Humans plus AI is where the magic happens, according to futurist Rebecca Ryan.
Ryan spoke to nearly 300 attendees at the Fox Cities Chamber AI Business Summit Nov. 5 in Appleton.
The day-long summit, designed for businesses of all sizes and levels of AI readiness, featured inspiring keynotes, expert-led breakout sessions and networking opportunities.
The summit opened with Ryan’s keynote, “The Human Edge: Navigating AI’s Uneven Revolution in Business.”
Ryan ephasized that AI adoption is still in the early stages and called it the “Wild West” era of AI. She told business leaders to think strategically and recognize there are many things humans do better than AI. She said, for example, that AI is effective for analyzing and synthesizing large sets of data so it is a great tool for financial and administrative tasks, but less effective for relationship-based work such as sales.
The first step when implementing AI is defining what artificial intelligence is, according to Ryan who said AI can range from robotics to large language models to agentic and beyond. She said leaders should plan for multiple futures from visonary to worst case scenarios. Businesses need to involve staff when creating AI policy and implementing technology to succeed, Ryan said, emphasizing that “People support what they helped build.”
She also urged businesses to return to their “noble purpose.” Ryan said many businesses continue to operate in emergency mode after the COVID pandemic. They have forgotten they were founded with a more noble goal in mind and they need to tell that story.
She said businesses also need to stop doing things that do not succeed and focus on what works for them. Finally, she said nothing changes, until someone changes and that includes with AI. “Human + AI” is the magic.
Attendees then chose from breakout sessions focused on practical applications of AI in business, marketing, and operations, featuring real-world insights from local leaders.
During lunch, the Chamber unveiled results from its Fox Cities AI Readiness Survey, highlighting how local businesses are beginning to integrate AI into their work.
“Artificial intelligence is moving fast, and chambers have a unique role to play in helping businesses of all sizes learn, experiment and implement responsibly,” said Becky Bartoszek, president/CEO of the Fox Cities Chamber. “Yesterday’s summit showed there is strong interest in our region for AI education, peer learning and practical tools that can be put to work right away, and it reinforced the Chamber’s strategy of helping the Fox Cities be a leader in AI.”
To conclude the summit, the Chamber’s AI Task Force shared its goals for the coming year, building on the Chamber’s commitment to advancing AI education, collaboration, and an expanding library of regional AI resources.
