Davos 2023: Google's mission to meet obligations in changing world

Google EMEA president Matt Brittin says tech brings huge opportunity and responsibility

Matt Brittin, Google’s President for EMEA. The National

One of the biggest talking points at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting this year is the influence of technology, and particularly AI, across all sectors and its continued exponential growth.

Technology companies are out in full force in Davos, among them Google, with executives speaking in public sessions and holding meetings with leaders from the public and private sectors.

Matt Brittin, president for Google EMEA, is among those concerned about the year ahead.

“Going into 2023, the world faces some big challenges, whether it's energy security, the cost of living crisis, the climate crisis, also harnessing technology for good,” he said.

In an exclusive interview with The National, he said that to tackle those issues “it is very clear that governments, companies and communities working together is essential, and technology can help in each of these challenges”.

Mr Brittin said that in times of difficulty, the forum becomes even more important “because it has that ability to bring those leaders together from NGOs, companies and governments to really look at how we can work together on some of these challenges”.

As their role and influence grows, tech companies are under increasing scrutiny.

World Economic Forum in Davos — in pictures

Lawrence Summers, president emeritus and professor at Harvard University, speaks during a panel session on day three of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Bloomberg

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Tanzanian President Samia Hassan during a panel discussion in Davos. AP

EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola speaks at the forum. AP

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, speaks to CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria at the Congress Centre in Davos. AFP

Iranian-American journalist and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad takes part in an interview with a TV news channel in Davos. AFP

Mr Mitsotakis is seen on a TV camera viewfinder at the Congress Centre in Davos. AFP

Faisal Alibrahim, Saudi Arabia's Economy and Planning Minister, speaks during a panel session in Davos. Bloomberg

Climate activist Greta Thunberg addresses journalists in Davos. Reuters

Mary Erdoes, chief executive of JP Morgan Chase's asset wealth management arm, listens during a panel session in Davos. Bloomberg

Officials take part in the World Economic Forum's Busting Business Barriers session. Photo: World Economic Forum

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, is among the senior officials in Davos. Photo: WEF

Former US vice president Al Gore, who is also a member of board of trustees of the forum, at a session titled Leading the Charge through Earth's New Normal. Photo: WEF

Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma performs at the event. Photo: WEF

Deemah Al Yahya, secretary general of the Digital Co-operation Organisation in Saudi Arabia, at the forum's Turning Technologies into the Markets of Tomorrow session. Photo: WEF

US climate change envoy John Kerry at the Keeping the Pace on Climate session. Photo: WEF

Shoes worn by Rodrigo Oliveira, founder of Brazilian group Green Mining, emphasise support for environmental initiatives. Photo: WEF

Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor in Chief of The National, moderates a session on the Middle East that featured Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Foreign Affairs. Photo: WEF

Officials and delegates take part in the Middle East: Meeting Point or Battleground? session. Photo: WEF

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks at the Restoring Security and Peace session. Photo: WEF

Mr Duda, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg, Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Yuliia Svyrydenko, first deputy prime minister in Ukraine, and US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines attend a session hosted by broadcaster Fareed Zakaria. Photo: WEF

Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, watches as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the forum. Photo: WEF

Mohamad Al Ississ, Jordan's Minister of Finance, takes part in the session titled The Middle East: Meeting Point or Battleground? Photo: WEF

Mr Zelenskyy gives a video address to the forum in Davos. AFP

Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger appears on screen during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos. AP

US governors Brian Kemp and JB Pritzker, senators Chris Coons, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema and representatives Maria Salazar and Mikie Sherrill take part in a panel discussion at Davos. AP

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan attends a session in Davos. AFP

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on the opening day of the forum. Bloomberg

Fifa president Gianni Infantino, left, and Patrice Motsepe, billionaire founder of African Rainbow Minerals, arrive at the forum's venue in Davos. EPA

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin, right, is interviewed by Fareed Zakaria in Davos. AP

