Leaders Discuss AI's Future in Creating Workplace Equality and Innovation
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has served as a platform to address global challenges, yet 83% of its original delegates were men. This year, the Equality Lounge® by The Female Quotient, held alongside the WEF in Davos, took bold steps to confront that disparity, fostering discussions on innovation, technology inclusion and leadership.
Central to this year's Equality Lounge® were panels like 'Algorithm for Equality: AI for Good,' which explored artificial intelligence's role in tackling global challenges such as climate change and healthcare, and 'Unveiling New Global Insights on Workplace Inclusion,' offering actionable strategies to foster innovation, reduce burnout and build inclusive workplace cultures. The lounge featured conversations with global CEOs such as Chuck Robbins of Cisco and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase & Co., highlighting its emphasis on transformational leadership.
LA Times Studios, a sponsor of the Equality Lounge®, played a pivotal role in advancing the dialogue. Anna Magzanyan, president of LA Times Studios, moderated two panels that examined how artificial intelligence (AI) can drive equality and redefine workplace roles globally. 'Our goal is to not just talk about the possibilities of AI but to harness its potential to drive meaningful change,' she said.
Watch the full panels below.
The first panel, titled 'AI Investing and Women Leadership,' brought together industry leaders Neil Malik, CEO of K1 Investment Management; Pippa Begg, CEO of Board Intelligence; and Marne Martin, CEO of Emburse. The discussion highlighted how AI intersects with women's leadership in a rapidly evolving global economy.
On managing the balance between hype and business reality, Malik stated, 'Companies that are utilizing AI and are able to generate sustainable business models don't require a leap of faith – don't require the hype.' Martin emphasized the transformative power of AI in daily operations: 'We can bring AI automation into the daily lives of finance departments that have been slow to change. And by doing that, we can really drive the growth and adoption of these technologies.'
Begg reflected on her challenges as a female leader: 'One of the things that we realized – probably being British women as well – we are not very good at singing our own praises, beating our chests. That's pretty hard when you go to raise money – less than 2% of all money raised goes to women in the UK. So we knew we needed to select investors who believed in our causes.'
Magzanyan returned to moderate the second panel, 'The AI Imperative – Driving Innovation for Global Challenges,' which featured thought leaders Michael Cohen, chief data and analytics officer at Plus Company; Neeti Mehta Shukla, co-founder and chief social impact officer of Automation Anywhere; and Naomi Morenzoni, SVP of climate and innovation philanthropy at Salesforce. This discussion explored AI's potential to address critical issues such as climate change, poverty, and inequality.
Morenzoni highlighted AI's ability to create change: 'When we look at the potential – particularly when we think about agentic AI – to drive the impact and solutions that we need, this is where we're seeing incredible transformation, particularly in sectors that have historically been asked to do more with less, like nonprofits, education, or public services.'
Addressing the risks associated with AI, Cohen noted, 'This is about risk management. The best areas of application to start with are ones where the risk of actually using the AI are the lowest and scaling up as you go. You do have to buy some risk in all of this if you want to actually make improvements and change.'
Shukla added an optimistic perspective: 'Across the board, whether it's creativity or solutions for climate change, you're going to see a plethora of innovation. Fifty percent of that will fall away, and 50% of that will survive and 10% of that will thrive. So we need to embrace it, engage with it and deliver it.'
The Equality Lounge® at Davos not only elevated the voices of women leaders but also demonstrated the power of collaboration and technology in driving meaningful change. As Magzanyan concluded, 'When we bring together diverse perspectives and innovative thinking, we lay the groundwork for a more equitable and inclusive future.'
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