Latest news with #AIleadership
France 24
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- France 24
Tesla approves $29 bn in shares to Musk as court case rumbles on
The electric vehicle maker said in a statement it will award a distribution of 96 million Tesla shares to Musk as it "intends to compensate its CEO for his future services commensurate with his contributions to our company and shareholders." The award comes as Tesla challenges a Delaware court ruling that struck down a 2018 package of about $55.8 billion. With that appeal dragging out, Monday's announcement marks an interim step while the company develops a "longer-term CEO compensation strategy," Tesla said in a letter to shareholders. "We have recommended this award as a first step, 'good faith' payment," said the letter. "Retaining Elon is more important than ever before." Tesla 'rough' patch The move comes amid a fierce battle for top engineering talent as companies like Google and Meta compete for leadership on artificial intelligence. The Tesla letter, signed by Tesla board members Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, described Musk as a "magnet for hiring and retaining talent at Tesla," noting that Tesla is transitioning from its electric vehicle focus "to grow towards becoming a leader in AI, robotics and related services." Musk is viewed within the business world as a unique talent after his success with building Tesla and SpaceX into major global companies. But his stewardship at Tesla has come under scrutiny in the last year as car sales and profits have tumbled. This trend has been partly due to Musk's support for far-right political causes, but also is related to a sluggish rollout of new auto models after the polarizing Cybertruck sold poorly. In a July 23 Tesla earnings call, Musk warned of more potentially "rough" quarters ahead before the company's robotics and AI ventures pay off. On the call, Musk reiterated his concern about the current framework in which he holds about 13 percent of Tesla shares prior to Monday's award. "As I've mentioned before, I think my control over Tesla should be enough to ensure that it goes in a good direction, but not so much control that I can't be thrown out if I go crazy," Musk said. Tesla's statement did not explicitly mention Musk's foray into politics, which has sparked consumer boycotts and vandalism. But the letter by Denholm and Wilson-Thompson alluded to concerns that Musk's attention had drifted from the company, calling the interim package a step towards "keeping Elon's energies focused on Tesla." The massive pay package comes eight months after the judge in a Delaware court rejected Musk's even larger compensation at Tesla, denying an attempt to restore the pay deal through a shareholder vote. Musk would be required to forfeit the new compensation package should the appeals court rule in his favor and grant him the full 2018 compensation, which at the time was valued at $55.8 billion. The new payout is sure to fuel concerns about the compensation for Musk, already the world's richest man, and whether the Tesla board is placing a sufficient check on the company's chief executive.
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Harnessing Agentic AI: Enterprise Solutions For The Future
R. Srikumar is the Chief Solutions Officer at Mphasis . Not too long ago, enterprises across the globe were adopting technology gradually. Even until a few years ago, they still had the flexibility to take their time exploring the best options to enhance efficiency, streamline operations or come up with new offerings. But with GenAI's arrival, the picture is changing rapidly. We are now seeing the world experiencing the power of artificial intelligence and responding to it swiftly. GenAI shifted the gears of tech transformation and accelerated its pace, pushing enterprises not only to quickly adopt it but also to ask themselves: What's next? What more can we do to deliver seamless customer experiences, scale operations, reduce human intervention, cut costs and gain a competitive edge after GenAI? The answer appears to lie in agentic AI. So, what is agentic AI? How is it different from GenAI, which is already capable of automating tasks, generating content and freeing up human resources for more strategic tasks? What makes agentic AI the next big thing after GenAI is its ability to make decisions and take actions on its own. With agentic AI, you're not just getting answers—you're getting solutions. What's more, agentic AI operates autonomously, optimizing goals like sales, improving customer satisfaction or supply chain efficiency. It doesn't just respond; it searches databases, triggers workflows and executes tasks without constant input. This makes it a powerful tool for businesses seeking efficiency, automation and smarter decisions. It is no wonder then that in 2024, the agentic AI market was valued at a whopping $5.1 billion and is projected to exceed $47 billion within the next few years. Understanding Agentic AI's Features And Benefits Let's look at a couple of ways agentic AI could transform the business ecosystem. For instance, when an employee raises a ticket about a slow IT system, a GenAI tool might suggest troubleshooting steps or fixes, still requiring some human intervention. Agentic AI can diagnose the problem, run a solution and notify the user once resolved. The result? Faster processes and improved employee satisfaction with minimal human intervention. Agentic AI can help enterprises with myriad processes, from generating meeting notes and summaries to employee onboarding and reviews, while automating tasks. It offloads repetitive workloads, enabling employees to focus on strategic tasks like growth, innovation and enhancing customer experiences. Another benefit agentic AI brings is adaptability. These tools gather and analyze data from diverse sources, adjust strategies based on new information or changing environments, identify patterns, generate insights and enhance decision making. Businesses stand to gain greatly from their personalization and communication abilities. This is because agentic AI enables enterprises to significantly elevate customer experiences by proactively addressing pain points before they escalate. By analyzing vast amounts of past