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Amman - H.E. Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh launched his new book "The Brave Knowledge World" during a speaking event at the Columbia Global Centers-Amman, attended by a notable audience comprising political and economic figures from various institutions and representatives of the youth sector.

During his lecture, Abu-Ghazaleh explained that the book is a reflection of his commitment to presenting his lifelong vision of a future knowledge-based world. He pointed out that the book explores many anticipated knowledge issues including the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its impending dominance, on the development and transformation of various sectors.

He also talked about his new project: the newly launched Talal Abu-Ghazaleh University College for Innovation, which aims to graduate knowledge innovators as a step towards an Arab society that generates and sells knowledge.

In this context, Abu-Ghazaleh warned against the popular belief in traditional educational systems which focus on graduating job seekers rather than inventors, explaining that many of the world's most creative individuals, including Facebook and Apple founders Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs, were not suited to the traditional educational system which did not cater to their innovativeness, and so they dropped out of universities.

As part of his predictions for the future, Abu-Ghazaleh underlined his view that with the advancement of AI, humans and machines will work in unity to meet the growing needs of society.

During the lecture, Abu-Ghazaleh highlighted some global knowledge sector success stories, emphasizing acknowledgement of the overwhelming fact that the five richest companies in the world, including Google, are all in the knowledge field and have built wealth based on investment in this sector.

In response to questions, Abu-Ghazaleh underlined the huge progress in technological singularity, predicting that this field will eventually lead to supremacy of machines over humans in several tasks, as a result of artificial super-intelligence in the future.

He also outlined his prediction of an upcoming global economic crisis, which he believes would be more severe than the 2008 meltdown and would result in stagflation and unemployment. He urged Arab countries to be prepared for such a crisis through forming expert taskforces to suggest solutions in advance, noting that he is currently working on compiling a list of possible solutions to help states, public institutions and companies protect their economies and businesses.

Abu-Ghazaleh explained that no solution to the expected crisis is possible unless the "American and Chinese giants" sit at one table, not only to negotiate trade sanctions, but also to agree on how to manage the world's economic affairs.

He also predicted, in light of a deepening economic crisis, that World War III could be erupted soon, and would only end with a new world order agreed by the two poles: the US and China, and a peace based on post-war reconstruction, simulating the economic project launched by former US Secretary of State George Marshall for the reconstruction of Europe in the aftermath of World War II. In his view, such a project would be the beginning of the Arab Renaissance.

Introducing the lecture, Deputy Director of the Columbia Global Centers-Amman, Hania Salah, welcomed Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, underlining in her remarks his major achievements, including the building of Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group, which evolved into one of the world's largest professional services foundations, with a global network of more than 100 branches.

She also referred to Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh's various ground-breaking contributions, particularly in the scientific, knowledge and cu