Zürcher Nachrichten - Pharrell Williams kicks off Web Summit tech event

EUR -
AED 3.880214
AFN 70.780645
ALL 97.190724
AMD 409.522612
ANG 1.905375
AOA 963.459077
ARS 1054.565242
AUD 1.628776
AWG 1.901563
AZN 1.796755
BAM 1.943646
BBD 2.134553
BDT 126.330026
BGN 1.952741
BHD 0.398211
BIF 3061.516505
BMD 1.056424
BND 1.412931
BOB 7.305318
BRL 6.135392
BSD 1.057229
BTN 89.157806
BWP 14.344976
BYN 3.459666
BYR 20705.908726
BZD 2.130955
CAD 1.477736
CDF 3026.654692
CHF 0.93536
CLF 0.037508
CLP 1034.94655
CNY 7.632984
CNH 7.653754
COP 4732.250925
CRC 539.844656
CUC 1.056424
CUP 27.995234
CVE 110.237682
CZK 25.281289
DJF 187.748023
DKK 7.460534
DOP 63.649586
DZD 141.676482
EGP 52.106525
ERN 15.846359
ETB 128.936726
FJD 2.399982
FKP 0.831124
GBP 0.831385
GEL 2.883844
GGP 0.831124
GHS 17.167121
GIP 0.831124
GMD 74.470202
GNF 9117.994951
GTQ 8.168918
GYD 221.176977
HKD 8.220542
HNL 26.484549
HRK 7.500069
HTG 139.007329
HUF 407.584838
IDR 16705.089624
ILS 3.96375
IMP 0.831124
INR 89.19084
IQD 1384.44354
IRR 44467.528833
ISK 147.254856
JEP 0.831124
JMD 167.371294
JOD 0.74911
JPY 164.235362
KES 136.814581
KGS 91.06255
KHR 4283.407993
KMF 486.351576
KPW 950.781338
KRW 1486.004635
KWD 0.325019
KYD 0.880991
KZT 521.054323
LAK 23199.068804
LBP 94655.582389
LKR 308.987855
LRD 195.808166
LSL 19.132062
LTL 3.119345
LVL 0.63902
LYD 5.139451
MAD 10.511569
MDL 18.963002
MGA 4912.371092
MKD 61.424062
MMK 2216.377723
MNT 3589.728852
MOP 8.470035
MRU 42.15739
MUR 49.852646
MVR 16.332925
MWK 1832.895368
MXN 21.718195
MYR 4.687879
MZN 67.531893
NAD 19.131566
NGN 1769.468016
NIO 38.844885
NOK 11.768974
NPR 142.654337
NZD 1.796273
OMR 0.406745
PAB 1.056424
PEN 4.002755
PGK 4.241806
PHP 62.042194
PKR 293.738329
PLN 4.338785
PYG 8250.814637
QAR 3.846175
RON 4.974685
RSD 116.952489
RUB 104.058261
RWF 1443.075067
SAR 3.969343
SBD 8.822467
SCR 14.359461
SDG 635.452565
SEK 11.611699
SGD 1.418524
SHP 0.831124
SLE 24.093256
SLL 22152.685149
SOS 604.151362
SRD 37.270499
STD 21865.842121
SVC 9.250157
SYP 2654.296732
SZL 19.131651
THB 36.879495
TJS 11.263964
TMT 3.697484
TND 3.325093
TOP 2.524842
TRY 36.296528
TTD 7.184076
TWD 34.299974
TZS 2812.161
UAH 43.676545
UGX 3879.729929
USD 1.056424
UYU 44.543471
UZS 13538.072127
VES 47.408289
VND 26778.585528
VUV 125.420747
WST 2.959559
XAF 655.662642
XAG 0.03456
XAU 0.000409
XCD 2.855039
XDR 0.796446
XOF 655.662642
XPF 119.331742
YER 263.868258
ZAR 19.270978
ZMK 9509.083158
ZMW 28.919528
ZWL 340.168069
  • RIO

    -0.4700

    60.73

    -0.77%

  • CMSC

    0.0730

    24.613

    +0.3%

  • SCS

    -0.0250

    13.645

    -0.18%

  • CMSD

    0.0700

    24.82

    +0.28%

  • RBGPF

    -0.8500

    59.34

    -1.43%

  • NGG

    -0.9250

    61.975

    -1.49%

  • BTI

    0.0250

    35.265

    +0.07%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.22

    0%

  • BCC

    3.3450

    144.475

    +2.32%

  • BCE

    -0.5200

    27.17

    -1.91%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0500

    7.11

    -0.7%

  • BP

    0.4500

    28.61

    +1.57%

  • GSK

    -0.3700

    35.15

    -1.05%

  • RELX

    -0.4200

    46.17

    -0.91%

  • VOD

    0.2600

    8.73

    +2.98%

  • AZN

    -0.1350

    65.055

    -0.21%

Pharrell Williams kicks off Web Summit tech event
Pharrell Williams kicks off Web Summit tech event / Photo: Patricia DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP

Pharrell Williams kicks off Web Summit tech event

One of Europe's biggest tech events, Web Summit, launched on Monday in Lisbon with pop superstar Pharrell Williams among those taking to the stage.

Text size:

The get together runs until Thursday, with some 3,000 startups pitching their products to 1,000 investors, and 70,000 visitors taking part in events and debates, according to the organisers.

On Monday, the launch event included speeches from Portuguese politicians, entrepreneurs and a discussion on artificial intelligence, which is expected to be the dominant theme of the event.

Prominent AI critic Max Tegmark, President of Future of Life Institute, renewed his warnings that humanity was doomed if it failed to pass stiff regulations before the emergence of artificial general intelligence -- a notional superintelligent AI able to dominate humans.

He criticised the narrative that pitted great powers against each other in a competition to dominate the field, commenting: "It's not an arms race between the US and China, it's a suicide race."

Williams, singer of "Happy" and winner of many Grammy awards, rounded off the night with a wide-ranging discussion about his early life, inspirations and hopes for the future.

"The American dream is not about making the most money," he said.

Instead, he called for a "human dream" that "should be about spending the most time doing something that you love", getting raucous cheers from the audience.

Organisers were keen to move on from last year's edition when Google, Meta and a string of other firms pulled out after Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza.

Cosgrave stepped down but has since returned to his post.

On the opening night, he did not address the controversy, saying simply: "It's good to be back."

D.Graf--NZN