Business Leaders Hold The Pen On AI’s Next Chapter

Leaders Still Shape The Outcome

What gets lost in the noise of quarterly earnings calls and model upgrades is that the outcome of this transition is not predetermined. The trajectory of artificial intelligence — who benefits, who is left behind, what risks materialize and which are avoided — will be shaped by the choices business leaders make in the next few years.

We can advance solutions and breakthroughs that elevate what makes us distinctly human, or we can exacerbate divisions and mistrust. The choices that leaders make today will determine which reality we face.

History Shows How To Avoid Blind Spots

John F. Kennedy understood this. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, his frame of reference was heavily influenced by Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August, an account of how the leaders of Europe sleepwalked into World War I —not out of malice, but out of institutional momentum, mirror-imaging and failure to see the full field of play. Kennedy was determined not to repeat that mistake. He slowed the process down. He demanded more data, analyzed different perspectives and insisted on options beyond the binary. The result was not war. It was a negotiated path out.

With respect to AI, the danger today is not that business leaders are malevolent. It is that they are moving fast in conditions of poor visibility, with inadequate data and with institutional incentives that reward deployment over deliberation. Peiris’ research on AI in simulated conflict scenarios is a jarring reminder of what happens when powerful systems receive objectives without overall guardrails: They optimize efficiently toward outcomes no human would have sanctioned.

Business Has Navigated Crises Before

The good news is that business has been in similar situations before and found its way through.

After the Bhopal disaster of 1984, the chemical industry did not wait for governments to react. It created Responsible Care, a global framework of standards and accountability that fundamentally changed how the industry managed safety, community relations and environmental impact. It was imperfect, incremental and sometimes self-serving, but it did shift the baseline.

Similarly, after the sweatshop scandals of the 1990s, the apparel industry developed supply chain standards, third-party audits and codes of conduct that raised the floor for hundreds of millions of workers worldwide. Neither transformation solved all the problems on its own, but both reframed the path forward — and both were led, critically, by the private sector.

The Strategic Question Every Board Should Ask

The Pope’s encyclical asks a question that every boardroom and C-suite should ask today: How can we ensure AI truly serves the common good and is not just used to accumulate wealth and power in the hands of a few? That is not an abstract theological question. It is a strategic one that directly connects to any company’s long-term license to operate.

Just Capital’s research consistently shows that the American public is not anti-business and not anti-technology. In spring 2026, 66% of the public said they foresee AI being a net positive for society within the next five years, compared to 58% in fall 2025. At the same time, the public expresses significant concerns related to the safety of AI models, the stability of the workforce and society at large, and the need to keep humans in charge.

The companies that best demonstrate the positive value they create with AI — while avoiding the greatest risks — will position themselves to earn trust in the AI-powered economy. Those that don’t risk losing competitive edge, facing significant opportunity costs, encountering backlash or worse.

Seeing The Full Field Of Play

What distinguishes great leaders from good operators is their ability, especially in the heat of battle, to see the full field of play. Never has this quality been more in need. The path to prosperity will be laid by those board directors, CEOs and business leaders who believe that deploying AI responsibly is not a constraint on value creation, economic opportunity, social stability and human potential, but the very foundation of them.