data, identifying patterns and understanding natural human language, these AI agents can anticipate customer needs and deliver personalized, timely solutions. Compared to GenAI, which generates responses based on data and historical records, agentic AI can produce solutions and take action to resolve issues autonomously. This proactive approach fosters a sense of being understood and valued, leading to increased customer satisfaction. When customers consistently experience seamless, efficient and personalized interactions, they develop a stronger affinity toward the enterprise, driving long-term loyalty and solidifying a positive brand perception. Why Enterprises Should Consider Adopting Agentic AI The capabilities of agentic AI are valuable across industries such as financial services, manufacturing, business process outsourcing (BPO) and others where automation and precision are critical for success. According to Gartner, up to 33% of all enterprise software applications will incorporate agentic AI by 2028, a significant jump from less than 1% in 2024. In financial services, agentic AI strengthens fraud detection and compliance by identifying suspicious activities in customer accounts. By autonomously analyzing transaction patterns and detecting anomalies, it helps financial institutions mitigate risks and ensure regulatory compliance. The manufacturing sector is also benefiting from agentic AI. Using sensor data from machines and components, AI agents predict maintenance needs, optimize workflows and refine product design. In the BPO industry, enterprises are leveraging agentic AI to optimize contact centers. Traditional solutions like IVR improved efficiency, but AI-driven automation goes further by reducing dependence on human agents. The possibilities with agentic AI are vast. According to Gartner, it is expected to autonomously resolve 80% of common customer service issues by 2029, without human intervention. This could cut operational costs by up to 30%. Balancing Power And Responsibility: Mitigating The Pitfalls Agentic AI offers remarkable autonomy and can deliver powerful outcomes. However, its implementation also requires careful consideration of potential risks. For instance, agentic AI can make biased decisions if trained on historical data embedded with prejudices. Take hiring processes as an example: An agentic AI trained on biased historical data may automatically reject applications based on gender, race or color. For safe, ethical and effective deployment of agentic AI, organizations must adopt a well-rounded approach that includes strong governance and accountability frameworks. Such frameworks ensure that autonomous systems operate within defined ethical and operational boundaries, with clearly assigned responsibilities. To address algorithmic bias, it is essential to use diverse, current datasets and regularly validate models for fairness and accuracy. On the data protection front, regular security audits and strict adherence to data privacy regulations can significantly enhance safeguards for sensitive information. Ultimately, this perspective must be promoted: While AI can perform tasks independently, it is still a collaborative tool—like a colleague—that helps make work more efficient and impactful. Striking the right balance between AI and human input not only establishes effective oversight but also enables employees to understand and benefit from its true potential. Today, as the world focuses on advancements to improve human-machine interactions, agentic AI emerges as the next big step to help companies become more agile, responsive and innovative. The potential is immense, but like any other technology, the implementation will involve overcoming multiple challenges. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Chief AI Officer: A Strategic Priority For Executive Search
Jamie Griffith, Founder/CEO of Echelon Search Partners - Executive Search - Healthcare, Technology and Aerospace. The chief AI officer (CAIO) role is gaining ground. A recent AWS study of over 3,700 IT decision makers found that '60% of organizations globally have appointed a dedicated AI executive, such as Chief AI Officer.' I find this trend playing out in three industries, in particular: healthcare, technology and finance. This isn't growth for its own sake—it's a clear organizational shift toward embedding strategic AI leadership. CEOs are choosing transformational leaders who can govern, deliver and guide enterprise-wide AI adoption. If your company is considering recruiting a CAIO, I recommend the following steps: Consider the CAIO's business impact. Exceptional CAIOs are enterprise architects, connecting data science with finance, HR, legal and IT. They ensure AI isn't a standalone program, but a core capability woven into every function. Winning CAIOs align infrastructure, talent and governance into a unified business engine to drive scalable, strategic impact. Top-tier CAIO candidates are defining and chairing governance councils. This includes compliance experts, clinicians and technologists as regulatory scrutiny intensifies. In healthcare, where stakes are high, this capability is a critical safeguard for ethical deployment underpinned by business value. In finance, CAIOs are leveraging AI personalization to drive measurable revenue growth. In healthcare, they're reducing diagnostic false positives through iterative model refinement. These aren't theoretical wins; they're quantifiable improvements—the exact outcomes CEOs expect. Identify your talent needs. With AI talent in fierce competition, many organizations are turning to fractional or interim CAIOs injecting expertise early, building momentum and defining roles while vetting full-time leadership. This hybrid model brings agility and external insight during critical transitions. To determine whether to seek a fractional, interim or full-time CAIO, consider these models based on your business's needs: Fractional: This is best for early-stage companies looking to implement AI and when you need fast market insights and low commitment. Interim: This is best when you're still defining role and scope. Going this route can help enable strategic clarity and team ramp. Full-time: If AI is core to your business strategy and operations and