Throughout history, the ambition of technological progress has always been driven by the pursuit of human prosperity. But with AI, we are closer to a fundamental examination of fulfilling this promise for the next generation.
In my role as CTO at SAS, I talk to a lot of organizations about the future of technology, including… Amnesty International Adoption, workforce impact and process governance. Maintaining an open dialogue is important, not only because we need to understand all the nuances of AI, but also because we are using it to reshape the way we live and work – and we have to do it the right way.
I’ll share some of the questions I’ve been receiving from other technology and business leaders, along with my answers.
Why do I need artificial intelligence?
Every day, the gap between the volume of data being generated and the ability of humans to consume and understand it is widening. This information overload creates fatigue and opportunities. Companies that learn faster in this data-intensive environment gain a competitive advantage. However, companies are built on employees and technology. Artificial intelligence is a breakthrough innovation that enables us to expand the scope of human observation and decision-making – and bridge the information gap.
How do you define success with AI?
Always start with the problem you are trying to solve before thinking about the technology you need. This is a time-tested strategy. The right technology solves your business challenges. For example, Generative artificial intelligenceIts strength is in reasoning from unstructured data, but its weakness is in quantitative analysis. For this reason, a full range of artificial intelligence is needed, incl Machine learning For quantitative analysis, generative AI for natural language interactions, and the architecture that orchestrates it all. But I also see many organizations repurposing their AI budget to implement long-overdue automation when AI is no longer needed at all. Simply put, you should let the problem lead you to the right technology, which in turn leads to successful business outcomes.
Will agentic AI disappear as large language model context windows become larger?
Infinite context windows don’t seem to be the solution. They may be useful, but there are diminishing returns, because at some point, the ability to navigate generalized models for a specific task becomes more complex. An agent AI workflow consists of understanding the user’s goal, developing a plan for covert missions, coordinating tools to achieve these missions, evaluating the results, and responding. The Large Language Model (LLM) plays an important role, but it is just one technology in the larger coordination required to deliver reliable decision making using agent AI.
How important is governance when it comes to trust and responsible AI?
As I said earlier, companies that learn faster in their industries gain a competitive advantage. But companies are built on people and technology, and AI is a critical technology for expanding employee learning. Strong AI governance provides the guardrails needed for employees to learn faster, scale impact, and reduce risks to businesses and customers. This is not just my opinion. Modern IDC report commissioned by SAS She emphasized that organizations that focus on governance, explainability, and ethical safeguards – all of which are foundations for building trust – have achieved a greater return on investment from AI initiatives.
What is the new role of the employee in the age of artificial intelligence?
Since the beginning of the information age, employees have followed the 80/20 principle of analysis. They spent 80% of their time collecting and organizing data, and only 20% of their time analyzing it. For the first time in history, we have the opportunity to reverse this ratio using artificial intelligence. This means that the employee’s new role is to develop critical thinking skills to ensure AI results are accurate, align with business objectives, and avoid unintended consequences. This also means that leaders must provide the psychological safety to discuss AI-powered answers. Over time, the employee’s role eventually shifts from organizing data to verifying it.
Can you make a bold prediction for the AI market in 2026?
Many companies will take advantage of artificial intelligence to reduce their workforce. Why? Because it is the easiest and fastest way to achieve ROI from artificial intelligence. However, this short-sighted approach hinders future business growth. There is no doubt that AI will impact the nature of jobs, but the world needs bold and inspiring leaders to invest in their workforce through this constant change.Same IDC report I’ve found organizations focused on customer experience, market share, and agility have higher core AI goals than those that simply focus on cost reduction. When we empower people with AI — rather than displacing them to cut costs — we free up their time to work on solving higher-value problems, drive new revenue growth, and gain a competitive advantage for their business.
As I said at the beginning, the ambition of technological progress has always been driven by the pursuit of human prosperity. Let’s keep this promise.
