A Survival Guide To Our Superpowered Future

Mastering AI by Jeremy Kahn is absolutely a must-read for every business leader who wants to better understand the history and evolution of AI (Artificial Intelligence), and more important, the promise and perils of AI for businesses and society. Even if you think you have a basic understanding of AI, this book is an essential resource for you.

That is because Kahn delivers not only a timely, thorough and thought-provoking examination of AI’s benefits to humanity as well as its potentially chilling dangers, but also and vitally, a declaration for how we should proceed as AI evolves.

Reading Mastering AI reminded me of the popular The Popcorn Report by Faith Popcorn – where in 1992 she identified and forecasted trends to chart the future's impact on our businesses, our lives, and our world.

Similarly, Fortune magazine journalist, Kahn, draws on his expertise and extensive contacts among the companies and scientists at the forefront of artificial intelligence to offer dramatic predictions of AI’s impact over the next decade, from reshaping our economy and the way we work, learn, and create to unknitting our social fabric, jeopardizing our democracy, and fundamentally altering the way we think.

Kahn explains that AI depends on three components:

Algorithms
Computing Power
Data

What AI does:

AI processes massive amounts of data, looking for patterns to model decision-making.
AI enables computers and machines to simulate human intelligence and problem-solving capabilities
AI technology can process substantial amounts of data in ways, unlike humans.

Within the next five years, Kahn predicts AI will disrupt almost every industry and enterprise, with vastly increased efficiency and productivity.

For example, Kahn foresees that AI will restructure the workforce, making AI “copilots” necessary for every knowledge worker.

“Almost every professional, in fields from accounting to medicine to architecture, will be using an AI copilot, helping to automate many routine tasks in their jobs and acting as a kind of digital colleague,” says Kahn.

And away from work, Kahn forecasts that AI will:

Revamp education, meaning children around the world can have personal, portable tutors.
Revolutionize health care, making individualized, targeted pharmaceuticals more affordable.
Compel us to reimagine how we make art, compose music, and write and publish books.

“The potential of generative AI to extend our skills, talents, and creativity as humans is undeniably exciting and promising,” shares Kahn.

However, “while this new technology has a bright future, it also casts a dark and fearful shadow,” warns Kahn.

Kahn explains that if not carefully designed and vigilantly regulated AI will deepen income inequality, depressing wages while imposing winner-take-all markets across much of the economy.

Also, continuing a process begun by the internet, AI will rewire our brains, likely inhibiting our ability to think critically, to remember, and even to have a good relationship with one another—unless we all take decisive action to prevent this from happening.

“Yes, this technology is strange and frightening, but it is also exciting and fabulous in equal measure,” says Kahn. He adds that “like every technology that has come before, we can master AI. But to do so, we must master ourselves. We must apply our own natural intelligence, creativity, and wisdom. If this is indeed the last invention humanity ever creates, we’d better make it good.”

Jeremy Kahn

Kahn shares these additional insights for business leaders:

Question: In general, what are the most important factors to consider when thinking about how a company can use AI to gain a competitive advantage?

Kahn: For most companies, their competitive advantage will come from any proprietary data they have that can give them a competitive edge.

For large rights holding organizations—such as publishers, movie studios, record labels, pharmaceutical companies, and others with big IP (intellectual property) libraries—this advantage could potentially come from this back catalog of intellectual property.

But for the majority of companies, the really unique data they have is their own customer data. If they can use that data correctly, AI should allow them to do a better job of market segmentation and then targeting those segments with much more personalized advertising and offers, and possibly, depending on the business, with more personalized products.

Then the other kind of data that organizations have that might give them a competitive advantage is all the tacit knowledge that is not documented anywhere but exists in the minds and experience of their best performing employees—the people who are true experts and masters of their professional craft (be that sales or operations or legal work).

Until now, there was no good way to turn that tacit knowledge into data that a company could use. But AI offers a way to potentially capture that tacit knowledge and turn it into data that AI can then process and use to help uplift the performance of workers across the organization. The only big question will be, how best to capture that data so that tacit knowledge can be extracted? The businesses that can figure this out first will have a competitive advantage over others.

Question: How should a business leader incorporate thoughts of AI into his/her five-year planning?

Kahn: Leaders need to start thinking now about how AI could potentially reshape the competitive landscape of their industry:

How might it upend existing business models?
Are you ready for that shift?
How can you defend your business and position it to excel if AI does become the dominant technology platform in the next five years?

For many leaders, they should begin experimenting with AI now and see what they can do with today's software. But they should also realize that the AI being used today will probably be the worst AI they will use.

