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Recap: DEKRA at the World Economic Forum 2026

Trust as the foundation for innovation

Jan 27, 2026

DEKRA, the global testing, inspection, and certification organization, once again participated in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, contributing to the international exchange on safety, trust, and sustainable frameworks for technological and economic transformation. A particular highlight for the DEKRA delegation was a joint event with the company’s strategic partner Sphere Energy, which specializes in the application of artificial intelligence in battery development.

With the joint “Future Leader Summit” at the WEF Annual Meeting, DEKRA and Sphere Energy sent a strong signal in favor of trustworthy innovation. The event brought together experts from business, politics, and academia and focused on the responsible design and scaling of future technological and energy solutions.
The joint event deliberately addressed the intersection of technology, energy, and economic strategy. Three panel discussions explored artificial intelligence, future-ready energy systems, and the global competitiveness of industry.

Trust as the basis for scalable technologies

In his keynote, DEKRA CEO Stan Zurkiewicz emphasized the fact that technological performance alone is not sufficient to achieve societal acceptance and widespread adoption. “Innovation does not scale simply because it exists. It scales because it is trusted.” Such trust is created through clear standards, independent assessment, and robust testing processes, making it the decisive factor for the responsible application of technology.
Zurkiewicz also pointed to a deeply human pattern in dealing with new technologies: novelty initially creates uncertainty, and uncertainty is instinctively perceived as risk. This mechanism has safeguarded human survival for thousands of years and continues to shape our behaviors today – particularly in the face of technologies whose speed and complexity exceed our intuitive ability to assess them, including many of the technologies discussed at the WEF.

When technology moves faster than trust

AI adoption illustrates this phenomenon particularly clearly. A recent survey by EY shows that 58% of organizational leaders support implementing AI technologies only partially, indicating that even at decision-making level, trust in AI systems remains limited.
A similar pattern can be observed across enterprises in general: many organizations are actively experimenting with AI, yet struggle to scale its use across the business. Governance frameworks and risk management structures often lag behind the technology’s technical potential, while insufficient confidence in AI-generated outputs and concerns around data confidentiality limit broader adoption.
“This gap between technological capabilities and trust is the real bottleneck to scaling,” Zurkiewicz emphasized. Without trust, innovation leads to caution, risk aversion, and ultimately stalled investment decisions. This is precisely where DEKRA, as an independent testing, inspection, and certification organization, plays a crucial role.

Partnership for secure, data-driven battery validation

The Future Leader Summit also provided another opportunity to highlight the strategic partnership between DEKRA and Sphere Energy. The goal is to develop intelligent, data-driven methods for validating battery systems. By combining DEKRA’s expertise in testing, inspection, and certification with Sphere Energy’s data- and AI-based models, battery testing processes are set to become more efficient, safer, and more robust – a decisive contribution to the reliable electrification of mobility and energy systems.

WEF 2026: A forum for dialogue on global challenges

The World Economic Forum 2026 was held under the guiding theme “A Spirit of Dialogue” and addressed five key global challenges:
  • Cooperation in an increasingly contested world
  • Unlocking new sources of growth
  • Investing in people
  • Scaling innovation responsibly
  • Building prosperity within planetary boundaries
Within this broad thematic framework, the DEKRA delegation – which included the DEKRA Management Board – took part in numerous additional panels and discussions.
“The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is far more than a conference for us,” said CEO Stan Zurkiewicz. “It is a central platform where political decision-makers, business, and society work together on answers to the major transformation challenges of our time. For DEKRA, participation is essential in order to contribute our perspective as an independent safety partner, and to actively help shape how trust, resilience, and future viability are built globally.”
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