you are looking to drive long-term transformation, you'll likely want to seek a full-time CAIO. Prep for the interview. Before interviewing CAIO candidates, consider creating behavioral interview questions that focus on protocols such as strategic vision and business alignment, governance and ethics, mindset, cross-functional influence, talent strategy and team building, delivery and impact and culture and change management. Some sample questions might be: • 'Tell me how you have approached setting a strategic vision for AI that is aligned to the business goals. What challenges did you face, and what was the outcome?' • 'What methodology have you applied to AI governance and ethics? What challenges did you face, and how did you ensure team adherence?' • 'Can you share an example where you used cross-functional influence to bring about cross-functional alignment where it previously didn't exist?' Determine appropriate compensation. It's good to keep in mind that like any new hot commodity, a CAIO's market value is impacted by many factors. Talent availability, the prospective impact on the business, project scope, company size and internal equity for comparable roles are a few of the factors to consider. When it comes to comparative roles, I often see the CAIO surpass the ceiling. Another way investors are now gauging executive talent is benchmarking pay versus market norms: Too low puts you at retention risk, while too high could equal margin drag. I suggest working with your executive search firm to get current market rates based on the role, your company size and current market data. Give this decision the attention it deserves. Recruiting a CAIO is a strategic move that shapes your company's culture, ethics, infrastructure and growth, making it a mission‑critical leadership appointment. Today, executive searches for CAIOs command the same intensity and rigor once reserved for CFOs and CTOs. In a world racing to integrate AI responsibly, hiring top-tier CAIO talent is non-negotiable. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Wall Street Journal
14-06-2025
- Wall Street Journal
Why Superintelligent AI Isn't Taking Over Anytime Soon
A primary requirement for being a leader in AI these days is to be a herald of the impending arrival of our digital messiah: superintelligent AI. For Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Demis Hassabis of Google and Sam Altman of OpenAI, it isn't enough to claim that their AI is the best. All three have recently insisted that it's going to be so good, it will change the very fabric of society.
ABC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
AI possibilities big for Australia
Isabella Higgins: Could Australia become a global leader in artificial intelligence? Well, the Business Council of Australia thinks so, with the right policy settings. A report released today provides a blueprint of what is needed to make that plan a reality. But not everyone is so optimistic. Unions are worried that AI without safeguards could see many Australians lose their jobs. Elizabeth Cramsie reports. Elizabeth Cramsie: Australia is a global leader when it comes to minerals and energy production. But by as soon as 2028, it also has the chance to lead the way in artificial intelligence. Bran Black: We've got a real focus on how we can go about improving skills, how we can go about sensibly approaching regulation, what we need to do to make sure that the right type of infrastructure is in place for the utilisation of AI, and then more broadly, what we can do to try and drive research and development activity in Australia. Elizabeth Cramsie: That's Bran Black, the Chief Executive of the Business Council of Australia, which has released a plan detailing how Australia could become an AI powerhouse. Bran Black: We're a safe economy, we've got secure property rights, the rule of law, etc., abundant space and natural resources. We think that data centre location is absolutely critical. We've got highly skilled researchers, and so we'd love to see Australia as a hub for research and development. Elizabeth Cramsie: The BCA says AI could hold the key to reigniting productivity growth, which it says is critical to higher living standards. The plan lists examples from intelligent logistics and streamlined services to freeing up healthcare workers from repetitive tasks. And if Australia succeeds, the economic boost could be huge. Bran Black: General projections are that it could lead to a GDP increase of anywhere between $150 billion to $600 billion for Australia each year by 2030. Elizabeth Cramsie: Toby Walsh is the Chief Scientist at the AI Institute at the University of New South Wales. Toby Walsh: The government is going to be focused on productivity, and here is a real productivity opportunity, and it sets out a detailed plan of how actually in the next three years they could achieve significant returns, as well as ensuring that it's done in a responsible way. Elizabeth Cramsie: And Toby Walsh says while it's an ambitious timeline, AI developments are coming fast. Toby Walsh: But we need to make those investments now, otherwise we won't have that infrastructure. Similarly, the skills piece, there's a big section of the report devoted to skills, and that is investing in our future. Elizabeth Cramsie: Many parts of the Australian economy are already using AI. A good example is the mining sector, which uses automated trucks and trains. But some fear there could be unrealised downsides to such a rapid shift in technologies. Joseph Mitchell is the Assistant Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. Joseph Mitchell: Workplace surveillance has been turbocharged by AI, tracking when and where people go to the toilet. Elizabeth Cramsie: Joseph Mitchell says unions support innovation and productivity gains, but it cannot come at the cost of workers. Joseph Mitchell: What we need to guard against is the really malicious cases, or the cases where the benefit only goes to overseas big tech companies. Elizabeth Cramsie: One of the plan's proposals is for AI courses to be introduced into schools and university courses, and a national institute dedicated to best practice for the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Isabella Higgins: Elizabeth Cramsie there.