Delegates visit the refreshments area between sessions in Davos. Bloomberg

Singer Angelique Kidjo performs in Davos. EPA

From left, WEF founder Klaus Schwab, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska and Swiss President Alain Berset pose together during the 53rd annual meeting of the forum in Davos. EPA

Ms Zelenska hit out at Russia and said 'we cannot allow a new Chernobyl to happen'. AFP

Mr Berset addresses delegates in Davos. EPA

Ms von der Leyen said the 27-nation bloc would become much more forceful in countering unfair trading practices. Reuters

Ferdinand Marcos, President of the Philippines, arrives to attend a session in Davos. AP

Former US vice president Al Gore is expected to discuss decarbonisation, as well as efforts to build clean energy infrastructure and ensure equitable growth. EPA

From second left, WEF president Borge Brende, Carbon Direct vice chairwoman Nili Gilbert and US climate envoy John Kerry with other delegates in Davos. EPA

Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann speaks during the 53rd WEF Annual Meeting. EPA

DP World chief executive Sultan bin Sulayem in Davos. Bloomberg

UBS chief executive Ralph Hamers speaks during a television interview on the opening day of the forum. Bloomberg

From left, Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd chairwoman Laura Cha, Banco de Portugal Governor Mario Centeno, Bloomberg TV anchor Francine Lacqua, Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann and S&P Global president and chief executive Douglas Peterson during a panel session on the opening day of the forum. Bloomberg

Mr Kerry delivers a speech at the Congress Centre in Davos. AFP

Musicians take part in a concert during the official opening of the forum. Photo: WEF

Jordanian vocalist Farah Siraj, centre, and Egyptian-Australian multi-instrumentalist Joseph Tawadros, left, perform during the I Sea You concert. Photo: WEF

Tawadros is one of the world's leading oud performers and composers. Photo: WEF

WEF managing director Alois Zwinggi speaks during a session called 'In Harmony with Nature'. Photo: WEF

Gail Whiteman, left, a professor of sustainability at the University of Exeter Business School, speaks during the 'In Harmony with Nature' panel discussion. Photo: WEF

Mr Schwab delivers a speech during the 'Crystal Award' ceremony in Davos. AFP

Actor Idris Elba, right, and his wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba, left, smile on the podium during the Crystal Award ceremony. AP

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko attends the Crystal Award ceremony. EPA

Singer Renee Fleming, right, receives a Crystal Award from Hilde Schwab, wife of WEF founder Klaus Schwab. AP

Delegates at the welcome reception before the official start of the forum. Bloomberg

Food for attendees at the welcome reception. Bloomberg

A kiosk serving hot chocolate from the UAE at the forum. Bloomberg

The Infosys pavilion at the forum. Bloomberg

Ukraine's pavilion in Davos. Reuters

Swiss police officers on patrol in Davos. Reuters

From left, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck with Swiss ministers Guy Parmelin and Albert Roesti before the start of a bilateral meeting in Davos. EPA

A delegate passes a digital display in Davos. Bloomberg

Mr Brittin said more could be done, particularly in terms of safety and protection online.

“There is a huge opportunity to harness technology for good, but also to understand the responsibilities of technology and technology companies and how the new rules of the road need to work,” he said.

The challenge is to “get the benefits of technology but protect against its misuse … it needs rules of the road”.

As 2022 drew to a close, there was much interest in ChatGPT, which has been developed by OpenAI but builds on technology developed by several companies, including Google. The way it presents information has increased interest in the power of AI.

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“AI is making really substantive advances and we see more and more practical uses where AI can make a difference, whether that's from the DeepMind work on Alphafold [responsible for] protein folding, making 200 million protein structures available for biologists all around the world to accelerate drug discovery and research,” Mr Brittin said.

Google was among the first companies to work on the parameters needed to handle AI and published a list of “principles” about its use of AI.

They include guidelines on the use of datasets, bias and collaboration. DeepMind, a company bought by Google in 2014, publishes papers and models and makes libraries available.

“We've encouraged an open discussion with policymakers around how do we harness this for good? How do we help people understand what's quite a technical capability … we haven't necessarily done a brilliant job of explaining that in human terms,” Mr Brittin said.

