Elon Musk, a long-time critic of the World Economic Forum’s annual event in Davos, Switzerland, appeared at the gathering for the first time on Thursday, where he predicted that robots will eventually outnumber humans.
Musk has previously dismissed the event, which this week is hosting multiple heads of state, business figures and others, including US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Earlier at the forum, Trump signed documents that formally established a “Board of Peace”. The White House said the proposed body will focus on areas including governance capacity-building, regional relations, post-conflict reconstruction, attracting investment, and mobilising large-scale funding and capital.
In letters sent to world leaders inviting them to serve as “founding members” of the board, Trump said the initiative would pursue a bold new approach to resolving global conflicts.
Trump on Wednesday said he has put together a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland, following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Speaking publicly after the meeting, Trump said he would not use military force to take control of the island. At the same time, he made it clear that he still wants a greater US role in Greenland and believes a deal can be worked out.
He also said new tariffs on European countries that opposed his Greenland ambitions were no longer needed, signaling a softer approach after weeks of tension.
Soon after Trump’s comments, the White House said the deal is not final yet and that details will only be shared once all sides agree.
“If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
Trump claimed a 77% reduction in the US trade deficit, major trade deals covering 40% of US commerce, rising steel production, and global market gains. He joked about French President Emmanuel Macron, and boasted of sharply cutting US drug prices, despite misstating the figures.
India arrives in Davos with one of its biggest delegations yet
India’s presence in Davos this year goes well beyond symbolism. At least four Union Ministers are attending the summit — Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi and Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also part of the delegation. What stands out is the strong focus on states. Six Chief Ministers are expected in Davos. Several Indian IT majors have also set up lounges and pavilions around the venue, with artificial intelligence emerging as a common theme.
The WEF Global Risks Report has warned that geoeconomic conflicts are the biggest threat facing major powers in 2026. For India, cybersecurity remains the top concern. Tariffs and supply chain disruptions could also raise the risk of an economic slowdown.
Who’s who at Davos 2026
More than 3,000 leaders from governments, businesses, academia, civil society and labour unions are expected to attend WEF this year. The guest list includes over 60 heads of state or government, 30 foreign ministers, 60 finance ministers and central bank governors, and more than 30 trade ministers.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Robots will outnumber people, says Musk
"My prediction is there will be more robots than people," Musk said, adding that humanoid robots could help provide elder care in a world where there aren't enough young people to take care of older citizens.
Davos 2026 Live updates: AI and robotics will lead to a huge economic boom, says Musk
"If we have ubiquitous AI, which is essentially free or close to it, and ubiquitous robotics, then you will have an explosion in the global economy that is truly beyond all precedent," Musk said.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Musk makes his first-ever appearance at the summit
Musk, the world's richest person, is making his first-ever appearance at Davos, taking the stage in conversation with Larry Fink, the WEF's cochair.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump says meeting with Zelenskyy was 'very good'
Following his one-on-one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines in Davos, Trump told reporters the meeting was "very good."
"Everybody wants to have the war ended," Trump added. He said earlier today that a deal on ending the war in Ukraine is "getting close."
Davos 2026 Live updates: British PM skips Davos to host Danish counterpart
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomes Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to Chequers, the official countryside residence outside London today. The Danish leader is in the United Kingdom to discuss Trump's demand to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump claims US will have 'total access' to Greenland in new deal
Trump said in an interview on Fox Business this morning that the US will have "total access" to Greenland under a framework of an agreement he announced after a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“Essentially, it’s total access," Trump told anchor Maria Bartiromo on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "There’s no end, there’s no time limit.”
Davos 2026 Live updates: Zelenskyy meets Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with Trump in Davos, his office has confirmed, after the U.S. president said an end to the war with Russia was "getting close", NBC News reported.
Zelenskyy arrived in Davos this morning. He had said he would not attend unless agreements on security guarantees and post-war reconstruction funding could be signed with the US. He also said he had wanted to remain in Kyiv to focus on the energy crisis in Ukraine.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Countries yet to decide joining the board
Several countries have chosen not to join or are still considering the invitation. Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Italy have declined to join. France is also reportedly planning to decline Trump’s invitation.
