Business Leaders and Policymakers Align on AI, Climate, Geopolitics

Reuters' annual NEXT conference is convening in New York today, bringing together government officials, corporate executives and thought leaders to grapple with a cluster of near term risks and opportunities as markets and capitals prepare for 2026. Panelists traded assessments of accelerating artificial intelligence deployment, the tension between short term economic pressures and long term decarbonization goals, and the fragility of global supply chains amid heightened geopolitical competition.

Sessions on artificial intelligence focused on the speed at which companies are integrating advanced models into products and operations, and on the policy response needed to keep pace. Executives described aggressive investment plans alongside a call for clearer regulatory guardrails, and for public sector support for workforce adaptation measures to reskill employees displaced or transformed by automation. Discussions highlighted the challenge of building confidence among investors and consumers while avoiding rules that inadvertently stifle innovation.

Climate and energy conversations weighed immediate fiscal and political constraints against the need to chart durable decarbonization pathways. Speakers emphasized adaptation investments and practical energy planning that reconcile short term affordability with long term emissions reductions. The debate underscored tensions between policymakers managing electoral cycles and corporate leaders balancing shareholder returns with capital intensive transitions in power generation and industry.

Geopolitics threaded through much of the conference, as business leaders flagged persistent supply chain fragilities and urged pragmatic international cooperation on trade and technology controls. Panelists described a business environment where strategic competition among major powers complicates procurement, investment decisions and the flow of critical components for sectors from semiconductors to clean energy. The emphasis was on targeted, realistic cooperation that protects sensitive technologies while avoiding a fracturing of global markets that would raise costs and slow innovation.

Across sessions, there was a recurring call for closer coordination between the private sector and policymakers. Delegates argued that managing rapid technological change requires a mix of predictable rules, public investment in skills and infrastructure, and adaptive regulatory frameworks that can evolve with new risks. The message reflected anxiety about economic uncertainty and a desire for stable conditions that enable growth and security.

For investors and policy makers, the conference functions as an early gauge of priorities and risk appetites heading into the new year. Statements and alliances formed at NEXT have the potential to shape capital allocations, government agendas and the contours of future regulation. As participants depart, the questions they raised about governance, resilience and cooperation will resonate through boardrooms and legislative chambers as 2026 approaches.