From AI Talk to AI Transformation: What I Learned at TED Vancouver and How Leaders Can Adopt It Like GE Did with Six Sigma

I recently had the opportunity to attend the TED Vancouver CIO & CHRO Forum on AI, and it left me deeply inspired—yet with a sense of urgency. The conversations weren’t just about what AI can do, but what it must do—for our businesses, for humanity, and for leadership itself.

Five core insights I brought back:

1. AI is not just a technological leap—it’s a human opportunity: This is a rare moment in history where we can reshape how we work, how we think, and how we create value.

2. AI will not eliminate jobs—it will elevate them:
Jobs won’t disappear—they’ll evolve. AI will handle the repetitive and predictive, freeing humans to focus on empathy, creativity, judgment, and complex decision-making.

3. Don’t use Agentic AI to automate processes—use it to reimagine them: This is not about incremental efficiency. It’s about fundamentally redesigning work , challenging assumptions

4. Move beyond “ethical AI” to “ethical decision science.”: The real challenge is not just how AI behaves—but how humans and AI together make decisions.

5. AI enables horizontal integration across HR and business functions : AI allows us to stitch together HR processes into a seamless, personalized, customer-grade experience.

The winners in the AI age won’t be decided by skill sets—but by mindsets.

So… How Should Organizations Adopt AI?

This is where I want to reflect on my own leadership journey.

I had the privilege of going through the full Six Sigma journey—from Green Belt to Black Belt to MBB at GE.

Under Jack Welch’s vision, Six Sigma wasn’t just a program. It became a movement:
• Green Belts underwent a 5-day intensive training followed by real business problem-solving.
• After successful projects, we moved on to Black Belt—taking on bigger challenges and coaching others.
• As Master Black Belts, we became internal thought leaders—teaching, mentoring, and transforming how GE ran its business using Six Sigma.

It wasn’t a training. It was a mindset shift.
The journey—from concept to skill to habit—eventually changed how we made decisions, solved problems, and led people.

We Need the Same Movement for AI Today

Organizations must treat AI not as a tool, but as a leadership capability.
• Start with foundational training on how AI works and its real applications.
• Move into real business application projects.
• Empower leaders to coach others, becoming internal multipliers of AI adoption.
• Build an AI movement, not a department.

AI is not just for the data scientists or tech teams. It’s for every leader. Every function. Every problem worth solving. AI not just part of their tools—but part of the culture, leadership, and DNA.