So, they need to project ahead and plan for AI that will be much more capable within five years. For most businesses, this means they should not train their own models but should instead look to buy from outside vendors. They should also try to architect the use of AI in their systems so they are not locked into a particular model or vendor over the long term but could potentially, in a modular way, slot in different models into that architecture.

What they should definitely do is make sure they have a good handle on all of their data, make sure it is cleaned up, and make sure it is in a form that can easily be accessed by AI to perform useful tasks. That digital transformation is the fundamental foundation on which all else will be built.

___

Reading Mastering AI will improve your understanding of the technology (pros and cons), spur your imagination for what is possible, and encourage you to embrace what is necessary to keep AI at bay.

Kahn is an award-winning journalist for Fortune magazine, where he covers artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. In addition to cover stories and features, he writes Fortune’s weekly Eye on AI newsletter and cochairs its Brainstorm AI technology conferences.

Previously, he wrote about technology, including AI, for Bloomberg. His writing on a range of subjects has also appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Smithsonian magazine, The Boston Globe, The New Republic, and Slate.

Thank you to the book’s publisher for sending me an advance copy of the book.

Comments

Six-pillar Roadmap For How To Move From Merely Surviving To Truly Mattering

In the new book, The Mattering Effect: Creating A Life Of Meaning And Worth , podcaster and author John R. Miles reframes today’s most common struggles and empowers individuals and institutions alike to break bad habits and reclaim a sense of worth and belonging. “Organizations have spent the last decade chasing 'engagement' and 'psychological safety,' yet global productivity is stalling and 60% of employees report they do not feel valued in the places where they spend their days,” shares Miles. He calls this “The Great Erasure”—a condition where high-achievers become highly visible to the organization while becoming invisible to themselves. In addition, Miles argues that many of today’s most common struggles—burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and disengagement—are not personal failures or mindset problems. They are the result of unmattering: the gradual erosion of felt significance within modern systems that reward performance while overlooking presence. Fortu...

Seven Ways To Be A Collaborative Leader

Edward M. Marshall 's book, Transforming The Way We Work -- The Power Of The Collaborative Workplace , remains relevant today, more than a decade after Marshall wrote it. Particularly useful is the book's section that teaches readers how to be a collaborative leader. Marshall says that there are seven different, important roles and responsibilities of collaborative leaders when leading teams , and those leaders should select the appropriate style to meet the team's needs. The seven roles are : The leader as sponsor -- You provide strategic direction, boundaries and coaching for the team. You also monitor progress and ensure integrity in the team's operating processes. The leader as facilitator -- You ensure that meetings, team dynamics, and interpersonal relationships function effectively. You also ensure internal coordination of activities among team members. The leader as coach -- You provide support and guidance and you serve as a sounding board. The lea...

How To Improve The Way Teams Think, Collaborate And Make Decisions Under Pressure

“Great decisions don’t happen by accident—they happen by design,” shares Dr. Ricardo Valerdi , author of the new book, The Five-Tool Team: Bringing Out The Best In People To Make Better Decisions . This book is not about finding perfect answers. It is about building a framework that allows you to make good decisions repeatedly, even when conditions are imperfect, information is incomplete, and outcomes are uncertain. More specifically, Valerdi reveals a practical framework for improving the way individuals and teams think, collaborate, and make decisions under pressure. Drawing on lessons from sports, business, engineering, and real-world experience, Valerdi shows how the most effective leaders build teams that question assumptions, analyze consequences, and make choices grounded in clarity rather than instinct or urgency. “Writing this book has been a phenomenal journey that started in 2018 when I was a visiting professor at the United States Military Ac...

How To Be A Tough Enough Leader

Tomorrow brings a compelling and timely book about how tough enough you need to be as a leader to lead your team to greatness without being a jerk. The book is Tough Enough , by leadership coaches John Baird and Matt Hunter . The authors explain that building a high-performing team requires a new form of toughness―not based on bullying and bravado, but rather pushing for exceptional results in a way that is firm, fair, and respectful. Drawing on decades of coaching top CEOs, elite founders, and ambitious leaders, Baird and Hunter break down seven specific habits that define the strongest, most effective leaders, from being clear about the company culture to strategically unleashing emotional thunder. They set the record straight on when to prioritize understanding and empathy, when it’s time to be direct―and, most importantly, how to do both at the same time. Their no-nonsense approach gives readers the tools to calibrate their toughness and compassion in a ...

