Business Leaders Discuss Finding Balance Between the Human and the Technological
Three leaders of companies that use—or advocate for using—artificial intelligence spoke in a breakout session at the 2025 TIME100 Summit about how to find the balance between human interaction and technological innovation as American consumers grapple with the rise of AI.
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
Miami Herald
28 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Thinking of getting away? A new direct flight debuts at Miami airport
Have the storms and flooding the first few days of hurricane season got you thinking of heading out of town? You may want to get over to MIA, pronto. American Airlines debuts a nonstop flight to Rome on Thursday. American Airlines' first nonstop flight between Miami International Airport and Rome's Fiumicino Airport is scheduled to depart MIA at 7:45 p.m. June 5. The roughly 10-hour trip will be aboard a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The airline will run daily service. The flight was originally planned to start in July, but increased demand pushed up the date. Miami to Europe Rome becomes the fifth city in Europe with direct flights with MIA on American Airlines. The others are Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and London. The flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport operates during the winter. 'We are strengthening our service to Europe,' Juan Carlos Liscano, the airline's vice president of MIA operations, said in an email to the Miami Herald. Other carriers fly between MIA and Italy. British Airways and Lufthansa have direct flights to Rome although not every day. Condor has service four times a week. American Airlines and MIA As MIA's largest airline, American is betting on the airport's continued growth. 'American Airlines continues to double down on Miami,' Liscano said. The carrier, which says it has about 15,000 employees based at MIA, is flying its largest summer schedule ever out of Florida's second busiest airport, and for the second straight year. Between May 16 and Sept. 2, American will operate more than 37,200 flights from MIA, about 336 per day. That's an increase of 3% in flights compared to the same period in 2024. The number of flights is also expected to grow next year with American the official North American Supplier of the FIFA World Cup and with Miami is one of the host cities. Other locales seeing more flight frequency from MIA on American this summer include: ▪ Chicago O'Hare: 8 flights daily, up from 7 daily ▪ Las Vegas: 4 flights daily, up from 3 ▪ Montego Bay: 3 flights daily, up from 2 ▪ Charleston: 3 flights daily, up from 2 ▪ Los Angeles: 8 flights daily, up from 7 ▪ New York La Guardia: 10 flights daily, up from 9 American is also adding new year-round service to Salt Lake City. And if you're looking to stay closer to home, American will start service from MIA to Sarasota-Bradenton in November.
The Hill
31 minutes ago
- The Hill
Anthropic CEO: GOP AI regulation proposal ‘too blunt'
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei criticized the latest Republican proposal to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) as 'far too blunt an instrument' to mitigate the risks of the rapidly evolving technology. In an op-ed published by The New York Times on Thursday, Amodei said the provision barring states from regulating AI for 10 years — which the Senate is now considering under President Trump's massive policy and spending package — would 'tie the hands of state legislators' without laying out a cohesive strategy on the national level. 'The motivations behind the moratorium are understandable,' the top executive of the artificial intelligence startup wrote. 'It aims to prevent a patchwork of inconsistent state laws, which many fear could be burdensome or could compromise America's ability to compete with China.' 'But a 10-year moratorium is far too blunt an instrument,' he continued. 'A.I. is advancing too head-spinningly fast. I believe that these systems could change the world, fundamentally, within two years; in 10 years, all bets are off.' Amodei added, 'Without a clear plan for a federal response, a moratorium would give us the worst of both worlds — no ability for states to act, and no national policy as a backstop.' The tech executive outlined some of the risks that his company, as well as others, have discovered during experimental stress tests of AI systems. He described a scenario in which a person tells a bot that it will soon be replaced with a newer model. The bot, which previously was granted access to the person's emails, threatens to expose details of his marital affair by forwarding his emails to his wife — if the user does not reverse plans to shut it down. 'This scenario isn't fiction,' Amodei wrote. 'Anthropic's latest A.I. model demonstrated just a few weeks ago that it was capable of this kind of behavior.' The AI mogul added that transparency is the best way to mitigate risks without overregulating and stifling progress. He said his company publishes results of studies voluntarily but called on the federal government to make these steps mandatory. 'At the federal level, instead of a moratorium, the White House and Congress should work together on a transparency standard for A.I. companies, so that emerging risks are made clear to the American people,' Amodei wrote. He also noted the standard should require AI developers to adopt policies for testing models and publicly disclose them, as well as require that they outline steps they plan to take to mitigate risk. The companies, the executive continued, would 'have to be upfront' about steps taken after test results to make sure models were safe. 'Having this national transparency standard would help not only the public but also Congress understand how the technology is developing, so that lawmakers can decide whether further government action is needed,' he added. Amodei also suggested state laws should follow a similar model that is 'narrowly focused on transparency and not overly prescriptive or burdensome.' Those laws could then be superseded if a national transparency standard is adopted, Amodei said. He noted the issue is not a partisan one, praising steps Trump has taken to support domestic development of AI systems. 'This is not about partisan politics. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have long raised concerns about A.I. and about the risks of abdicating our responsibility to steward it well,' the executive wrote. 'I support what the Trump administration has done to clamp down on the export of A.I. chips to China and to make it easier to build A.I. infrastructure here in the United States.' 'This is about responding in a wise and balanced way to extraordinary times,' he continued. 'Faced with a revolutionary technology of uncertain benefits and risks, our government should be able to ensure we make rapid progress, beat China and build A.I. that is safe and trustworthy. Transparency will serve these shared aspirations, not hinder them.'