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He is concerned about the geopolitical ramifications of the current era on technology. “We are seeing fragmentation of the globalisation system that we kind of took for granted. And frankly, it's a western-led globalised system that everybody's benefited from … but we're entering different political terrain,” he said.

One of the issues Google is concerned with is maintaining an open internet, but it is beginning to consider how to plan if there is a “decoupling”.

While Mr Brittin did not speak about China specifically, “decoupling” usually refers to China and the West. “Resilience, cybersecurity, these are issues where actually international infrastructure and capability is important. So I think getting the balance right in these things is vital,” he said.

He said “we’ve got this sort of breakdown of geopolitical alignment, and we need to be really thoughtful about that in the context of actors like Russia and China with different systems”. But there are also issues among close western allies. Mr Brittin said one of the biggest challenges has been “the lack of a transatlantic agreement and data flows”, despite the US and EU saying they will work through the issues.

As for online safety, all of Google’s platforms, but particularly YouTube, are heavily invested in clamping down on harmful content, while respecting freedom of expression.

Mr Brittin said “this is always a set of moving targets” and that, as technology develops, policies and measures need to be updated.

“Who would have thought we needed a policy around ‘does 5G technology cause Covid?’ but we did,” he quipped while explaining the need for measures to tackle misinformation during the pandemic.

Preparations for World Economic Forum in Davos — in pictures

World Economic Forum delegates arrive at the Davos Congress Centre in Switzerland, on Monday. Reuters

Solar panels on the rooftop of the centre. Bloomberg

Swiss police on duty in the Swiss resort town. Reuters

A traffic jam on a road leading to the venue of the forum. Reuters

The Davos Congress Centre is the venue of the WEF's Annual Meeting. Reuters

Visitors queue outside Ukraine's pavilion in Davos. Reuters

Police officers on patrol. Bloomberg

A police officer stands guards and keeps a watchful eye from the roof of a nearby hotel. AP

Equipment at the Arctic Basecamp pavilion is checked before the start of the forum. Bloomberg

All eyes will be on Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, who will deliver the first major address to this year's forum on Tuesday. Photo: WEF

The Russia-Ukraine war is one that is on the mind of officials and executives attending the WEF's Annual Meeting in Davos. Photo: WEF

Another shadow cast over Davos this week is that of the global economy, with the World Bank cutting its growth outlook for 2023. Photo: WEF

Officials and economists are expected to assess the severity of an expected global recession and find ways to mitigate its impact. Photo: WEF

Issues such as soaring food and energy prices worldwide and the outlook for Europe's economy will be front and centre. Photo: WEF

Another key feature is the presence in full of major technology companies. Photo: WEF

Tech executives are expected to highlight their companies' potential amid questions about the financial woes they faced last year. Photo: WEF

A visitor tries out a virtual reality headset at a pavilion before the start of the forum's Annual Meeting. Bloomberg

Security guards stand at an entrance to an inflatable tunnel at the venue in Davos. Bloomberg

People walk in front of the Davos Congress Centre on Sunday. AP

A display of artificial coral inside the Davos Congress Centre. AP

A banner above the steps to the Davos Congress Centre. AP

Police officers patrol the Davos Congress Centre in Davos. EPA

A sign goes up in the main hall of the Davos Congress Centre on Sunday. EPA

This will be the first full in-person meeting of the WEF since Covid-19 crippled much of global conferencing activity. EPA

Preparations in the main hall on Sunday. EPA

This year’s Davos theme is 'Co-operation in a fragmented world'. Photo: WEF

There will probably be concerns on the outlook for cryptocurrencies after the collapse of FTX. Photo: WEF

Delegates are also expected to discuss concerns about a new wave of Covid-19 variants. Photo: WEF

This is the 52nd Annual Meeting hosted by the forum. Photo: WEF

Staff put the final touches to one of the conference halls in Davos. Photo: WEF

Google uses a mix of AI and human judgment to carry out content moderation. But he said users also had to be careful.

