Davos, Switzerland | It had been a big day. First, the whirlwind of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration and his subsequent flurry of executive orders. Then, the start of the World Economic Forum in Davos, the annual Alpine gabfest for the world’s top financiers, miners, management consultants and tech bros.

At a technology firm’s Davos opening night party, I fell into some quiz-style banter with two trans-Atlantic execs. “What’s your favourite movie about AI?” one asked. “What’s the job interview question you most like to ask?” said the other.