Exclusive: Meta's Dina Powell McCormick calls for AI rivals to center "humanity"
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Mike Allen interviews Dina Powell McCormick at Axios House in Davos on Monday. Photo: Dani Ammann Photography for Axios
DAVOS, Switzerland — In her first interview as Meta's new president and vice chairman, Dina Powell McCormick argued that AI is a "group sport" that will require cooperation among tech rivals to keep "humanity" at the center.
Why it matters: Powell McCormick used her debut at Axios House Davos to frame AI as a "transformation" for the human race — and to urge the industry to align on "core values" that ensure the technology is as "safe" as it is "productive."
Driving the news: Powell McCormick — a former Goldman Sachs executive and top official in both the George W. Bush and Trump administrations — is eight days into her new role.
- Her background spans Silicon Valley, Wall Street and Washington — an increasingly valuable mix as AI policy, energy and workforce demands converge.
- She and her husband, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), hosted a first-of-its-kind AI-energy summit in Pittsburgh last summer that convened tech CEOs, major investors, labor leaders and government officials to grapple with how to power and staff the next phase of AI growth.
What they're saying: "What I mean by [group sport] is you can't accomplish it without the energy that's required, without all of the hyperscalers coming together, without governments," Powell McCormick told Axios' Mike Allen on Monday.
- "At our summit, it was really wild to see [BlackRock CEO] Larry Fink and [others] ... come together and actually agree that this new phase of compute is going to require 500,000 electricians in the country," she said.
- "Just think about these new jobs that are being created in cities, frankly, that have been losing jobs for so long."
Between the lines: Powell McCormick said she decided to join Meta not only because of her admiration for CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the company's board, but because she believes a "transformation in humanity" is underway.
- "Nothing can stop that now, with this technology, and to even be a tiny part of that with a company that I admire as much as Meta is just truly a huge honor," she added.
- She added that AI's trajectory will ultimately depend on human judgment, saying that people must be "careful" and "responsible" in guiding the technology toward a more productive and peaceful future.
The intrigue: Powell McCormick suggested AI's risks and rewards are now big enough to require coordination among competitors — even as they continue to battle for market share.
- She called for tech companies to work together on shared "core values," including safety standards, energy use and "smart regulation" — envisioning a world that can be both "prosperous" and "peaceful."
- "As corny as that sounds, it's really possible. I already know that my friends in other companies are really eager to partner with us," Powell McCormick said.