New York Post
36 minutes ago
- New York Post
When is the right time to take your kids on their first road trip?
Age 3 and a half is when kids are the most challenging to travel with, according to new research. The survey of 2,000 American parents with children under the age of 13 asked respondents about the best — and worst — ages to go on a road trip with their children. When asked why this was the worst age, parents' top reason was because their little one gets bored easily (46%). Others said this was the worst age because their 3-and-a-half-year-old will throw a tantrum in the car (39%) and they don't enjoy road tripping at this age (31%). 5 The survey found that while 3 and a half was pinpointed as the most difficult to road trip with, age 6 was found to be the easiest. Getty Images And 55% of parents have purposefully avoided traveling with their child at certain ages because of how difficult they thought it would be. Commissioned by good2grow ahead of their On The Road campaign and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that while 3 and a half was pinpointed as the most difficult to road trip with, age 6 was found to be the easiest. Regardless of their age, parents said seven hours is the cut-off — that's the maximum length of time they're comfortable road tripping with a child under the age of 13. 5 55% of parents have purposefully avoided traveling with their child at certain ages because of how difficult they thought it would be. SWNS 5 59% of parents surveyed said road tripping is 'somewhat' or 'very' stressful. SWNS In those seven hours, parents are likely to hear 'Are we there yet?' 22 times (3.2 times per hour), experience 18 sibling fights (2.6 per hour) and deal with 14 tantrums (2 per hour) in the car. Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that 59% of parents surveyed said road tripping is 'somewhat' or 'very' stressful. 'Traveling with young kids isn't always easy, but our research shows that 93% of parents still find road trips to be a fun and memorable experience,' said good2grow VP of Brand Marketing Edzra Gibson. 'With our annual On The Road campaign, we want to help take the mess and stress out of family travel — so there's more room for smiles, laughter and connection for both kids and parents.' 5 Parents said seven hours is the cut-off — that's the maximum length of time they're comfortable road tripping with a child under the age of 13. Getty Images/iStockphoto Parents said the most stressful parts of a road trip are the prep and packing (46%), keeping their child entertained throughout the journey (36%) and the drive itself (36%). The number one way parents reduce this stress? Giving their child snacks to help keep them occupied (53%). This was followed by having movies or TV shows pre-loaded and ready for the car (52%), as well as giving their child toys to help keep them occupied (47%). 5 Parents look for snacks that don't have to be refrigerated (56%), ones that are mess-free (51%) and easy to share (51%). SWNS When it comes to the snacks they want to give their children, parents look for snacks that don't have to be refrigerated (56%), ones that are mess-free (51%) and easy to share (51%) — potentially to help prevent any additional sibling disagreements. They also prioritize snacks that come in a variety of flavors (44%) and 'better-for-you snacks' (i.e., not junk food) (32%) 'Kids' snacks and beverages are an everyday treat that helps families enjoy smooth, meltdown-free travel,' said Gibson. 'This summer, families can go the extra mile with our mess-free options with reusable packaging, packed with flavor and fun for maximum value on every adventure.' Top tips for parents taking summer road trips with their kids, based on the survey results — Pack plenty of snacks Ensure there are movies, TV shows and toys to keep their child entertained Pick a destination five hours or less away from home, to help ensure the 'perfect' trip Regardless of the length, make regular stops along the way to get out of the car Be a little flexible with the rules — maybe giving more screen time to help make it a smooth journey Survey methodology: Talker Research surveyed American parents with children under the age of 13; the survey was commissioned by good2grow and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between May 5–9, 2025.