James G. Ellis Shares The Leadership Lessons Behind A Lasting Legacy

In his new book, James G. Ellis shares the lessons he learned throughout his career as an entrepreneur, CEO, professor, mentor, and one of the nation’s most respected business school leaders. He is the former Dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. For aspiring leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs, A Journey of Insights: Lessons In Leadership And Legacy , offers a roadmap to success grounded in real-world experience, with a focus on humility, listening, and building strong, collaborative environments. The book is both a personal memoir and a strategic guide for those aiming to leave a lasting legacy in business. At the core of his message is the central theme that listening to voices around you throughout life is the key to success. “In essence, ears can speak louder than voices,” shares Ellis. The book also explores pivotal moments that helped define Ellis’ understanding of leadership, including encounters with Pres...

Leadership Lessons From Kent Taylor, Founder Of Texas Roadhouse

From cover-to-cover of Made From Scratch you’ll learn the leadership lessons of the late Kent Taylor , founder of the restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse. In the new book, Taylor recounts how he built the restaurant chain from the ground up after being rejected more than 80 times as he pitched the idea for the business. His approach to business was often out-of-the-box, however, his business lessons and leadership lessons from the course of his life and career are invaluable. Here are some of my favorite leadership lessons from Kent and his book: The best leaders stay down-to-earth and approachable. In a bottom-up company, the leader learns from frontline people. As soon as you make a profit, find a way to give back. Be willing to laugh at yourself. Become a student of your craft. Positive reinforcement inspires much greater performance than fear ever can. Want to get the respect of your people? Then roll up y...

How To Become A Catalyst CEO

Catalyst leaders are individuals who accelerate decision-making, empower teams, and spark innovation. To improve your catalyst leadership skills, you’ll want to read the new book by Constantine G. Alexandrakis , which provides a hands-on guide for building leadership teams and cultures that ignite business transformation. The book is The Catalyst CEO: Why CEOs Can’t Lead Transformation Alone―And What The Best Do Instead . Drawing on decades of experience advising world-leading companies, Alexandrakis challenges the cult of the hero CEO and offers a powerful new paradigm on what it truly takes to make business transformation happen―and stick. Alexandrakis defines transformation as more than change. “It’s a deliberate reinvention of how a company creates value through its people, its business model, and its place in the world.” He adds that “Real transformation depends on teams that are willing to argue clearly, and directly, while still finding a way to decide and move ...

How To Be A Conversational Superstar

Each year, I select my pick for the best new leadership book released that year. As published earlier on my blog, my pick for 2023, was When Everyone Leads . Some years, among the many books about leadership that I read, there is another book that is so good, it becomes my runner up for the best new leadership book of the year. That runner-up book for 2023 was, The Communication Code , by Jeremie Kubicek and Steven Cockram . Today, let's take a look back at that book: “Effective communication is the lifeblood of every healthy relationship,” explain Kubicek and Cockram, whether that relationship is at work or at home. And effective communication is essential for successful leadership. Fortunately, the authors' book provides a proven series of easy-to-implement skills, techniques and powerful strategies via what they call the Communication Code that anyone can use to make their communication, relationships deeper and more prod...

Proven Strategies For Keeping Teams Focused During Times Of Uncertainty

“Crisis leadership is not only about operational efficiency—it is fundamentally human-centered. Leaders who communicate openly, prioritize safety, listen empathetically, and empower teams can sustain trust, engagement, and performance, even in life-threatening circumstances. Organizations that maintain this balance are not only surviving—they are building for the future,” explain the authors of the new book Against The Storm: How True Leaders Prevail When The World Shakes . The authors and leadership experts Tom Kolditz and Mariana Khomitska share in their book a practical framework that can be applied across industries and roles. “One of the primary purposes of our book is to pass along leadership tools for crisis management,” explain the authors. “Effective crisis management is fundamentally about reducing uncertainty to restore a sense of control and stability." Key strategies focusing on minimizing the effects of uncertainty a...

Questions You'll Likely Be Asked At Your Next Job Interview

Many Human Resource (HR) managers have moved away from questions like "What's your weakness?" and prefer behavior-based questions , which ask you to: describe how you handled specific situations at your former jobs If you are about to interview for your next leadership position, be prepared for questions like these (from an article in Reader's Digest ): Tell me about a time when your integrity was challenged . What was the situation, and what did you do? Tell me about a time you had to work with someone you did not personally like . If you could come to work with only three tools to get your job done, what would they be ? What personal and professional development have you been engaged in outside the workplace over the past year? Describe your Outlook calendar on a typical day

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog