Artificial intelligence holds the potential to restructure corporate hierarchies, revolutionize global agriculture, and personalize travel, but it also carries the risk of widespread unemployment, regional economic collapse, and social instability. These dual possibilities set the tone for the third annual TIME100 AI Impact Dinner, where industry leaders gathered in San Francisco to examine the complex dilemmas posed by machine intelligence.
The central question facing the panel was whether AI would result in significant job losses, a new employment boom, or a chaotic combination of both. Glen Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings and event sponsor, illustrated the rapid displacement of human labor by recalling how his company once employed thousands of human translators. He noted that while he does not know the current fate of those workers, their roles have been rendered obsolete by technology. Despite this, Fogel highlighted Booking Holdings’ vision for AI-driven travel agents capable of tailoring vacations to individual preferences and adjusting itineraries in real time during disruptions.
Before the evening’s dinner, TIME editor in chief Sam Jacobs led a discussion on labor market trends and the anxieties of new graduates. Ravi Kumar S, CEO of outsourcing giant Cognizant, which also sponsored the event, argued that AI could invert traditional power structures. Unlike previous technological shifts that concentrated authority at the top, Kumar S suggested AI could flatten corporate pyramids by empowering frontline workers with greater capability and control. However, he acknowledged that many companies worldwide have yet to adopt this approach and proposed temporary taxes on firms that replace human employees with AI as a bridge to a more stable economy.
Fogel warned that governments must intervene to prevent social unrest among populations unable to retrain for AI-centric careers. Emphasizing the unprecedented speed of this transition compared to historical industrial shifts, he called for state involvement to ensure societal stability. Booking Holdings is currently training every employee in AI literacy, aiming to provide them with skills transferable to other sectors if necessary.
Both executives expressed skepticism toward calls from some U.S. AI researchers and leaders to slow the pace of technological development. Kumar S cautioned that unilateral deceleration could disadvantage nations that do not follow suit, while Fogel compared the situation to nuclear proliferation, noting that countries such as China are aggressively pursuing similar technologies.
Despite the risks, the panelists agreed on AI’s positive potential. Doreen Bogdan-Martin, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union, praised Canada and Rwanda for investing in workforce upskilling. She highlighted how AI-literate youth in developing nations are driving innovations in healthcare, education, early warning systems, and agriculture. Yet, she stressed the need for international cooperation to connect the estimated 2.2 billion people who have never used the internet and the 71 percent who have not utilized generative AI. “I’m all about AI for good and AI for all,” Bogdan-Martin said, advocating for broader access to computing resources so developing nations can participate as producers rather than merely consumers.
The TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Shaping the Future of AI was presented by Deloitte, Booking.com, and Cognizant.
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