The discourse surrounding the future of artificial intelligence (AI) has been at the forefront of discussions among global technology and business leaders.

Numerous executives acknowledge the potential of this new era of technology and foresee its significant impact on the future of work and productivity.

Joe Tsai, the president of e-commerce giant Alibaba, articulated how AI could enhance productivity and potentially boost global GDP, estimating a total market potential of at least $10 trillion.

"If you look at AI, what does it really do?

It boosts human productivity.

Alibaba alone stands to benefit significantly from implementing AI technologies in its operations.

I believe the so-called DeepSeek moment is not about whether China has better AI than the U.S. or the other way around.

It's about the power of open source.

When you open a model, people can take it and use it on their infrastructure, be it a data center or a laptop, and suddenly you have AI capability at your fingertips," he stated at the Converge Live conference.

Tsai emphasized that small companies, large corporations, individuals, and entrepreneurs can develop their systems based on these open-source models, suggesting that the AI landscape is no longer confined to the wealthiest corporations capable of investing $50 billion annually.

Dineh Karignan, head of AI innovations at Microsoft, spoke about the concept of human-centered artificial intelligence and its potential to enhance the future workplace.

"Human-centered AI means starting with the user and asking what AI should do.

Instead of what it can do.

Much of the discussion around AI revolves around models, technology, and capabilities, when we should be focusing on the users and their needs.

We like to talk about the complementarity of humans and AI, where AI can take on tedious tasks, allowing people to focus on what only they can do—creativity, innovation, coalition building, inspiring, and motivating others," he commented.

Gai Diedrich, senior vice president and global director of innovation at Kisko, underlined the importance of trust in the development of AI technologies.

"Trust is foundational for our progress.

You cannot gain access to AI data if you are not trustworthy, and the way to gain trust in our industry is to provide security and be transparent," he noted, adding that companies must be agile in the process of enhancing employee skills to keep pace with the rapid advancement of AI.

"We are now in the era of micro AI, or the AI moment.

In the next few years, AI will be integrated into everything we do, and we will take it for granted.

You need to be ready to learn at the speed of innovation.

Otherwise, your people will never reach full productivity.

Ganesh Rasaja, head of strategy at HP, addressed the implications of AI on the job market.

"Certain jobs will disappear; I think that's expected, but we do not envision a world where unemployment will significantly rise.

Instead, as AI becomes more accessible, there will be an explosion in demand and changes in the nature of work.

There is an element of democratization that AI brings, and I think that is enormous.

I see it as a wave that lifts all boats," he highlighted.

Kamal Batia, president and CEO of Principal Asset Management, described the rise of DeepSeek as truly remarkable and labeled it an innovation despite the challenges.

However, he pointed out that investors might miss opportunities if they think innovation only exists where capital is present.

"What the Chinese experiment demonstrates is that innovation can progress even without capital.

Faced with challenges, you can leapfrog several stages of development.

Mark Benioff, CEO of software giant Salesforce, reflected on the substantial investments in data centers in recent months, as hype around AI continues to grow.

"What we just saw with DeepSeek and Alibaba's Qwen model shows that this kind of technology may not even be necessary.

Therefore, I think we need to reevaluate exactly what we are doing and why we are doing it.

In technology, there can also be a groupthink effect.

Is it really necessary?

It may be, but it may not be," he explained.