Helen explored the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and its profound implications for leadership, workforce dynamics, and strategic decision-making. She emphasised that AI adoption is outpacing governance cycles, with tools reaching millions of users in days while board policies lag months or years behind.

A key theme was the emergence of “shadow AI”, tools and systems being used informally across organisations, and the rise of “secret cyborgs”, employees quietly integrating AI into their workflows without formal oversight or support, leaving boards to assess performance using outdated assumptions about effort and output.

She also addressed the AI fluency gap, the growing divide between those who understand and leverage AI effectively and those left behind. This gap, she warned, could exacerbate existing inequalities and that women and underrepresented groups are disproportionately at risk of being left behind.

Helen urged leaders to view AI not just as a technological challenge but as a strategic imperative, highlighting risks such as bias in recruitment and the hollowing out of entry-level roles that once built the leadership pipeline, noting how AI is reshaping the skills and mindsets needed for future leaders. Without deliberate action, she argued, organisations risk eroding the very capabilities they need for the future.

She discussed how organisations can turn risk into advantage by fostering visibility, ensuring equity, and embedding AI into their strategic thinking.

Helen’s insights left the audience with a deeper understanding of AI’s hidden impact on the workforce and a clear call to lead with intention in this new era, concluding “The future of work is being written now, the only question is whether your board has a hand on the pen.”