Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of The Art of Living, addressed Semafor’s The Next 3 Billion summit in New York today. The gathering brought together heads of state and government, global institutions and business leaders to discuss how technology and digital inclusion can expand economic opportunity.
The summit’s speaker lineup included H.E. William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya, H.E. Judith Suminwa, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
DON'T MISS
In conversation with Semafor Co-Founder and CEO Justin B. Smith, Gurudev said economic growth cannot be separated from inner well-being. “Prosperity comes with peace. If there is no peace, there can’t be prosperity,” he said, a day after the International Day of Peace.
He said the gap between the haves and have-nots exists in almost every country, including the US, and needs work from both sides. People must step out of “victim consciousness” and take charge of their own progress, while those with means must rediscover empathy and the value of sharing. He also named corruption as a major reason resources fail to reach the grassroots across the Global South.
Gurudev recalled how 500 unemployed youth near an Art of Living centre in rural India turned down 200 projects offered by the government, convinced nothing would work. A two-month programme to build an entrepreneurial spirit changed that mindset. He said the same model has since been taken to Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, South Africa and other African nations.
On the workplace, he spoke about how stress disrupts communication and affects businesses, emphasising that people need a sense of belonging and security to thrive in uncertain times.
When Justin B. Smith asked Gurudev about his take on AI, he responded on a lighter note: “There’s an absence of intelligence, artificial intelligence, and absolute intelligence.”
Closing the session, Smith said that given the choice, he would pick the third.
Gurudev has also founded the Institute of Absolute Intelligence to advance scientific exploration in the field of consciousness.