Canada has agreed to join the board “in principle” and is still working out the details. Trump has also said he invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to serve on the board. The United Kingdom, Germany and Japan have not yet announced their decisions.
The Vatican confirmed on Wednesday that Pope Leo has also been invited but is examining the proposal. Ukraine is reviewing the invitation, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing uncertainty about serving on the same body as Russia.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump frames Gaza’s future through real estate lens
Trump’s closing remarks at the Board of Peace signing ceremony cast the Gaza Strip in terms of its real estate potential.
“This is a great location,” Trump said. “I’m a real estate person at heart, and it’s all about location.”
Reflecting on early discussions around the Board of Peace, he added: “I said, look at this location on the sea, look at this beautiful piece of property – what it could be for so many people, it’ll be so great, people that are living so poorly are gonna be living so well.”
“That’s the vision, they will look out on the waters, and very few places are like it,” he said.
Trump has previously argued that Gaza should be seen as a “big real estate site,” describing the United States’ role as focused on redevelopment.
Davos 2026 Live updates: None of Europe's largest economies signing on to the board
None of Europe’s three largest economies, Germany, the UK and France, will be signing on to the board today.
Speaking to the BBC from Davos this morning, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the decision was partly driven by “concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace when we still haven’t seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine.”
Earlier this week, the Kremlin confirmed that Putin had been invited to take part in the initiative, which focuses on overseeing Gaza as part of broader efforts to find a solution to the Israel–Palestine conflict.
Davos 2026 Live updates: What is Board of Peace?
The White House said the proposed body will focus on areas including governance capacity-building, regional relations, post-conflict reconstruction, attracting investment, and mobilising large-scale funding and capital. In letters sent to world leaders inviting them to serve as “founding members” of the board, Trump said the initiative would pursue a bold new approach to resolving global conflicts.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump claims 59 countries involved in Middle East peace
Trump has claimed that 59 countries are involved in peace in the Middle East, suggesting they many have expressed support for his proposed Board of Peace “If Hamas doesn’t do what they promised they will do – I think they probably will – but they were born with rifles in their hands," he said.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Everybody wants to be on Board of Peace, says Trump
Trump, who is speaking in Davos, claimed “everybody” wants to be a part of his Board of Peace. He said he will continue to “work with many others, including United Nations”.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump announces first charter of 'Board of Peace'
US President Donald Trump is announcing the first charter of his so-called 'Board of Peace', a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1bn price tag for permanent membership.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Greenland sovereignty not discussed in Trump talks, NATO chief says
Danish sovereignty over Greenland did not come up during talks between US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Rutte has said.
Speaking after his conversation with Trump on Wednesday, Rutte made it clear that the sensitive question of whether Greenland would remain under Denmark’s control was not part of their discussion.
Asked by Fox News if Greenland would continue to be with Denmark under the framework deal announced by Trump, Rutte was blunt in his response.
“That issue did not come up anymore in my conversation tonight,” he said.
The remark comes amid renewed attention on Greenland’s strategic importance and Trump’s past comments about the Arctic island.
Instead of sovereignty, Rutte said the talks centred on security in the Arctic region, which has become increasingly important for NATO.
“We basically discussed how can we implement the president’s vision on protecting, yes, Greenland, but of course this – not only Greenland – this whole Arctic,” Rutte said.
He stressed that the conversation was about the broader region, not just one territory.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Newsom says he was blocked from US pavilion at Davos
California Governor Gavin Newsom has said he was denied entry to the US pavilion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, just hours before he was scheduled to speak there.
According to his office, Newsom was stopped during a security check on Wednesday and later told that a decision had been taken at the venue level to not allow an elected US official to be part of the evening programme.
Newsom, a Democrat and a sharp critic of President Donald Trump, was set to take part in a one-on-one “fireside chat” with a Fortune editor at USA House, a key American venue at Davos.
His spokesperson, Izzy Gardon, said the governor’s team was turned away a few hours before the event. Soon after, they were informed that the appearance had been cancelled.
California’s economy, if counted as a country, would rank as the fourth largest in the world.
Newsom reacted angrily on social media, questioning the decision to bar him.
