As AI becomes a regular topic in boardrooms, many executives face critical blind spots around strategy, governance, and implementation. Few are native AI users, and many struggle to connect high-level goals with practical, accountable systems.
To explore that future, Dr. Maya Dillon, an astrophysicist turned AI thought leader and CEO of consultancy XSAIA, joined The AI Forecast. In her conversation with host Paul Muller, Maya emphasizes the need for human-centric leadership in AI and the importance of understanding the holistic impact of AI on businesses.
Here are some takeaways from Paul and Maya’s conversation.
What is AI? A form of co-creation
Paul: What does AI mean to you?
Maya: AI for me means co-creation. A little bit more about me: I am a huge fan of creative things that aren't on my CV. I paint, I write, I play music. And for me, when I'm using AI, I want it to be something that enhances my voice. And it's the same with anything else that I create. I bring in AI and utilize it when searching for ideas or leveling up what I already have. And in that process, it is co-creation.
That's what that means. It's enhancing what's already there. I know we've heard the adage that AI is supposed to augment human intellect. That's what it's here for. It's to bring out the best aspect of us and help us level up.
Real leaders forgo the pressure to ‘just deploy’ and approach AI thoughtfully
Paul: You talk about the idea that the winners in AI won't be the ones who have the best tech, but are the ones with the best leadership. Unpack that for me.
Maya: Fundamentally, AI-first leadership is seeing AI not just as a tech stack. It's looking at it in terms of strategy. When businesses are employing AI, the ones who lead well with it are the ones who think about the holistic impact of AI.
So, normally, what tends to happen is people put AI in a box with IT and R&D, and then they wonder why the transformation isn't happening; why aren't they the disruptors? The reason is that when you start to develop and implement AI projects, you are already changing and challenging the status quo. Developing and building AI demands that you ask particular questions. What problem am I trying to solve? How am I trying to solve it? Who am I serving? How is this going to be deployed, and what impact will it actually have?
People who are leaders in AI involve all aspects of the business. And unless you lead with that holistic view, you are going to find yourself moving from point-of-contact to point-of-contact constantly. You will be at the mercy of the next ‘latest technology’ you wish you had. Everyone seems to be running ahead, and you are falling behind. It's not that they've got the fastest or the fanciest algorithm. It's because they are seeing the world exactly the way I've just described, which is, creating the solution with a view in mind that whoever deploys it is going to be achieving X, Y, Z.
Paul: There is this enormous pressure that, ‘Hey, if we don't start doing something, our competition will. Let's just get going with something and clean up the mess later.’ Tell me why that's the case because intuitively, that seems like not a bad idea.
Maya: AI is now prolific and endemic. It's in everything. The reason it's a bad idea is because of the real-world impact these solutions actually have on people, not just on businesses. We could talk until the cows come home about all the different examples of where it's gone wrong, the lives affected, the reputations damaged.
Another big reason is the negative impact this approach has on your reputation. There’s a business leader who said it took him 20 years to build a reputation and two minutes to have it destroyed. And once the reputation is damaged, the value and the intangibles are priceless.
The power of mentorship – a rising tide lifts all ships
Paul: I know that you are an advocate of great mentoring and mentorship. What's your advice to would-be mentors and hopeful mentees?
Maya: I've been a mentor and a mentee. When someone comes to you for mentorship, you must remember one thing. Their success is not a threat to you. We've been brought into this world where we believe that success is somehow a zero-sum game. And that's the old adage. The candle does not diminish by lighting something else.
The truth is your success is enhanced by theirs. And if we bind into this scarcity mindset of, ‘Oh no. If I help this other individual, they're going to take my job or my opportunities,’ then we just buy into the scarcity mindset. We perpetuate this whole thing, this mythology, and we hold all ourselves back.
Catch the full conversation with Dr. Maya Dillion on The AI Forecast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
