When the readers of Fortune’s former sibling publication Time chose the “Person of the Year” for 2023, I found myself intrigued. While not a Swiftie myself, as a father of two daughters who grew up alongside Taylor Swift, I have closely followed her journey and music with keen interest due to her graceful navigation of both her career and personal life, along with her truly remarkable achievements. However, in the annals of history, 2023 might be marked as the year of AI. The potential of this technology was evident before, but the perception of ChatGPT underwent a significant transformation. Prior to November 2022, AI was viewed through the dual lenses of a distant future where machines could potentially surpass human intelligence, and the practical application of powerful algorithms processing vast amounts of data to identify patterns and make forecasts. These differing viewpoints converged in ChatGPT and other major language models, resulting in tools capable of interacting with humans in ways that could potentially exceed any language test.
After Time’s editors decided to honor Taylor Swift with the top accolade, Sam Altman of OpenAI was rightly acknowledged with a new title as “CEO of the Year.” While this choice is understandable, it overlooks the essence of Keith Thomas’ remarkable presentation at our recent Brainstorm Design gathering in Macau. Additionally, I must mention the charming impromptu poem composed by Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton, during a CEO dinner in Dubai before COP28, created in the whimsical style of Dr. Seuss. These creative expressions have now become integral to our daily lives and are reshaping the landscape of business practices.
Despite feeling weary from travel, I am thrilled to be in San Francisco tonight for Accenture’s Brainstorm AI conference. It was here, a year ago, that I first witnessed the potential of relational AI. I am eager to delve deeper into its trajectory in the upcoming weeks and will share more updates over the next fortnight, so stay tuned on fortune.com.
On a related note, I would like to provide an advance notice: CEO Weekly Asia, an upcoming publication led by Fortune’s executive director for Asia, Clay Chandler, is scheduled to debut in January and will cater to enthusiasts of CEO Daily.
