Business Leaders Discuss Finding Balance Between the Human and the Technological
At the event, Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, a travel technology company which is parent to Booking.com—a sponsor of the Summit—looked back at last year's TIME 100 gathering, when he advocated for incorporating AI into companies as long as it was done 'with a human touch.'
This year, Fogel says that the acceleration of AI is both more exciting and more scary than ever before. Though Booking.com does not yet have digital travel agents, Fogel says the company is 'very close' to this kind of AI application.
'I think that's both good and bad,' Fogel said. 'If it's able to do things more efficiently, make things better, make all of your experiences better, that's great. But as it continues to replace human labor, how do we deal with our societal changes?'
The breakout session, titled 'Reimagining Innovation: Leadership in a Changing World,' was moderated by Edward Felsenthal, former editor-in-chief of TIME Magazine. Joining Fogel were Tim Cadogan, CEO of GoFundMe, and Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, CEO of accounting software company Xero.
Cadogan— a 2025 TIME 100 honoree —said that the goal of GoFundMe, a crowdfunding platform where individuals can raise money for various personal or charitable causes, was to begin with the human stories of those asking for help, and to use technology to amplify those narratives. Research shows that it is hard to ask for help, Cadogan says, and he believes that technology can help individuals bridge that difficult gap and advocate for themselves. This includes creating prompts, headlines, and various 'smart suggestions.'
Even with that, Cadogan said, 'authenticity is fundamental…You have to start with the personal story, and then you help through the technologies and bring that story out and articulate it, and then spread it as widely as you can. That's the balancing act; how do you get the right amount of the personal situation and then use the technology to help it become successful?'
Cassidy, who, with Xero, provides accounting software to small businesses, says that AI is a 'net positive' and that it can help level the playing field for small businesses. She says that AI can be incredibly useful in helping small businesses remain competitive 'driver[s] of economies,' She did not, however, downplay the risks of the technology.
'Look, I am a believer that AI, like anything, is an enabler. But you know, you want to use it rather than have it do something to you,' she said. '[AI] does, I believe, let people explore all their potential, and leave the more routine and automated tasks to tools, and gives them back time.'
All the same, Cassidy made sure to emphasize that a small business's brand cannot be faked with AI. When a brand is authentic, she said, 'you won't ever lose the promise of a brand, the promise of community, the promise of connection.'
---
The TIME100 Summit convenes leaders from the global TIME100 community to spotlight solutions and encourage action toward a better world. This year's summit features a variety of speakers across a diverse range of sectors, including business, health and science, AI, culture, and more.
Speakers for the 2025 TIME100 Summit include human rights advocate Yulia Navalnaya; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; comedian Nikki Glaser; climate justice activist Catherine Colman Flowers; Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, and many more, plus a performance by Nicole Scherzinger.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
D.Law Named to Inc.'s 2025 Best Workplaces List
The annual list recognizes the businesses that set the standard for workplace success and awards excellence in company culture is proud to announce it has been named to Inc.'s 2025 Best Workplaces list, honoring companies that have built exceptional workplaces and vibrant cultures that support their teams and businesses. This year's list, featured on is the result of comprehensive measurement and evaluation of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company cultures – whether inperson or remote. The award process involved a detailed employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, covering critical elements such as management effectiveness, perks, professional development and overall company culture. Each company's benefits were also audited to determine overall score and ranking. is honored to be included among the 514 companies recognized this year. 'At we believe our people are the heartbeat of everything we do. From professional growth opportunities to team celebrations and community involvement, we're committed to cultivating a workplace where everyone feels empowered, supported, and inspired to do their best work,' said Emil Davtyan, founder and managing attorney. 'Being named one of Inc.'s Best Workplaces confirms that our focus on people-first culture makes a meaningful difference. We're proud to be part of a new generation of firms that are redefining what it means to be in this profession.' Founded in 2015, is a purpose-driven law firm focused on providing compassionate, effective legal services to clients across California. With a team-oriented approach and an emphasis on continuous learning, has quickly built a reputation for both its client service and its inclusive internal culture. The firm is part of a growing movement to redefine what it means to be an employment law firm by putting people, empathy and impact at the center of everything it does. 