BP Host Book Launch Event - AI, Careers, and Ethics

Last week we had the privilege of returning to bp head office, a place that shaped a significant chapter of our professional lives. This time not as executives, but as authors and observers of the future of work. The occasion was the launch of Artificial Death of a Career, the latest book in the Shey Sinope Career Saga by Drs Schuster & Oxley — and the backdrop to a profound conversation on AI, careers, society and ethics.Our panel brought together four very different lenses:🔹 Daniel Obst, president of AFS Intercultural Programs — representing the voice and aspirations of global youth🔹 Rt Hon. Justine Greening, founder The Purpose Coalition, politician and advocate for social mobility🔹 Ben Towers, founder Happl, entrepreneur and tech visionary🔹 and myself — with experience across a wide range of organisations All brilliantly guided by moderator Rishi Dorai. We’ve been on countless panels in our lives. Few matched the depth, honesty and urgency of this one. Despite our diverse backgrounds, the room gravitated towards five shared truths:1️⃣ AI is irreversible.Not a trend, but a structural shift — as defining as electricity or the internet.2️⃣ The true transformation will take longer than the headlines suggest.Technology may move fast, but people, systems, regulation and trust move slowly3️⃣ Careers will change profoundly.Some jobs will disappear. Many more will be re-imagined. Entirely new roles will emerge.4️⃣ AI can unlock solutions to society’s hardest problems.Climate change, poverty, social mobility, access to education — if we shape it responsibly.5️⃣ AI is an extension of human ingenuity, not a substitute for it.The future belongs to augmented humans, not replaced humans.What gives me optimism is not the technology itself, but the coalition of thinking forming around it: youth + ethics + entrepreneurship + public policy + corporate responsibility.If we do this well, the story we will tell decades from now will not be one of jobs lost, but societies gained. A world where technology doesn’t diminish humanity — it elevates it.That requires courage, regulation, education, and a commitment to fairness. And above all, it requires us to treat AI not as a rival, but as a tool to build a more equitable world.Let’s make sure that when future generations look back, they can say:We didn’t fear technology. We shaped it for good._______________________________________Thank you bp, thank you fellow panel members, thank you audience.