Panel discussion during the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit.
Photograph by Kim Utley/Fortune
So, when we’re talking about AI, man, it’s like this love-hate relationship, you know? It’s got so much promise, but it’s also scary as hell. It’s like walking on a tightrope, not knowing if you’re gonna fall or soar.
So, here’s the deal. At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, Calif., we had some heavy hitters from PwC, Google DeepMind, Slack, and IBM talking about the risks and rewards of AI. And let me tell ya, these folks had some interesting things to say.
Check this out, man. Slack CEO Lidiane Jones, she’s optimistic about AI and how it can boost worker productivity. Ya know, like automate the boring stuff so we can focus on being creative and reducing burnout. She’s callin’ it a “productivity revolution.”
And then we got Kate Woolley from IBM, who’s all about accelerating innovation with AI, man. She sees it as a golden opportunity to push the boundaries and bring on some serious change. It’s like she believes in the power of AI to shape the future for our kids, you know?
But wait, there’s more. Lila Ibrahim, the COO of Google DeepMind, she’s got faith in AI too. She sees its potential to transform the world for the better. Like, she’s thinkin’ about her daughters and what kind of world they’re gonna grow up in. It’s all about that next generation, man.
Now, let’s talk about Mitra Best from PwC. She dropped some knowledge about how we’re at a turning point with AI. Like, it’s been around for a while, but now we’re talking about generative AI, man. It’s a game changer. It’s gonna redefine our work and infiltrate every aspect of our lives. It’s like this powerful force that can make or break the future, you know?
But here’s the thing, dude. Best wants to make sure that AI enhances the human experience, not replace it. We gotta be careful, man. There are risks involved, like bias, misinformation, widening the digital divide, and eroding trust. That’s some heavy stuff, man.
So, how do we protect ourselves from these risks? Well, Lila Ibrahim laid it out. She’s talkin’ about three major risks: misinformation and bias, misuse and bad actors, and long-term risks. We gotta come together, man. These companies need to collaborate and work with civil societies to make sure we don’t keep perpetuating those biases, you know?
Mitra Best and her team came up with this cool tool called bias analyzer. It checks decision-making algorithms against what’s expected and flags any potential biases. It’s all about keeping these companies accountable for the tech they’re creating, man. It’s like they gotta do the right thing.
At the end of it all, someone in the audience brought up humanizing AI, man. It’s like these digital companies are popping up left and right, and they’re tryna act all human and stuff. But Best, she ain’t havin’ it. She doesn’t believe AI is human, dude. It’s a tool that extends our capabilities and creativity. She wants the narrative to change, man.
