, and emotional reactions. Researchers are trialling AI fake news checkers that reduce false content in news feeds and encourage users to view alternative perspectives. However, accurate detection of fake news depends on defining what constitutes a lie or fake news and ensuring that AI systems have high hit rates, low false alarms, and low missed detection rates.
How close are we to an accurate AI fake news detector?
Africa's foreign policy should prioritize domestic development and peace in order to enhance its geopolitical agency. While Africa is being courted by major and middle powers from both the Global North and South, efforts to strengthen relationships with these partners have not necessarily mitigated interference in Africa. Instead, Africa should focus on strengthening its own institutions, resolving internal conflicts, and building economic resilience before committing significant resources to broader international issues. By addressing internal challenges first, Africa can develop a stronger foundation for exerting meaningful influence in global affairs.
South Africa
Home front first: Africa's foreign policy must serve domestic priorities
Kemi Badenoch narrowly won the Conservative party leadership election with one-third of MPs' support. This is the lowest share ever for a winner under the current system. Support for the candidates was split between MPs on the right and the center of the party. Cleverly supporters engaged in tactical voting, which ended up boosting both Cleverly's rivals. Badenoch attracted a greater proportion of female, ethnic minority, and experienced MPs. Support from previous leadership elections and affiliation with conservative-aligned groups also played a role in candidate support.
United Kingdom
Conservative leadership contest: what we know about how MPs voted in race between Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick
The Trump presidency had significant implications for the global economy, particularly in terms of tariffs and trade policies. Trump's "America first" approach, carried on by Biden to some extent, has led to increased tariffs and subsidies on certain products. This has affected countries like China and Europe, causing shifts in their trade and industrial policies. The article suggests that Europe could negotiate an end to its tariff war with China and focus on producing its own clean energy. The world is also facing challenges such as hunger, war, and increasing civilian casualties. It is uncertain how the return of Trump or changes in US economic relevance will impact the global economy.
Financial services
How the Trump presidency might change the global economy
The Sahel region, an ultra-periphery in the global economic framework, faces challenges such as escalating extremist violence, erosion of faith in elected governments, and resource scarcity. The region's peripheral status creates fertile ground for radicalism and dependency on foreign aid and military support. The speaker argued against the current pan-African movement, emphasizing the need to address newer geopolitical actors like China and Russia. The lecture highlighted the importance of incorporating the Sahel into global trade and addressing the structural roots of its marginalization. The precarious situation is expected to worsen with climate change accelerating resource conflicts.
Senegal
Cutting Edge Issues in Development – The Sahelian Question: The ultra-periphery in a changing world
Populism should not be understood as an ideology with fixed policy positions, but rather as a way of doing politics. Empirical studies show that there is very little that populists agree on besides a general critique of elites and a demand for popular sovereignty. Not all populists are anti-immigration or illiberal, and they are not universally opposed to international organizations or democratic institutions. Far-right populists, however, tend to have foreign policy outlooks rooted in far-right ideology, characterized by racist and xenophobic "Othering." It is important to differentiate between different populist movements and not conflate them with the far right. The notion of a "populist foreign policy" is often associated with opposition to human rights, multilateral cooperation, and migration, which has inadvertently legitimized the far right and discredited left-wing populist movements. Overall, there is little evidence to support the claim that populism as such is a threat to liberal democracy or the liberal world order.
Why there is no “populist” foreign policy
Tens of millions of Americans recently participated in the 2024 US presidential election. To understand how the US presidential election works, it is crucial to note that the candidate selection process involves state caucuses and primary votes in both major political parties, followed by national nominating conventions. The election itself follows a rule established in 1845, which sets the date on the "Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November." Instead of a direct popular vote, the US presidential election uses the Electoral College system, where each state is allocated electoral votes based on their representation in Congress. The candidate who garners a majority of electoral votes (270 or more) wins the presidency. The election results can take days to be finalized, and the state electors formally cast their votes in January. The next president takes office on January 20, 2025. The US presidential vote occurred amidst global concerns about political and societal polarization.
Financial services
Americans went to the polls. Here’s how US presidential election works
Turkey aims to be a regional tech leader, developing homegrown AI applications.
Türkiye
Turkey’s Strategic Balancing Efforts Amid the US–China AI Confrontation
The China International Import Expo in Shanghai has opened, with 152 countries and regions participating. This year's event features a record number of Fortune 500 companies and over 400 new products, showcasing new technologies and services. The expo, held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, runs from November 5th to 10th.
[In Photos] China International Import Expo Opens in Shanghai
Robots are displacing low-skilled workers and hindering their career progression, according to a study by Wharton marketing professor Pinar Yildirim. The study also found that as automation reduces job prospects in an area, residents are more likely to vote for populist candidates. The researchers analyzed 16 million people's career progression from 2000 to 2016, finding that the average career value decreased due to reduced upward mobility caused by automation. This decline was more pronounced for low-skilled workers, whereas high-skilled workers with a college education were better able to mitigate the effects of automation.
Robots Are Taking Over Low-skilled Jobs — and Changing Votes

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