100 global business chiefs confirmed for Saudi PIF gathering

LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has confirmed more than 100 global investors, CEOs and disruptive innovators as speakers at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh next month.
The meeting which debuted last year, will run between Oct. 23 to Oct. 25 and focus on three core themes of Investing in Transformation, Technology as Opportunity and Advancing Human Potential.
Last year’s event made global headlines when a robot called “Sophia” took to the stage and engaged in an entertaining exchange with the host. Her appearance underscored the Kingdom’s ambitions to become a driving force in artificial intelligence and robotics as part of a push to add high tech jobs and diversify away from oil.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase is among the speakers attending the FII.
He said: “Technology is the greatest thing that has ever happened to mankind. Artificial intelligence, big data and machine learning are helping JPMorgan Chase reduce risk and fraud, upgrade service, improve underwriting and enhance marketing across the firm. We know technology has been a great force, and for the benefit of all of us, that force should not be left unleashed.”
Nicknamed “Davos in the Desert,” a reference to the annual gathering of thought leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the FII attracts both established industry titans and emerging entrepreneurs working in disruptive sectors.
Next month’s event will explore a number of subjects, including how leaders from business and government can develop a collective vision for the future, how venture capital is changing the future of innovation, and how immersive technology is changing the way we live, work and create.
Among the speakers set to attend the event are BlackRock boss Larry Fink, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber Technologies.
IMF president Christine Lagarde will also make an appearance along with Steven Mnuchin, US Treasury Secretary.