Fortune recently hosted its annual Most Powerful Women Summit in Washington, D.C., bringing together influential women across business, government, philanthropy, education, sports and the arts. Centered on the theme “Leading in a Dynamic World,” the three-day event highlighted actionable approaches professionals and organizations are taking to navigate AI and technological change.
The women breaking the glass ceiling in tech leadership
The summit featured several women from Fortune’s 2025 Most Powerful Women in Business list, including Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS Group Holdings; Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’Lakes; Dame Emma Walmsley, CEO of GSK; and Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy. United in purpose, they shared insights and strategies to propel society forward while championing women at the forefront of tech innovation.
Women remain underrepresented in tech, making up only 22% of AI talent worldwide, and holding fewer than 14% of senior executive roles. Yet change-makers are stepping up, driving AI progress to be smarter, fairer and more accessible for everyone.
At this year’s summit, Tan Su Shan and Beth Ford stood out not just for their leadership but for their vision of what the future of business should look like. Su Shan, the first woman to helm DBS Bank, is steering Southeast Asia’s largest lender into the AI era with a clear purpose: to build a “gen AI-enabled bank with a heart.” Under her leadership, DBS has developed approximately 1,300–1,600 AI models, generating an estimated $580 million in economic value in 2024, with projections of $850–$920 million for 2025.
Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’Lakes, is an equally forward-thinking rising star. She leads a company that recently launched a campaign promoting the future of agriculture as being “rooted in tomorrow.” Ford is a vocal advocate for the role of technology in enhancing agricultural productivity and ensuring food security. She has highlighted the challenges facing American farmers, including labor shortages and policy uncertainties, and has called for policies to help stabilize the farm economy.
These women aren’t just breaking barriers; they’re redefining the rules of the game, ensuring that AI serves people, not just profits.
Fortune notes that discussions around judgment and personal ingenuity came up again and again at the event. “I don’t think that we are thoughtfully enough educating people about how to be good at judgment,” Aashna Kircher, group general manager in the office of the CHRO at Workday, said at the event.
Developing skills that machines can’t replace
Kircher added, “That’s a step that we will have to take as a civilization, honestly, in the next three to five years: how do we retain decision making and judgment in certain situations? Because you can hold somebody accountable, but if all they’re doing is pressing a button and saying yes, then they’re not actually applying judgment.”
The rise of AI is changing the very nature of work and decision-making, creating a world where speed and scale often outpace human judgment. As algorithms and automation take on more routine tasks, the need for thoughtful discernment has never been greater. It’s no longer enough to simply follow protocols; leaders and teams must understand context, weigh trade-offs and apply ethical reasoning in ways that machines can’t replicate.
In an era where AI can generate options at lightning speed, humans are called on to innovate, question assumptions and bring nuance to complex problems. The technology is powerful, but without individuals capable of applying insight and foresight, decisions risk being superficial or even harmful.
Experts across artificial intelligence and technology, at the forefront of innovation that is transforming the job market, are increasingly warning graduates and professionals: start familiarizing yourself with AI now. The rapid pace of technological change, they say, is creating new opportunities while rendering outdated skills obsolete at an unprecedented rate.
Industry leaders keep sending the same message: staying ahead in your career now requires AI literacy. Professionals are taking note. Across industries, people are enrolling in AI training programs—whether through online courses, hands-on workshops or company-led initiatives—to learn how to apply AI in daily work, make more informed decisions and drive innovation.
A 2024 survey found that 51% of workers had participated in job-related training in the past year, with 24% of those courses focusing on AI skills, according to Pew Research Center. According to a global workforce report from the Adecco Group, 70% of workers have begun to use AI-based tools in the workplace.
Get hands-on with AI: Build skills that matter
There’s a reason many are getting their hands dirty with AI platforms now, joining data challenges or collaborating on real projects just to build real-world skills. Their goal is to stay ahead of the curve, remain adaptable and ensure they thrive in a world increasingly shaped by intelligent technologies by becoming familiar now.
But why does judgment keep surfacing as the defining skill? In a world where AI can analyze data, generate insights and even draft complex documents, it is human discernment that will distinguish the exceptional from the merely competent. The best professionals will not only understand how to deploy AI tools, they will know when to trust them, when to challenge them and how to interpret their outputs within the broader context of their mission.
As Bijal Shah, CEO of Guild, also said at the summit this week, “What I think matters at the end of the day is that people have a really good foundation in math and a really good foundation in reading comprehension—and the best way to do that is to further your education.” While much of the conversation around AI focuses on how it will transform, disrupt or even eliminate some work roles, the truth is, that a mind capable of solving problems, interpreting text and mastering the foundational skills will always be irreplaceable. Ground yourself in the fundamentals and you’ll navigate change with confidence.
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