Artificial intelligence could reshape how we live and work, according to Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Google. Speaking at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, she described this as “an extraordinary time for technology”, with AI representing “the greatest development” yet in a long history of innovation.
Porat said people often focus on consumer tools such as chatbots, but that the true value of AI lies in how it can strengthen industries, economies and society as a whole. She urged businesses and governments to look beyond immediate novelty and consider how AI could transform productivity, science and healthcare.
From algorithms to medicine
Porat highlighted advances such as DeepMind’s AlphaFold, which predicts the 3D structures of proteins. This breakthrough, she said, had “revolutionised biology” and was helping scientists understand diseases and design new treatments far faster than before.
In healthcare, Porat pointed to AI tools that support earlier and more accurate diagnosis. “In oncology, early detection is key to improved outcomes,” she explained. “We developed a deep learning model that helps pathologists detect small metastases with far greater accuracy.”
She said AI is already accelerating scientific progress, analysing complex datasets, spotting molecular patterns and generating new hypotheses that would take humans years to uncover. In time, she added, it could help provide answers to some of medicine’s hardest questions, including how cancers form, spread and respond to treatment.
Porat described this as the beginning of a new era where AI and human expertise work together to turn diseases that were once incurable into conditions that are understood, prevented and eventually cured.
Economic power and practical challenges
Porat said economists estimate that applying AI across industries could lift global GDP by around $20 trillion by 2030. But she stressed that reaching this potential requires investment in infrastructure, energy and workforce training.
“AI is about the ecosystem that supports it,” she said. “We need to modernise energy systems, expand technical training, and ensure that every region and worker can participate in this new economy.”
She also noted Google’s own initiatives to train electricians and technicians in clean energy and digital skills programmes, arguing that these roles are “as essential to AI’s success as computer science”.
Balancing optimism with responsibility
While enthusiastic about AI’s promise, Porat also warned of the need for responsible deployment. She has repeatedly spoken about privacy, fairness and the importance of global collaboration to ensure the technology benefits everyone.
Google, she said, is committed to developing AI “responsibly and for the benefit of humanity,” guided by its Responsible AI Principles.
Redefining human work
Porat concluded that AI should not be seen only as a way to automate routine tasks, but as a tool to “give people the gift of time.” She noted that doctors using AI systems have reported significant reductions in paperwork, freeing more time for patient care and innovation.
“The ultimate goal,” she said, “is to help people do what they do best, think creatively, solve problems and make a difference.”
Summary
Ruth Porat sees artificial intelligence as a general-purpose technology with the power to accelerate medical discovery, grow economies and redefine human work. She believes its real value lies not in novelty apps but in how it can help answer complex scientific problems, from understanding cancer to improving energy systems, if developed responsibly and inclusively.
