We spoke with Carlos Rey, lecturer in the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences and director of the Chair for Management by Missions and Corporate Purpose at UIC Barcelona, about the challenges that AI poses to leaders, the importance of integrating technology and purpose and the significance of holding this event for the first time in Majorca.
The Symposium on Companies with a Human Side has been held for the first time in Majorca. What does it mean to bring this event to Palma?
The Symposium takes place alternately in Barcelona (home of UIC Barcelona) and in the city of one of the partner companies of the Chair for Management by Missions and Corporate Purpose. We’ve gone to Seville, Madrid, Oviedo, Lisbon… And now Palma, thanks to the invitation from the Bosch & Lozano business family. We’ve met with many purpose-, mission- and values-driven companies in Majorca and have received a very warm welcome.
Why the topic Artificial Intelligence with Purpose?
When choosing a topic, we had an internal debate. I thought: everyone’s talking about AI. With the symposiums, we always try to explore future topics, and AI is already part of the present. But we struck upon the issue of how AI will affect people’s sense of purpose: how it will shape our character, our relationships, our self-esteem and our sense of meaning. That is the future. This approach will help us understand what’s coming: both positive developments and things to watch out for. Studies already show that when people work with AI, they often feel much less ownership over what they are doing, and even a reduced sense of purpose. It’s less authentic, more artificial.
For those who are perhaps not so familiar with the idea of purpose, what does this concept mean exactly and why is it key for the future of organisations?
AI with purpose engages all three dimensions of a person. I like to think of it as a silver triangle (since silver is a highly conductive metal) between the head, heart and hands, that is, between what we think, what we feel and what we do. AI has an impact on all three dimensions. It adds to our intelligence, boosts our productivity and affects how we feel. This is the perspective we want to bring: how AI will affect our sense of purpose. Let’s make sure that AI harmonises with all three dimensions of a person.
To share these ideas, you have chosen some very interesting speakers.
That is one of the most enjoyable parts of being an organiser. On the one hand, we have Pep Martorell, with all his experience as director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, who will speak about where technology is headed in his lecture The Future of AI Starts Today: Trends that Will Shape the Next Decade. In the business realm, Inés Alegre, a lecturer at the IESE Business School, will address the challenges of Leading in the Age of AI: Purpose-Driven Decisions. And Gabriel Fernández Borst, a lecturer and researcher at UIC Barcelona, will pose the question Who Directs Whom? The Lights and Shadows of AI. This will provide different perspectives to analyse how AI impacts people. I will also interview business leader Andrés Sendagorta, president of SENER and of the SENER Foundation, to learn how he applies purpose.
For the afternoon, we have planned a major collective intelligence exercise involving all participants. We want to create an agenda that will help apply everything we will have explored in the morning in our companies and daily work.
To conclude, how would you summarise the major challenges that AI poses for leadership and decision-making within companies?
I’d concentrate everything into one single challenge: authenticity. AI will always provide an answer, and one that will sound convincing. But it might not reflect how you speak; it might not represent you. The challenge is to be a genuine leader, because the way you use AI can either enhance your authenticity or just the opposite. AI might make us more attractive, but less authentic.
If you had to give business owners, executives, researchers or professionals a reason to sign up for the Symposium at CaixaForum Palma on 12 March, what would you say?
To understand the future. It's what we’ve done in every edition of the Symposium, and we’ve really hit the nail on the head. To open a window to the future. Many of the ideas we’ll discuss will stay with us for a long time. We should count ourselves lucky to have the opportunity to hear what the future holds.
