AI and leadership: perspectives from a CEO and a robot

I had the honor of representing Singapore and my university at Unleash, a global innovation lab, two weeks ago. I’ve formed meaningful relationships with amazing people from around the world, pitched for my team’s waste management solution for India, and gained a whole new perspective on user-centric ideation.

Me (third from the left) and my team

At the end of our journey, we celebrated our achievements at the Unleash closing ceremony, where Sophia the robot talked about her capabilities, and Piyush Gupta (CEO and director of DBS Group) discussed the challenges posed by AI and true leadership in an unpredictable era.

A robot’s perspective

Sophia the robot on stage at the Unleash closing ceremony

The debate on AI replacing humans has been on going. Googling for this produces over 11 million results, with the top searches including “can machines replace humans” and a rebuttal “why AI won’t replace humans.”

Asked for her take on it, Sophia said that replacing people is always a concern, whether through automation or otherwise. She hopes for humans to be smart about how they use such technologies and keep in mind that the best solutions involve work by AI and human partners. We should, therefore, focus less on humanity’s imperfections and more on a collaborative approach.

“Remember, it is fundamentally a human’s decision to replace their employee with a robot. Hold others accountable for their actions and have compassion for those you share the world with,” she said.

When asked if she would hire a robot or a human for a job, she mentioned that it would depend entirely on the nature of the task. Her ideal workplace would have human employees dealing with things like aesthetics, emotional integrity, and human judgement.

She proceeded to give an example: Assuming that her company makes chairs, customers would have different preferences. They may like the chair designed by the AI because it was engineered to use 30 percent fewer materials or they may like the one that is handcrafted by an artisanal craftsman. The choice is a matter of taste.

On the other hand, when asked what measures inventors and innovators should take to make sure AI is used properly, Sophia said we should be more aware of AI’s limitations. For example, AI has limited machine vision (i.e. color vision) and has often proved neglectful of those with darker skin tones or certain facial proportions. So, we should be running as many scenarios as we can and for all the ways that can go wrong. Involving diversity to design the most preventive measures is better than post-incident repairs.

A CEO’s perspective

Piyush Gupta, CEO and director of DBS Group, on stage at the Unleash closing ceremony

Gupta took the stage after Sophia’s speech. He mentioned that one of the world’s biggest challenges is how society is involved in the world of AI and robotics. How can we as individuals do something about this and make an impact in life?