Last week, I had the privilege of speaking on a panel exploring how businesses must evolve their thinking in an era of AI dominance

I wanted to share, the panel questions as well as my answers

Thank you to the excellent panel moderator, Annabel Gillard, and my panel members and team players, Alex Farrell, and Sarah Zheng 

And thank you to Dinis Guarda and Pallavi Singal for inviting me to the Businessabc AI Global Summit

Here are the questions and my answers

1. What does responsible business mean to you and what’s the relevance for AI companies?

Responsible business means acting in ways that create long-term value for all stakeholders, not just shareholders

For AI companies, that means building with transparency, fairness, and inclusivity baked into the model

AI doesn’t just mirror our intent, it amplifies it

So responsibility here means being intentional about ethical data sourcing, model bias, explainability, and human impact from day one

2. Can business prioritise both responsibility and growth? How do you find the right balance?

Absolutely. Responsibility isn’t a brake on growth, it’s a growth multiplier

Businesses that integrate ethical AI practices and data privacy protections from the start gain trust faster, differentiate better, and avoid reputational risk

The balance comes from treating responsibility as a strategic pillar, not just a compliance checkbox

It requires cross-functional ownership, not just leaving it to legal or IT

3. Are there any advantages to being an AI-first company when it comes to business responsibility?

Yes, being AI-first offers a greenfield opportunity to embed responsible practices into the foundation, from data governance and bias mitigation to automated compliance checks

Traditional companies often retrofit responsibility

AI-first firms can design it in, building more resilient, human-aligned systems

They can also lead the way in setting industry norms and standards

4. What issues do you see with regard to business resilience — new threats and new protections?

We’re facing a new kind of fragility

AI-enabled phishing, deepfakes, and synthetic identity fraud are emerging fast

But the biggest threat? Overconfidence

Businesses think cybersecurity is a tech problem, but it’s a people and process problem too

The future of resilience lies in adaptive identity protection, continuous model monitoring, and upskilling staff on AI literacy

Human error is still the weakest link and education is still our best defense

5. How does AI affect working people’s potential, especially regarding issues like forced or child labour?

AI can liberate human potential, automating drudgery, augmenting judgment, and giving people space for more creative, empathetic work

But there’s also a darker edge, where opaque supply chains and AI-enabled productivity metrics could mask exploitative labor or automate away dignity

Responsible businesses use AI to shine light on unethical practices, not to hide them

Transparency in supply chains and a commitment to ethical auditing, are essential

6. What’s your view on AI ethics and its role in addressing these issues or improving governance? Any examples?

AI ethics can’t just live in a slide deck

It must be practical, measurable, and enforced

Governance means asking: Who is accountable when AI fails? Who gets impacted?

One positive example is Microsoft’s Responsible AI Standard, it integrates engineering processes with ethical risk reviews

A poor example? Meta’s repeated rollout of models that clearly lacked bias and harm mitigation, showing what happens when speed trumps scrutiny

7. Is cybersecurity a responsible business issue? How should business think about it?

Yes, cybersecurity is now a core part of ESG

If you're not protecting your customers’ data, you're not a responsible business

It’s not just IT’s problem, it’s a leadership responsibility

Think of cybersecurity as digital trust infrastructure, just like physical safety standards in manufacturing

Boards need to ask hard questions, invest in scenario planning, and embed a security mindset in culture, not just technology

8. One suggestion to help businesses boost their cybersecurity or responsibility?

Start with storytelling

If people don’t understand why responsibility and cybersecurity matter, they won’t care

Train your teams not just in tools, but in narratives: real-world examples of breaches, harms, or ethical failures

Bring humanity into your cybersecurity strategy

Technology protects systems, but stories protect cultures