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Leadership in the Age of AI | Paul Hudson and Lindsay Levin | TED
Pharma CEO Paul Hudson shares how Sanofi is embedding AI across the organization, enabling 23,000 employees—9,000 of them using it daily—to transform how decisions are made and how work gets done.
1. Breaking Habits and Embracing Transparency
Real-time data is now accessible across levels, eliminating the need for polished, sugar-coated reports. Teams are encouraged to act on live data rather than waiting for curated presentations.2. Shifting from Repetition to Insightful Work
AI handles mundane, repetitive tasks like data crunching and presentation formatting. This frees employees to focus on strategic, meaningful work. The intent is not job cuts but job enrichment and evolution.3. Changing Leadership Dynamics
AI-savvy younger employees now directly contribute insights, flattening traditional hierarchies. Leaders must learn to be more open, agile, and inclusive, shifting from control to collaboration.4. Driving Sustainability and Industry Collaboration
AI is helping tackle global challenges like reducing carbon emissions in healthcare. Sanofi is actively collaborating with industry peers such as AstraZeneca and GSK to drive collective solutions.5. The Evolving CEO Role
Modern CEOs face constant crises—from pandemics to geopolitical shocks—while also leading digital transformation. This requires resilience, speed, humility, and trust in expert teams.Real Example:
Sanofi processed 409,000 employee comments (over 9 million words) through a large language model and surfaced key engagement insights in just 40 minutes—dramatically faster than traditional reviews.Conclusion:
AI is redefining leadership. It demands bold thinking, faster decision-making, transparency, and deeper collaboration. Those who embrace it can unlock new levels of performance and impact.