AI is a hot topic for the world's top CEOs right now, and it's what inspired us to host Brainstorm AI London, our first-ever European AI conference.
Chairperson luckThe two-day conference, featuring Ellie Austin and Jeremy Kahn from the University of California, San Francisco, offered a glimpse into the future of a world powered and accelerated by AI. Transformation was a major theme throughout the sessions, with examples ranging from Beethoven's Symphony No. 10 (conceived by the composer during his lifetime and completed by AI) to synthetic media, the creation of artificial media by automated means. Some people think synthetic media could cost me my job.
On the surface, AI may seem like something new, but history and myth tell a different story. Many historians and classical scholars trace it back as a concept to the ancient Greek story of Pandora. In the oldest texts, Pandora is described as an artificial evil woman created by Hephaestus, sent to Earth to punish humans for discovering fire. Upon arrival, she opens the eponymous box and unleashes countless plagues and problems on the world. With regards to AI, will we repeat the same mistakes?
There is a lot of talk today about AI causing the kind of disruption we last saw during the Industrial Revolution. At Google's Zeitgeist conference, a recent gathering of Europe's top CEOs, one economist stoked fears by announcing that this time, the middle class will feel the pain. He predicted that it could take up to 70 years for middle-class incomes to recover, just as it did during the first Industrial Revolution, when the working class waited decades for an increase in their take-home pay.
Throughout the history of business, you either adapt or die. Most companies last only a few decades before falling victim to the latest disruptive technology. Now in its 70th edition, the Fortune 500 list features many companies that have evolved to keep up with the times. For decades, the ranking of America's largest companies by revenue has documented the transformation of business, from the manufacturing-dominated 1950s to today's world focused on Big Tech, healthcare, and retail. Phil Wahba takes a deep dive into the growing trend of corporate museums, showcasing how companies are connecting with their history to better guide their employees' sense of purpose for the future.
Few companies have benefited more from the recent generative AI boom than Microsoft, which ranked 13th on this year's Fortune 500 list. A decade ago, the Redmond, Washington-based software giant felt lackluster, dull and far from innovative. Under Satya Nadella, Microsoft's future looks brighter than ever. As Jeremy Kahn reports from accompanying Nadella on a tour of Southeast Asian customers, Microsoft's latest big bet, generative AI, is paying off in a big way. What drives Nadella is the constant fear of missing out on the next big thing, as he tells Kahn: “If you don't have anything relevant, you have no God-given right to exist.”
The ancient Greeks would have understood Nadella's lesson well: beware of hubris. In the age of AI, where any company must adapt or risk being lost in the history books, it's an important lesson for us all.
Alex Wood Morton
Editor in Chief, Europe luck
Alex Woodmorton
This article appears in the June/July 2024 Europe issue. luck The headline was “AI reaches maturity.”
