Intelligence, influence and impact

In a noisy, busy and over-connected world, influence is the new currency. 

The buzz around the upcoming election, which has seen so many conflicting opinions disseminated and discussed across various social media channels, has reminded me of an edition of AMBITION, a few months ago, in which we explored the theme of influence – in terms of how we are influenced in our careers and how MBA students and graduates are using the skills and knowledge they acquire during their programmes, to exert influence and have impact on businesses, societies and governments. 

Our cover feature argued that the rise of AI is one of the greatest stories of our time; it can identify fake news, propaganda and hate speech.

But is it equally dangerous?

Could it manipulate our perceptions through the use of ‘deep fakes’ – misleading content in which people create videos that replace a person’s face with another, to make it appear that the subject was somewhere they were not, or said something they did not say?

This emerging sphere of influence brings with it a number of challenges as we move forward into a more automated world. 

Working with and moulding the leaders of today and tomorrow is both a privilege and a responsibility for Business School leaders, as Jon Foster Pedley, Dean and Director of Henley Business School Africa, explains beautifully in our interview. 

Foster Pedley says: 'If you cannot shape the society in which you operate, influence it positively, create a new generation of caring, committed, high-performance leaders who will build the world in which you would like your kids to grow up, then there isn’t much point... Our mission is simple: we’re creating a counterforce through education.'

His words will resonate with many readers and leaders and I was pleased to see this 'counterforce' in action in an article contributed by Westminster Business School MBA graduate Jen Wascak, in her hard-hitting and thought-provoking analysis of modern slavery. 

Wascak is the founder of Sourcing Justice, a community interest company that helps businesses understand modern slavery and comply with anti-slavery legislation. Her MBA has given her vital business nous to campaign against modern slavery – which is a very real and growing issue across the world – and demonstrate the business case as well as the moral and ethical reasoning as to why this practice has to be stopped. Her article issues an important challenge to business leaders. 

Wascak also works as a guest university lecturer on issues of corporate social responsibility, ethics in supply chains, and business and human rights, so she's taking her influence and paying it forward for future leaders as well.

These two worthy articles are juxtaposed against an analysis of the influence that AI is inadvertently having on us as a global society.