One area in particular that needs careful study is the use of AI as a companion, Bird said. "I think this is one of the most important questions we are working to figure out because there is so much potential upside here, but you have to think, 'What are the controls and guard rails around it?'" State of play: Microsoft's AI chief Mustafa Suleyman recently told Axios the company is aiming to build safer, more human-centered frontier models.
For much of the world, technology has become so intertwined with our day-to-day lives that it influences everything. Our relationships, the care we seek, how we work, what we do to protect ourselves, even the things we choose to learn and when. It would be understandable to read this as a dystopian nightmare conjured up by E.M. Forster or Ernest Cline. Yet, we are on the verge of something fundamentally different. We've caught glimpses of a future that values autonomy, empathy, and individual expertise.
Ten major philanthropic organizations are banding together to ensure that regular Americans, not just a small group of tech billionaires, have a say in how AI will shape society and who will benefit. The organizations announced Tuesday the formation of Humanity AI, a $500-million five-year initiative aimed at ensuring artificial intelligence serves people and communities rather than replacing or diminishing them.
As generative AI, automation, and geopolitical shifts reshape the business landscape, leadership itself is undergoing a transformation. The traditional levers-capital, strategy, market timing-still matter. But increasingly, competitive advantage is determined by how leaders respond to a new set of questions: Are you treating silicon as a commodity or as a strategic asset? Can your infrastructure grow without exceeding your energy budget?