“People have to recognise that the internet and the real world are similar. You wouldn't put your daughter out on the streets and let her navigate the world. And the same thing I think applies to the internet.

“It's like the real world - there are places where you need to be and there are places where you where you might not want to go.”

But on the whole, Mr Brittin is optimistic about the future. With more than 60 per cent of the world’s population online, the opportunities are abundant.

“Anybody who creates content, anybody who sells things, anybody who is in entertainment can reach a global audience,” he said. The potential of that reach represents “a huge opportunity to really help people think differently about economic opportunity”.

“When I was a kid, only the world's biggest companies could do international stuff. Now, anybody with a smartphone and an idea can do that,” he said.

As for the economic downturn, there will be opportunities for small businesses, but there will also be a need for workforces to learn new skills.

“A lot of the training we do on digital skills, and a lot of our products are designed to help on that,” Mr Brittin said.

Curtain-raiser for World Economic Forum in Davos - in pictures

The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting will take place at Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Photo: World Economic Forum / Marcel Giger

Fahd Al Rasheed, the chief executive of King Abdullah Economic City. Salah Malkawi for The National

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva. AFP

Bandar Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources in Saudi Arabia. AFP

Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Governmental Development and Future, speaks at Davos last year. Bloomberg

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade. Pawan Singh / The National

Omar Al Olama, chairman of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, and vice chairman of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

Ayman Safadi, Jordanian Foreign Minister. Reuters

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group chairman and chief executive of DP World. Antonie Robertson / The National

Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein. Reuters

Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. EPA

Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. AP

Saudi Arabia's Economy and Planning Minister, Faisal Alibrahim (R), and its Communications and Information Technology Minister, Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha, in Davos last year. EPA

Dutch Defence Minister, Kajsa Ollongren. AFP

Mark Carney, co-chairman of Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero and vice chairman of Brookfield Asset Management. Bloomberg

Abdullah Alswaha, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Communications and Information Technology. Photo: NCA

Saudi Investment Minister, Khalid Al Falih. AFP

US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry. AP Photo

Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Future Technology. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry. EPA

Artist and designer Maya Lin. AP

Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, vice president for development and planning of the Saudi Arabian General Sports Authority, at Davos in 2018. Photo: World Economic Forum / Boris Baldinger

Desmond Kuek, chief executive of Temasek Trust. Photo: Temasek Trust

UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg. Reuters

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Reuters

Mohammed Al Jadaan, Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister. Bloomberg

Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre Elba. AP

Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development. Victor Besa / The National

Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Adel Al Jubeir. AFP

Badr Jafar, founder of Pearl Initiative. Antonie Robertson / The National

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, managing director and group chief executive of Mubadala. Pawan Singh / The National

British actor Idris Elba. AFP

Finnish Foreign Minister, Pekka Haavisto. AFP

Rania Al Mashat, Egypt's Tourism Minister. Bloomberg

The American soprano Renee Fleming with the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Sascha Goetzel, at the Abu Dhabi Festival. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

US senator Chris Coons. AFP

Abdulatif Rashid, President of Iraq. AFP

Najla Bouden, Prime Minister of Tunisia. AFP

Bisher Hani Al Khasawneh, Prime Minister of Jordan. AFP

This comes after the pandemic contributed to change in the nature of work. As for Google’s own work practices, Mr Brittin said “there's a huge opportunity for more flexible working”, but there are also concerns about how new work practices affect different groups.

“We're all learning. Data from the pandemic suggests that women's participation in the economies has fallen, people have reduced hours, or stopped working — that's a real problem if you want companies that are run by everyone.”

Clarity in how work and organisations progress will be vital.

“You don’t want to be in a situation where a manager can decide from day to day, who needs to be [where] and when you actually need to get to plan your lives and make sure that it's more flexible.”

Inclusion and structure will be crucial. “At Google, our mission is to organise the world's information and make it useful and accessible for everyone,” he said.

“We've got a big obligation as a tech company, if we're going to have products that work for everyone for them to be built by everyone.”

Google’s plans include hiring more engineers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in addition to having engineers from different social and cultural backgrounds.