The World Economic Forum, an organization that brings together prominent political, business and cultural leaders to discuss global challenges, is set to hold its annual meeting Jan. 15-19 in Davos, Switzerland. This year’s conclave has a particular focus on geopolitical conflicts, while also touching on topics such as the dangers of artificial intelligence and the importance of decarbonization.
Scheduled speakers this year include French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
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By assembling public figures from around the globe to discuss weighty matters, the WEF has also become a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists. They dismiss the policies, pronouncements and programs discussed at WEF’s gathering as elites trying to control the world through ostensibly beneficial actions.
Here’s a roundup of claims about the WEF examined by the USA TODAY Fact-Check Team:
Claims about the WEF’s efforts to fight climate change
The claim: 14 US cities signed a WEF treaty to eliminate meat and dairy consumption
Our rating: False
The document referenced in the article isn’t a treaty. It is a report on urban consumption released by a global network of climate-focused mayors. It is not a binding agreement, nor is it linked to the WEF. Read more
The claim: WEF declares humans must eat feces and drink urine to fight climate change
Our rating: False
A WEF spokesperson said the organization made no such declaration and has no authority to enforce this or any other mandate on sovereign countries. Read more
The claim: The World Economic Forum ordered governments to start rationing water
Our rating: False
There is no evidence the WEF ordered governments around the world to ration water sent to people’s homes, nor that it declared water is not a human right. Read more
The claim: UN and World Economic Forum want 15-minute cities to restrict movement, assign people ‘tasks’
Our rating: False
The 15-minute city concept does not restrict the movement of citizens or assign them jobs, experts told USA TODAY. Neither the United Nations nor the World Economic Forum has the power to mandate that cities adopt this urban planning strategy, nor have they supported movement restrictions. Read more
Claims that the WEF is controlling global policies
The claim: The World Economic Forum banned natural human conception
Our rating: False
A WEF spokesperson said the organization made no such assertion, and the WEF has no authority to enforce this or any other mandate on sovereign countries. Read more
The claim: Speaker at WEF conference proposed adding COVID-19 vaccines to water supply
Our rating: False
The woman speaking in the video never proposes adding COVID-19 vaccines to the water supply. The video excludes comments from another speaker that clarify they’re both talking about water equity. Read more
The claim: WEF declares people must be implanted with microchip to participate in society
Our rating: False
The WEF has not made such an announcement, and they don’t have the authority to establish laws or requirements in the U.S. or anywhere else. Read more
Claims about the WEF and how it wants to use AI
The claim: The World Economic Forum called for an AI-written Bible to create new, ‘actually correct’ religions
Our rating: False
The article misconstrues comments made by author Yuval Noah Harari, who mentioned the possibility of AI being used to create religious texts in an interview. Harari is not an advisor or employee of the WEF, and the international organization has not endorsed the use of AI to write a new Bible. Read more
The claim: Klaus Schwab endorsed using predictive AI in place of elections
Our rating: False
The post uses an out-of-context clip of Schwab discussing possible misuse of AI. He doesn’t endorse the idea of using predictive AI instead of elections. Read more
The claim: A WEF official said ‘dangerous conspiracy theorists must be eliminated’
Our rating: False
There is no evidence that Yuval Noah Harari made any such comments. Harari discussed the threat posed by conspiracy theories on a Podcast, and stressed that AI should not be banned, but there should be guardrails on how it is deployed “into the public sphere.” The claim also incorrectly identifies Harari as a World Economic Forum official. Read more
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