'Inc.'s Best Workplaces program celebrates the exceptional organizations whose workplace cultures address their employees' welfare and needs in meaningful ways,' says Bonny Ghosh, editorial director at Inc. 'As companies expand and adapt to changing economic forces, maintaining such a culture is no small feat. Yet these honorees have not only achieved it – they continue to elevate the employee experience through thoughtful benefits, engagement, and a deep commitment to their teams. is an employment law firm dedicated to defending the rights of workers under California employment law. Based in Los Angeles with offices throughout the state, represents workers in every industry, whether they work for large corporations or small companies. specializes in the full range of employment law, including wrongful termination, pay and overtime issues, discrimination and harassment, workplace retaliation, leaves of absence and more. attorneys have over 350 years of collective experience in employment law and have helped over 150,000 workers get more than $1.5 billion in settlements.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Two Carnival cruise passengers drown hours apart at newly opened private Celebration Key resort
Two American tourists drowned hours apart at Carnival's private Bahamas resort on Friday, less than a month since the cruise line opened the $600 million Caribbean getaway destination. Carnival officials told the Post that the 'water emergency incidents' involving guests traveling on two different ships happened at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island. 'Carnival lifeguards and medical teams working at the resort responded to both incidents, one occurring in the lagoon and the other at the beach,' a Carnival Cruise spokesperson said. Advertisement The Carnival passengers were identified as a 79-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman, both American nationals, according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, who opened investigations into the deaths. 7 Carnival Cruise Line's Celebration Key private resort on Grand Bahama, Bahamas. Christopher Sadowski The unidentified man was snorkeling at the beach when he became unresponsive just before noon on Aug. 15, officials said. Advertisement A lifeguard rushed to rescue the man from the water and brought him to shore, where CPR was administered, but the man was pronounced dead a short time later. The second suspected drowning happened at around 2:30 p.m. when the 74-year-old tourist was found unresponsive while swimming in a pool. Autopsies are being performed on both cruise passengers to determine the exact cause of death, officials said. 7 Christopher Sadowski Advertisement 7 People swim in the freshwater lagoon at Celebration Key on Aug. 2, 2025. Christopher Sadowski One of the passengers had traveled to the Caribbean island with family on a six-day Eastern Bahama trip aboard the Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral, Fla. The other passenger had traveled on the Carnival Elation out of Jacksonville, Fla., for a four-day trip. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance,' Carnival told the Post. Advertisement 7 Carnival's Mardi Gras docked at Port Canaveral, Florida, on June 4, 2021. TNS 7 Carnival Cruise Elation traveled from Jacksonville, Florida to Celebration Key before the fatal drownings. Carnival Cruises The fatal drownings happened less than a month after the luxurious resort opened on July 19. Celebration Key, described as the 'Key to Paradise,' is an exclusive travel destination opened only for Carnival guests that features five marquee attractions, including the 'largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean.' The hotspot features 275,000 square foot lagoons — Starfish and Calypso — and an 11,000 square foot infinity pool at the Pearl Cove Beach Club. The adult-friendly Calypso Lagoon boasts 'the world's largest swim-up bar' with 166 seats. 7 The beach resort of Celebration Key with the main water slide attraction in the background. Christopher Sadowski 7 Celebration Key, described as the 'Key to Paradise,' is a $600 million exclusive travel destination opened only for Carnival guests. Christopher Sadowski Advertisement The cruise line offers additional excursions during the stop, including paddleboarding, dining options and bars. The newly opened resort has a pier with space for two ships to dock, with future plans looking to expand to hold additional ships. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy gushed over the $600 million investment as an 'extraordinary milestone' when the cruise line opened its doors to guests last month. 'Celebration Key is more than just a beautiful place; it's a celebration of the Bahamian paradise our guests love, complemented by an impressive variety of incredible new experiences and offerings,' Duffy said. 'We've built the ultimate beach day for our guests whether they crave fun in the sun or relaxation under a palm tree.'
