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Judgment and curiosity: How to lead through the noise of AI

In the next round of questions drawn from a box, PMI’s Dr. Moira Gilchrist reflects on human instinct, leadership responsibility, and the role of cognition in an age of acceleration.

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00:47

Why human judgement and empathy matter in the age of AI

____________________________________________________________

Moira Gilchrist, Chief Global Communications Officer, PMI, says:

I love humans because

I think we are way more important today

than ever in the era of AI.

Human connection, human judgment,

human empathy, human creativity,

those are the things that will take us

through to the next millennium, I think.

Barbara Peng, Chief Executive Officer, Business Officer, says:

Connection and closeness actually

become more important in this age of AI.

I think it's so critical to know which is applied

when, in which environments, in which ways,

because we need both in order

to be effective and impactful.

But I think you said it better.

I love humans, too.

Philip Morris International logo appears on screen.

Words reading A Global Smoke-free Champion.

Techspectation

Stefano Volpetti, PMI's Chief Global Growth Officer, and Elaine Parr, Senior Partner at IBM, discuss why people expect better tech from brands and employers.

 

3:12

Techspectation: Why people expect better tech from brands and employers

______________________________________________________

Elaine Parr, Senior Partner, IBM, speaks:

I like this one.

How are consumer expectations

evolving in response to rapid technology innovation?

Now, I'm not sure if this is

a phrase that I've coined,

but I'm gonna own it for now: techspectation.

So techspectation is something

that we talk about from

a consumer perspective.

Stefano Volpetti, Chief Global Growth Officer, Philip Morris International, replies:

Oh, th- and that's your trademark.

I never heard it before.

Elaine speaks:

Oh, good. Excellent. This is good.

So techspectation is... there's lots of misnomers

around how consumers are thinking about technology

and their view on technology.

Consumers want good tech.

That's what they want.

They don't want bad tech, they want tech that is, authentic, that

is trusted, that is transparent,

that, is authentic to the brand.

they want good tech.

They also want personalization.

67% of us expect and

want personalization.

But around about the same amount get properly frustrated

with bad personalization.

So I think techspectation

from a consumer perspective,

regardless, by the way, of gender, of generation,

I think is super important.

But that techspectation then

flips because consumers of

our brands are also employees

of our organizations.

And so increasingly as

employees, we are what?

We have techspectations

on our employee brands

and on organizations like

IBM, like Philip Morris (International).

And, being able to deliver to

the employee expectations in

an enterprise tech perspective,

which is obviously very different

from consumer tech, although related,

is super, super important.

So I think it's round about

two-thirds of employees say

that the tools and the tech

would be one of the reasons why

they would change companies.

so I do like that question.

Techspectation.

Stefano says:

I like the fact that you put

together the consumer and

the employees, vis-a-vis the

techspectations, because in

the end, they're all humans.

We are all humans.

And, I think that, a big trait of a company

that is consumer-centric is

to be also employee-centric.

Because it communicates an

aspect of humanity, empathy,

genuinity, that is a big, dividing factor both for

consumers and for employees.

Because all of us, whether we

are an employee or a consumer,

depending on the occasion, we

benefit of that human traits

that are more on the empathy

side, more on the understanding

and genuine interaction.

And somehow the tech part of it,

not always gets us there.

Elaine says:

Yeah, exactly.

Stefano continues speaking:

And a tech that can do that

is a big differentiator

versus anything else.

The human edge in the age of AI

Key insights from PMI's 2026 white paper: As machines increasingly process, predict, and automate, we explore what will become of the uniquely human capacity to think, adapt, and create meaning.

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From “techspectations” to human experiences

PMI’s Stefano Volpetti and IBM’s Elaine Parr discuss what it means to be a leader in a modern world driven by fast-changing technology.

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Unleashing innovation through the transformative power of cross-generational collaboration

By harnessing the diverse perspectives, skills, mindsets, and experiences of employees across different age groups, we can unlock new opportunities, foster agility, and deliver progress for our businesses and for society.

