Analysts will be digesting the results of Davos for AI for a long time to come, but the main conclusion from the summit is already obvious: artificial intelligence has finally left the stage of hype and experiments. It has become the basic infrastructure of the global economy and a determining factor of efficiency for companies.
“We are no longer discussing whether AI should be implemented – we are discussing how to scale it quickly and safely,” said Michael Reeves, CEO of technology company DataCore, at the opening of the forum.
Participants estimate that in 2025-2026 alone, cumulative investments in AI have exceeded $320 billion, and corporate budgets for technology adoption have grown by an average of 40%.
From startups to infrastructure
A major theme of HumanX 2026 is making AI the “invisible backbone” of business. If earlier companies tested pilots, today we are talking about full-scale integration.
“AI is becoming what electricity once was: you simply can’t operate without it,” said CloudSphere Chief Strategy Officer Anna Lee.
The market, meanwhile, is maturing rapidly. Large players are strengthening their positions through M&A deals, while startups are leaving in narrow niches. On the sidelines of the forum, deals worth billions of dollars were discussed, and venture capital funds recognize that the era of “growth at any price” is over.
“Today, investors want profit, not ideas. AI companies need to make money,” emphasized David Carter, a partner in the Next Horizon fund.
Regulation and energy – new bottlenecks
The second key issue is regulation. Representatives of the US, EU and Asia actually agreed: without uniform standards, the market risks slowing down.
“Fragmented regulation is the new barrier to innovation,” said Digital Policy Commissioner Sophie Durand.
Energy was no less discussed. According to data presented at the forum, AI data centers already consume up to 3% of the world’s electricity – and this figure could double by 2030.
“Efficiency is not just about money, it’s about the survival of the industry,” noted GreenGrid CTO Rahul Menon.
People and work: transformation instead of crisis
Despite fears, forum participants are not talking about mass unemployment. Rather, they are talking about a deep restructuring of the labor market.
“It’s not professions that are disappearing, but the tasks within them,” explained labor market researcher Maria Gonzalez. According to her, demand is shifting towards specialists with hybrid skills – a combination of technology and creativity.
All of this suggests that the HumanX 2026 conference, in fact, drew a line under the era of AI hype. It’s no longer a trend, but a mainstay. Forum participants identified three key conclusions: the market is entering a phase of maturity and efficiency; regulation will become stricter and more global; and competition is moving to the ecosystem level.
And, as one speaker summarized, “AI is no longer the future. It is already the infrastructure on which the present is being built”.
