Porat sat down with Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell on Day 2 of the summit. Of the buildout, she said, "we do see this as an opportunity that extends for quite some time." Fortune ranks her No. 11 on this year's Most Powerful Women list.
Porat came to Google in 2015 from Wall Street. She brought rigor, transparency, and discipline to a company that had moved beyond search and advertising into robots, autonomous vehicles, solar-powered drones, and wearables.
Her take on AI's impact runs more Main Street than Silicon Valley, according to Fortune's recap. She talked about investing in skilled trades, energy capacity, and trust around AI. She also gave a warning. "If we don't collectively fortify the downside risk (of AI), we will not have the opportunity to capture the upside."
Fortune's CEO Daily newsletter that morning also flagged a projection that more than half of all U.S. Work hours might be automated by 2035. It reported frantic selling in Asia as chip stocks nosedived, too.
Porat says 2027 will cost even more.