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Bolivia heads to the polls as its right-wing opposition eyes first victory in decades
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivians headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in presidential and congressional elections that could spell the end of the Andean nation's long-dominant leftist party and see a right-wing government elected for the first time in over two decades. The election on Sunday is one of the most consequential for Bolivia in recent times — and one of the most unpredictable. Even at this late stage, a remarkable 30% or so of voters remain undecided. Polls show the two leading right-wing candidates, multimillionaire business owner Samuel Doria Medina and former President Jorge Fernando 'Tuto' Quiroga, locked in a virtual dead heat. Many undecided voters But a right-wing victory isn't assured. Many longtime voters for the governing Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party, now shattered by infighting, live in rural areas and tend to be undercounted in polling. With the nation's worst economic crisis in four decades leaving Bolivians waiting for hours in fuel lines, struggling to find subsidized bread and squeezed by double-digit inflation, the opposition candidates are billing the race as a chance to alter the country's destiny. 'I have rarely, if ever, seen a situational tinderbox with as many sparks ready to ignite,' Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez, founding partner of Aurora Macro Strategies, a New York-based advisory firm, writes in a memo. Breaking the MAS party's monopoly on political power, he adds, pushes 'the country into uncharted political waters amid rising polarization, severe economic fragility and a widening rural–urban divide.' Bolivia could follow rightward trend The outcome will determine whether Bolivia — a nation of about 12 million people with the largest lithium reserves on Earth and crucial deposits of rare earth minerals — follows a growing trend in Latin America, where right-wing leaders like Argentina's libertarian Javier Milei, Ecuador's strongman Daniel Noboa and El Salvador's conservative populist Nayib Bukele have surged in popularity. A right-wing government in Bolivia could trigger a major geopolitical realignment for a country now allied with Venezuela's socialist-inspired government and world powers such as China, Russia and Iran. Conservative candidates vow to restore US relations Doria Medina and Quiroga have praised the Trump administration and vowed to restore ties with the United States — ruptured in 2008 when charismatic, long-serving former President Evo Morales expelled the American ambassador. The right-wing front-runners also have expressed interest in doing business with Israel, which has no diplomatic relations with Bolivia, and called for foreign private companies to invest in the country and develop its rich natural resources. After storming to office in 2006 at the start of the commodities boom, Morales, Bolivia's first Indigenous president, nationalized the nation's oil and gas industry, using the lush profits to reduce poverty, expand infrastructure and improve the lives of the rural poor. After three consecutive presidential terms, as well as a contentious bid for an unprecedented fourth in 2019 that set off popular unrest and led to his ouster, Morales has been barred from this race by Bolivia's constitutional court. His ally-turned-rival, President Luis Arce, withdrew his candidacy for the MAS on account of his plummeting popularity and nominated his senior minister, Eduardo del Castillo. As the party splintered, Andrónico Rodríguez, the 36-year-old president of the senate who hails from the same union of coca farmers as Morales, launched his bid. Ex-president Morales urges supports to deface ballots Rather than back the candidate widely considered his heir, Morales, holed up in his tropical stronghold and evading an arrest warrant on charges related to his relationship with a 15-year-old girl, has urged his supporters to deface their ballots or leave them blank. Voting is mandatory in Bolivia, where some 7.9 million Bolivians are eligible to vote. Doria Medina and Quiroga, familiar faces in Bolivian politics who both served in past neoliberal governments and have run for president three times before, have struggled to stir up interest as voter angst runs high. 'There's enthusiasm for change but no enthusiasm for the candidates,' said Eddy Abasto, 44, a Tupperware vendor in Bolivia's capital of La Paz torn between voting for Doria Medina and Quiroga. 'It's always the same, those in power live happily spending the country's money, and we suffer.' Conservative candidates say austerity needed Doria Medina and Quiroga have warned of the need for a painful fiscal adjustment, including the elimination of Bolivia's generous food and fuel subsidies, to save the nation from insolvency. Some analysts caution this risks sparking social unrest. 'A victory for either right-wing candidate could have grave repercussions for Bolivia's Indigenous and impoverished communities,' said Kathryn Ledebur, director of the Andean Information Network, a Bolivian research group. 'Both candidates could bolster security forces and right-wing para-state groups, paving the way for violent crackdowns on protests expected to erupt over the foreign exploitation of lithium and drastic austerity measures.' All 130 seats in Bolivia's Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Parliament, are up for grabs, along with 36 in the Senate, the upper house. If, as is widely expected, no one receives more than 50% of the vote, or 40% of the vote with a lead of 10 percentage points, the top two candidates will compete in a runoff on Oct. 19 for the first time since Bolivia's 1982 return to democracy.
