On the Cutting Edge

I’ve teamed up with Think with Google to explore the topic that’s on everyone’s mind: A.I. and its potential to reshape our world. In the months to come, I’ll be sitting down with visionaries who are at the helm of the A.I. revolution, from prominent Googlers to top tech CEOs. 

Lila Ibrahim, COO of Google DeepMind

First, I sat down with Lila Ibrahim , the COO of Google DeepMind , the tech giant’s central A.I. lab. The tech whizzes there have developed highly sophisticated algorithms for everything from playing high-level chess to driving scientific breakthroughs, like its Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold tool. I spoke to Ibrahim about what DeepMind’s cooking up next, how Google plans to responsibly develop A.I., and her best advice for women looking to rise in the world of tech. 

“I always tell young women, find your personal board of advisors — the ones that will watch out for you, ask you the tough questions, and that will support you in making the best decisions for you,” Ibrahim tells me.

Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube

I also got the chance to pick the brain of Neal Mohan , the CEO of YouTube . We discussed the rise of the creator economy and why creatives should embrace A.I, rather than fear it. 

“Every time that there is a disruptive technology paradigm shift, I think two things hold true in the creative industry: The first is that they will disrupt the nature of work, how videos are produced, how content is produced, potentially how it’s distributed,” Mohan says. “The thing that will not change, at least in my estimation, is our desire and need as human beings to connect with human stories. In the world of generative A.I., I don’t think that those are going to be replacements for human creativity. They’re really going to be tools that I think will enhance or empower human creativity.”

I’ve got plenty of other fascinating interviews lined up — be sure to check out Think with Google so you don’t miss out.

Recommended Reading

We’ve been asking some of the brightest minds in business for their go-to books — the ones that have shaped the way they think about work and the world. Recently, we interviewed Bob Moesta , an innovation expert who’s helped launch more than 3,500 products (including that ingenious little arrow on your fuel gauge that tells you which side your gas tank’s on). He’s also the CEO and founder of the Re-Wired Group, a guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, and adjunct at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. 

Moesta’s pick is The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness, the 2016 book by Todd Rose , who argues that no one can be accurately described as “average” and that it doesn’t make sense to measure people against what we consider to be the norm.

“This book has completely changed my thinking about the notion of average. I’ve listened to this book every year since it came out, and every time I come away with new insights.”

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