Interview w/ Egle B. Thomas
Each January, the serene snow-covered landscapes of Davos, Switzerland, transform into a global epicenter for dialogue on economics, technology, and societal change. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting convenes world leaders, innovators, and thinkers to chart paths forward on humanity’s most pressing issues. This year, the AI Think Tank Podcast had the privilege of diving deep into the summit’s highlights with my brilliant friend and fellow MIT alumna, Egle Thomas. A strategic consultant, executive coach, and AI advisor with over 16 years of experience, Egle brings unparalleled insights into the evolving intersections of technology, business, and human well-being.
In our nearly two-hour conversation, we explored not just the innovations on display but the transformative undercurrents shaping our global future. Here’s an in-depth look at what we uncovered.
The Davos experience: An insider’s view
“Davos isn’t just a conference. It’s an ecosystem,” Egle shared as we opened our conversation. She’s been attending the forum for eight years, and her seasoned perspective revealed just how intricate this annual gathering truly is.
Approximately 3,000 global leaders attend the official forum, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of satellite events orbit the core summit, exclusive, often private gatherings where innovation, investment, and collaboration bloom away from the spotlight. Egle described how navigating this complex web of events can be overwhelming, even for veterans.
“There’s so little transparency,” she noted. “We even talked about building an app to help attendees track speakers and events because so much happens behind closed doors.”
While we didn’t get around to building that app, yet her point resonated. In a world increasingly connected through AI and data, even the most prestigious forums could benefit from smart navigation tools.
AI’s evolution: From possibility to integration
If last year’s WEF spotlighted AI’s potential, this year was all about integration.
“Every window, every room, every discussion, it was all about AI last year,” Egle explained. “But this year, there was a shift. The conversations were no longer about possibilities but about how AI can be applied practically across industries.”
This was music to my ears. As builders and tinkerers, Egle and I thrive on implementation. We’re the kind of people who, given a new tool, immediately look for ways to integrate it into workflows, whether for business strategy or personal productivity. AI has become not just a topic of curiosity but a utility in our daily lives.
One area where integration is booming? AI agents.
“AI agents will be everywhere this year,” Egle predicted. “We’ve been building our own, but the new wave of agents will make life so much easier by the end of the year.”
She described a future where AI assistants transcend simple co-piloting and evolve into autonomous agents, handling complex tasks, coordinating across platforms, and serving specialized functions. For context, we discussed how even now, I run agents that write and debug code, install and update software, and even manage personal tasks like booking restaurant reservations.
Yet, as we both emphasized, there’s a big difference between an AI assistant and an AI agent.
“Many people confuse the two,” Egle said. “An assistant might draft your emails, but an agent can autonomously manage multiple tasks, orchestrating tools and data to achieve an outcome.”
This nuanced understanding is critical as businesses and individuals increasingly rely on these systems.
Robotics: The uncanny valley gets narrower
If AI agents were the buzz of Davos, robotics brought the “wow” factor.
Egle’s most surprising revelation came during a panel featuring Sophia, the now-famous humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics. Sophia isn’t new to the scene, she made headlines in 2017 when Saudi Arabia granted her citizenship, but what struck Egle this year was just how advanced Sophia has become.
“She was participating in the panel like any other speaker, summarizing conversations, jumping in with witty remarks, and even making the audience laugh,” Egle recalled. “Her ability to read the room and interact naturally was incredible.”
At one point, when her creator, David Hanson, discussed Sophia’s legal rights as a robot, Sophia humorously quipped, “Well, you have to agree. You trained me,” prompting laughter from the entire audience.
This level of candid interaction, once pure science fiction, now feels within reach.
But robotics isn’t just about humanoid androids. Egle also described witnessing the four-legged ANYmal robot from Swiss company Anybotics, designed for industrial surveillance. While lacking Sophia’s expressiveness, ANYmal excels in practical applications like warehouse monitoring and hazardous environment inspections.
“Not all robots need human-like features,” Egle explained. “Sometimes, function over form is what matters most.”
Quantum computing: A year of convergence
Among the most transformative discussions at Davos was the rise of quantum computing. Though still in its infancy, the technology promises to reshape fields from cryptography to drug discovery.
“This year is the year of quantum,” Egle emphasized. “We’re talking about solving problems previously deemed impossible, protein folding, climate modeling, even breakthroughs in mental health and consciousness research.”
We both agreed that quantum’s impact will ripple far beyond computational speed. Its potential to model complex systems could revolutionize neuroscience, psychology, and even AI architecture itself.
While practical quantum computers remain limited by factors like cost and cryogenic requirements, recent advances hint at a tipping point. I couldn’t help but marvel at the possibilities, having dreamed of quantum computing since I was six years old, it’s surreal to see the field approaching real-world application.
Music, art, and AI: Creating beyond code
One of the most heartfelt segments of our conversation touched on AI’s role in creativity.
Egle, who’s also a successful musician, shared her experiences using AI platforms like Suno and Oudio to produce music. Despite misconceptions that AI-generated music is effortless, she explained the painstaking process behind crafting high-quality tracks.
“People think you just press a button, but it takes weeks of work,” she said. “Every instrument, every verse, it’s all about careful planning and iteration.”
She described how her AI-generated songs, now ranking in Spotify’s top 2%, require intricate prompt engineering, data training, and a deep understanding of musical composition. The process mirrors what many of us face when using AI in any creative field: the technology assists, but the human still guides.
For me, this creative interplay is where AI shines. Whether building data pipelines or orchestrating music, AI acts as an amplifier of human vision, not a replacement.
The workforce transformation: Embrace, don’t fear
Perhaps the most practical takeaway from Davos was the evolving nature of the workforce in an AI-driven world.
Egle highlighted staggering statistics: 170 million new jobs are expected by 2030, alongside the replacement of 92 million existing ones. This represents the largest labor shift since the Industrial Revolution.
“AI isn’t here to replace humans, it’s here to augment us,” she stressed. “But adaptation is key. People need to shift from thinking in terms of individual tools to understanding whole workflows.”
We discussed how many professionals still struggle with this mindset. In workshops Egle led at Davos, attendees often defaulted to narrow use cases, “Can AI help me write an email?”, rather than imagining holistic solutions that could transform entire processes.
For those feeling overwhelmed, our advice was simple: start small, but think big. Use AI to handle repetitive tasks, freeing your time for strategic thinking. Learn the difference between assistants and agents. And, most importantly, stay curious.
Closing thoughts: Humanity in the loop
Throughout our conversation, one theme kept emerging: humanity matters more than technology.
Yes, AI is powerful. Yes, robotics is advancing at lightning speed. And yes, quantum computing may soon crack problems we thought unsolvable. But in all of this, the human element remains irreplaceable.
Egle summed it up perfectly: “Technology should serve us, not the other way around. The future is about integration, of tools, of knowledge, and of human potential.”
As we wrapped up, we reflected on how our own journeys, from childhood fascinations with robots and quantum physics to our careers in AI, had come full circle. The world we dreamed of as kids is unfolding before us.
And that’s the kind of future I’m excited to be part of.
Egle’s Youtube Channel: Egle – Innerlight Music & Spotify Channel
Egle’s Professional Services Contact Form
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