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Human cognition: The next frontier?

As AI continues to reshape the landscape of work and society, "Human cognition: The next frontier?" delves into why distinctively human abilities are emerging as the key differentiators in an age of human-machine collaboration.

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Videos

PMI leaders share insights on the conversations shaping business, society, and the future.

 

1:08

Companies must be AI-ready to best serve consumers and attract employees

Jacek Olczak, CEO, of Philip Morris International speaks to the camera:

You will have at first employees applying for the job and they will ask the questions,

can I and to what extend can I sue AI in your office?

Words appear on screen reading:

What is the most surprising impact of the AI revolution, and how will that impact redefine how companies compete?

Jacek Olczak, CEO, of Philip Morris International speaks:

I personally look at, following very closely, the level of adoption of a technology at the very bottom, at the individual level, at the pedestrian level.

The more consumers are using technology, they are actually dragging companies into revisiting their business model.

The way they serve consumers, etc., because they build individually comfort.
The same consumers are your employees.

I mean, soon you will have the first employees applying for the job and they will ask the question, can I, and to what extend can I use AI in your office?

And if you answer, sorry, we are still thinking or debating about AI, I bet they find another employer.

You would not join the company today who would tell you, sorry, in our company we're not using computers.

Words appear on screen reading:

Semafor World Economy Summit

2:28

Inaction has consequences

Jacek Olczak, CEO, of Philip Morris International speaks in a room.

Our mission is clear: to reduce smoking by replacing cigarettes with less harmful alternatives.

The cigarettes belong in museums.

Since 2016, my company has fully committed to moving away from cigarettes, the most harmful form of nicotine consumption. We have invested more than 10.5 billion U.S. dollars in developing and commercializing smoke-free products—which today account for nearly 35 percent of our total net revenues.

Frustratingly, our ability to make further progress is being blocked by those who are blindly guided by a desire to see an end to the industry rather than an end to cigarettes and this is very frustrating.

This, together with an overreliance on the so-called precautionary principle—which some interpret as “better not to do anything until we know everything”—results in government inaction and more of the same.

Today’s environment and rhetoric make it easier for governments and regulators to do nothing on smoke-free alternatives. It’s perceived as safer for political careers to abstain from the debate completely rather than be seen as siding with us.

But, in the end, this is just prolonging the life of cigarettes and risks shortening the lives of those who use them.

For smokers today, inaction is not a neutral position. It is a choice with real-world outcomes.

We are entering what Churchill called “a period of consequences.”

It is no longer a case of if these smoke-free alternatives are better than cigarette smoking;

it is a case of by how much they are better.

Watch the full speech on our YouTube channel.

Rethink Disruption: The impact of inaction

Philip Morris International logo is seen on screen.

 

0:53

What forces are reshaping your industry?

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International speaks:

I think every industry will be impacted,

every profession will be impacted,

all of us as humans will be impacted.

Words appear on screen reading:

What forces are reshaping your industry?

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International, answers:

I think any industry now should,

with the open mind, look at AI.

AI as is today and AI as this world can be tomorrow.

And really to start thinking into the massive

opportunities which the technology gives us.

I think after the industrial revolution,

the first internet,

I mean this is really a massive opportunity in front of us.

There's a lot of risks but I'm very excited about this whole thing.

I think every industry will be impacted,

every profession will be impacted,

all of us as humans will be impacted.

It's fabulous, fabulous what is in front of us.

Words appear on screen reading:

Semafor World Economy Summit

0:33

What economic story isn't getting enough attention?

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International, speaks:

I think one day you will read the books about the transformation.

Words appear on screen reading:

What economic story isn’t getting enough attention?

Jacek Olczak, CEO of Philip Morris International, answers:

It was actually a PMI story.

The transformation of the industry,

the transformation of the company,

offering the benefits to the billion more smokers,

while creating the value for the investors,

for the stakeholders, public at large.

I think it's a wonderful story.

I think one day you will

read the books about the transformation.

Words appear on screen reading:

Semafor World Economy Summit

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