“How weak and pathetic do you have to be to be this scared of a fireside chat?” he wrote.
It remains unclear who exactly made the call to block his entry.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Denmark sees ‘a small sliver of hope’
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the day ended better than it began.
“This morning we had a president who would not rule out taking Greenland by force. Now he says he will not take Greenland by force,” Rasmussen told Danish broadcaster TV 2.
He said he had spoken briefly with NATO chief Mark Rutte and expected more details later.
“Following the conversation, the use of force is off the table,” Rasmussen said. “That creates a small sliver of hope.”
Greenland’s government said it would formally respond to Trump’s remarks on Thursday.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Greenland leaders push back- ‘Nothing about us, without us’
In Greenland, the mood was far more mixed. Several political leaders said it was wrong for discussions about Greenland’s future to happen without Greenland at the table.
Aaja Chemnitz, one of Greenland’s two representatives in the Danish parliament, strongly rejected Trump’s comments.
“What we are witnessing these days in statements from Trump is completely absurd,” she wrote on Facebook. “NATO has absolutely no mandate to negotiate anything whatsoever without us in Greenland.”
“Nothing about us, without us,” she added. “There is total confusion being created.”
Kuno Fencker, a member of the Greenlandic parliament who has previously supported closer ties with the United States, also expressed frustration.
“Greenland should be directly involved in what is going on,” he said. “That is what we want.”
Davos 2026 Live updates: 'Deal’ talk leaves many uneasy
There was a sense of relief in parts of Greenland and Denmark on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump said he would not use force to take Greenland. His comments came after days of rising tension, threats and uncertainty that had unsettled both the Arctic island and Europe more broadly.
But even as some welcomed the change in tone, others, especially in Greenland, according to NYT, were angry and confused about talk of a “future deal” being discussed without their involvement.
Davos 2026 Live updates: AI-fluent professionals to see sharp salary rise, says Wipro’s Rishad Premji
Wipro Executive Chairman Rishad Premji said salaries for professionals who are deeply skilled in artificial intelligence will rise sharply as companies move from experimenting with AI to using it at scale.
Speaking to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Premji said Indian IT companies are moving faster and more decisively than they are often given credit for.
“Whether Indian IT is moving fast enough, disruptive enough in changing, accommodating, and participating, my submission is yes,” Premji said.
He added that Wipro’s leadership is now clearly focused on using AI in real business operations, not just testing it in small pilots.
“I’m pleased with the way Srini (CEO Pallia) is settling down. Mindset has moved from pilotization to adopting AI more on a production basis,” he said.
Davos 2026 Live updates: NATO not fully safe despite Trump tariff reversal
Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said on Wednesday that even though US President Donald Trump has paused his threatened tariffs on European allies, the situation with NATO is still far from settled.
“We’re not out of the woods. And let’s be very clear. The last few weeks — apart from a very turbulent first year — have been very damaging for the relationship between the European Union, Europe as a whole, and the US,” Busch told CNN.
Busch cautioned that it is too early to know what Trump’s so-called framework deal on Greenland really includes.
“Today’s progress might be tomorrow’s headache,” she warned, emphasizing that the situation remains unpredictable.
The Swedish deputy PM criticized Trump for sending mixed messages to European allies during the crisis, saying it has created tension.
“My message to President Trump and the Trump administration is: It’s time to come to your senses and calm down,” Busch said.
She added that Trump “does not answer well to weakness,” but praised Europe for standing firm.
“…And this is the reason I think it’s been very good that out of this very tense atmosphere over the last few days, there’s a sort of European determination being forged,” she said.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump Optimistic About India-US Trade Deal
US President Donald Trump expressed confidence on Wednesday, January 21, that the United States and India are “going to have a good deal” on their proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA). Speaking to Moneycontrol after addressing the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a close friend and a respected global leader.
“I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He’s a fantastic man and a friend of mine, and we are going to have a good deal,” Trump said when asked about the progress of trade talks.
Davos 2026 Live updates:Talks of US-controlled land for new bases
NATO officials have also discussed another idea: allowing the United States to build new military bases in Greenland on land that would be treated as sovereign US territory.
A NATO official told CNN that Denmark could allow such bases, similar to how Britain controls military bases in Cyprus that are considered British territory.
