Female executives steer AI toward human-centered future

A new report from Chief and The Harris Poll challenges the prevailing narrative that women are falling behind in the AI era, finding that 80 percent of senior female leaders are already playing active strategic roles in their organization's AI efforts, focusing on governance, ethics and sustainable implementation rather than racing to deploy the newest tools. Sixty-eight percent of female leaders surveyed said executive teams and boards at their organizations prioritize AI adoption speed over sustainable workforce implementation, while 87 percent said they have witnessed negative organizational consequences when AI is prioritized without human development alongside it, including declines in strategic thinking, erosion of institutional knowledge and weaker team culture. The report also highlights concerns about AI's impact on early-career development, with 69 percent of female leaders saying their organizations have reduced entry-level hiring because of AI capabilities, and 81 percent believing organizations risk not having capable managers in the future if they fail to continue investing in human development. Meanwhile, 78 percent of female leaders surveyed said they have personal criteria for deciding what work should remain human and what can be delegated to AI. The findings suggest female leaders are not necessarily competing in the sprint toward maximum automation but are instead building for durability, betting that organizations that thrive in the AI era will be those that protect human judgment and long-term capability alongside technological progress. In separate developments across Asia, China published draft regulations governing AI agents that call for humans to always retain the ability to review decisions made by software, while Samsung announced it is quitting the Chinese TV and appliance market amid competition from Chinese consumer electronics brands. Thailand approved TikTok's plan to invest $25 billion in new datacenters, and Baidu filed paperwork to spin out its chip design business Kunlunxin. Meanwhile, Seoul's Jogye Temple initiated a humanoid robot named Gabi as a Buddhist monk, with temple leaders stating they aim to lead the AI era and redirect technological achievements toward peace of mind and enlightenment.