Leading with Purpose – the Future of AI: Reflections from AI Week 2025
Christine reflects on AI Week’s session “Shaping 2035: How Purpose and Empathy Drive the AI We Want”, and how it offered a striking vision of what the future could look like if we choose to build with intention.
Delivered by Becky Davis, Director of AI at Sopra Steria Next, it was one of those rare sessions that makes you stop and think – not just about where Artificial Intelligence is heading, but about the kind of society, workplaces and learning systems we are choosing to create.
The Future of AI 2035: Two Versions, One Choice
Becky opened her session with two vivid versions of 2035.
In the first, a purpose-led future, AI enhances everyday life. It quietly removes barriers, supports carers and teachers, reduces waste and strengthens community connections. People have more time to think, collaborate and live fully.
In the second, an unchecked AI world, algorithms make life-changing decisions; from delaying medical treatments to filtering CVs, without oversight or accountability. Biases go unchallenged, trust erodes and human judgment is replaced by automated efficiency.
The contrast was powerful and the message clear: These aren’t AI failures — they are leadership failures.
AI amplifies whatever it’s pointed at
AI, Becky reminded us, is neither inherently good nor bad. It amplifies whatever we aim it at.
If we direct it toward inclusion, equity and wellbeing, it can extend human capability and free us to focus on what matters most.
If we pursue speed, cost, or convenience without reflection, it risks amplifying inequality and deepening division.
That message strongly echoes the work I do through Creating Excellence by helping educators and training providers align AI, pedagogy and purpose so that technology enhances learning, not replaces it.
For me, this means continually asking not “How can we use AI?” but “Why should we?” and “Who might be left behind if we don’t?”
The Future: Six Pillars of AI Maturity
Becky introduced Sopra Steria Next’s Six Pillars of AI Maturity, a framework for building AI responsibly and effectively.
Each pillar offers lessons for education and skills leaders preparing their organisations and their people, for AI-enabled futures:
- Strategy – Start with purpose. Align every AI decision to your organisation’s mission and values.
- Governance – Build trust through transparency, oversight and ethical review.
- Technology – Choose scalable, secure and explainable systems that serve real needs.
- Data – Treat data as a strategic asset; ensure quality, security and fairness.
- Culture – Nurture digital confidence and openness to innovation.
- Expertise – Invest in upskilling, partnerships and AI literacy across your workforce.
These pillars are directly relevant to the FE and skills sector, where AI adoption is accelerating. From AI-supported lesson planning and learner feedback to adaptive learning platforms and data-informed quality assurance, these principles remind us that real maturity begins not with tools, but with trust, ethics and clarity of purpose.
The Future of AI: Leading with Purpose, Transparency and Courage
Becky closed by sharing three values that underpin responsible AI leadership:
Purpose, Transparency and Courage.
- Purpose keeps us anchored as technology evolves.
- Transparency enables confidence, accountability and understanding.
- Courage ensures we ask difficult questions about bias, access and equity.
These resonate deeply with my own work, supporting providers to embed Maths, English and Digital Skills meaningfully and ethically, while exploring how tools like Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT can reduce workload and promote inclusion.
The goal isn’t to replace human connection but to reclaim it, freeing educators to focus on creativity, empathy and relationships.
Building the future we mean to build
Becky described leadership in this era as demanding “clear thinking and deep empathy, not just ambition.”
That feels particularly relevant across post-16 education, where change is constant and the human impact of technology is profound.
Our challenge is to ensure that AI becomes the great enabler we hope for, enhancing learning, inclusion and sustainability rather than widening gaps.
AI Week 2025 has reminded me that technology will only ever shape the world to the extent that we shape it first.
The Future of AI and a Reflection for Education and Skills Leaders
Are we designing AI systems to serve people — or training people to serve AI systems?
The answer lies in our choices: in how we define purpose, lead with empathy and keep people and planet at the heart of progress.
For me, that’s what Creating Excellence is really about, helping educators, providers and leaders create a future where AI, ethics and equity work hand in hand.