What does it profit to become a millionare and lose your soul?
“How can I cut costs?”
That’s how AI conversations start… right?
Then, we continue:
How do we automate?
Stay ahead?
If that’s all you’re asking, you’re thinking too small!
At the recent #LeadBalkans, organized by the Western Balkans Fund, we looked at the concept of Society 5.0. Here’s a primer.
Japan Asked a Different Question
About a decade ago, Japan asked a fundamental question.
What should technology be for?
Or more accurately: who should technology be for?
Their answer shaped Society 5.0, a national framework, built on this idea: technology should serve humans.
Think about this. Every major era of human history has been
defined by a shift in how we use technology.
- Society 1.0. Hunting and gathering. “Spears for survival.”
- Society 2.0. Agriculture.
- Society 3.0. Industry.
- Society 4.0. Information.
- Society 5.0. Human-centered.
The architects of Society 5.0 envision this: a society where tech solves human problems and machines seamlessly interface with human lives.
Not mere gadgets.
Not innovation to make money.
Not automation for efficiency’s sake. But rather…
Innovation designed around what people actually need.
The industrial revolution created new wealth. AND it left
people behind.
Each leap has.
Dark Side of the AI Force
Left unchecked, the global AI race will cause damage. It already has!
If you become a slave …
to making AI apps
to make more money
to have more free time, then you’re on a slippery slope.
When companies adopt AI purely to make money, the people who were already vulnerable become more so. The impact?
- Algorithms make decisions
- People lose jobs
- And on and on
Speed without intention …
Speed without vision …
Speed without values…
… is NOT progress.
It’s a faster path to losing your soul.
A Vision for Human Flourishing
When I led a session on Society 5.0 in Tirana, the room was full of diaspora leaders, innovators, and changemakers from across the region. What struck me most was this: the energy ignited by human solutions to human problems spread like fire.
We looked at the stunnning case of Inclusio. Inclusio, built in Serbia, uses AI to remove unconscious bias from hiring. Qualified candidates were being quietly filtered out by systems no one had bothered to audit. Inclusio fixed that!
We also looked at Jona Doda’s Bliss, technology connecting people with therapists that understand your culture.
At the event, I met the Deputy Head of Mission for the Japanese embassy. Conversations at the event left me convinced that the leaders paying attention to Society 5.0 won’t just stay ahead of the coming wave. They’ll be shaping it!
Brave New Future
Who are the voices you want to listen to?
The leaders you want to follow?
Is it the ones who adopt AI fastest?
OR is it folks asking that have the courage to ask hard questions such as
Who is AI for?
Who could it hurt?
How can it help humans flourish?
These are the conversations we’re bringing to the 7th Annual Leadership Forum on April 23.
Visionary leadership in the AI era isn’t about having the best tools. It’s about having the clearest purpose.
The AI race is on.
Are you staying ahead?
Falling behind?
Just watching?
Want to shape it?
We’ll be shaping this conversation on April 23 in Tirana.
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Join us on April 23 for the 7th Annual Leadership Forum. Follow the Leadership Forum for more.