It is not clear whether this proposal is part of the framework Trump referred to on Wednesday. But the official said increasing the US military presence in Greenland has been a consistent theme in talks.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Putin distances Russia from Greenland issue
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Greenland issue “does not concern us at all.”
However, while trying to distance Moscow from the debate, Putin also spoke at length about historical land deals involving the United States.
At a Russian security council meeting, he referred to the 1867 sale of Alaska to the US for $7.2 million, which he said would be worth about $158 million today.
Putin compared Alaska’s size to Greenland’s and suggested Greenland’s value could be “somewhere around $200–250 million,” or even “closer to a billion” if calculated using old gold prices.
“I think the United States will be able to afford this amount,” Putin said.
He also mentioned Denmark’s sale of the Virgin Islands to the US in 1917.
Still, Putin stressed that Greenland should be discussed only between Denmark and the United States. He added, “Denmark has always treated Greenland as a colony and treated it quite harshly, if not cruelly.”
“But that is a different matter,” he said. “It certainly does not concern us. I think they will sort it out among themselves.”
Davos 2026 Live updates: Europe reacts to tariff rollback
Several European countries welcomed Trump’s decision to drop his threat of tariffs against allies who supported Denmark and Greenland.
Sweden’s foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said it was good news that Trump had stepped back.
“Good that Trump has now backed away from tariffs on those of us who have supported Denmark and Greenland,” she wrote on X.
She added that demands to change borders had been rightly criticised. “That is also why we have repeated that we will not be blackmailed,” she said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also welcomed the move, saying dialogue between allied nations must continue.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin called the announcement “good news” and said it was time to lower tensions and focus on economic issues.
Trump had earlier threatened tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the UK amid growing tensions over his push to acquire Greenland.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Lawmakers join symbolic Greenland stunt
As the debate continues, some Republican lawmakers close to Trump attended a conservative event where they cut a cake shaped like Greenland and decorated with the US flag.
Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna, Tennessee’s Andy Ogles and Arizona’s Abe Hamadeh were present at the event in Washington.
“51st state,” someone could be heard saying as the cake was presented.
Ogles has introduced legislation urging Congress to support Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland and has also pushed to allow Trump to serve a third term.
Davos 2026 Live updates: Markets surge after Trump softens tone
US stock markets jumped on Wednesday after Trump backed away from tariffs and said he would not use force to acquire Greenland.
Markets had suffered their worst day since October on Tuesday, but rebounded strongly after Trump said he had a “very productive” meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte.
The Dow Jones rose 589 points, or 1.21%. The S&P 500 climbed 1.16%, its best day since late November, while the Nasdaq gained 1.18%. The S&P 500 is now just 1.6% below its record high.
The US dollar strengthened slightly, and government bond yields fell as investors reacted positively to Trump’s change in tone.
Davos 2026 Live updates: White House says Greenland deal details will come later
The White House said on Wednesday that the details of the Greenland deal announced by President Donald Trump are still being worked out and will be shared only after everyone involved agrees on them.
Speaking after Trump’s meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the White House made it clear that nothing has been finalised yet.
“If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
She praised Trump’s approach, adding, “President Trump is proving once again he’s the Dealmaker in Chief. As details are finalized by all parties involved, they will be released accordingly.”
Davos 2026 Live updates: Trump talks up a ‘future deal’ on Greenland
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he has put together a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland, following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Speaking publicly after the meeting, Trump said he would not use military force to take control of the island. At the same time, he made it clear that he still wants a greater US role in Greenland and believes a deal can be worked out.
He also said new tariffs on European countries that opposed his Greenland ambitions were no longer needed, signaling a softer approach after weeks of tension.
Davos 2026 Live updates: At Davos, Trump mixes up Greenland and Iceland leading to confusion
Donald Trump grabbed headlines at the World Economic Forum in Davos after repeatedly appearing to confuse Greenland with Iceland while discussing foreign policy and markets. Speaking about his standing in Europe and among NATO allies, Trump said perceptions of him had been positive “until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland,” despite referring to issues related to Greenland. He went on to claim that NATO was not there for the US “and Iceland, I can tell you.”