How AI Is Reshaping Business Strategy, Performance and the Human Line

Artificial intelligence is changing how organisations operate, make investment decisions, measure performance, and plan their workforce. But beyond adopting new technologies, business leaders face a more fundamental question: how can AI create measurable business value while preserving the capabilities that make people essential?

In the inaugural episode of Rolling Stories Season 6, co hosts Adrian Tan and Manu Khetan bring together four senior business leaders for a live panel discussion exploring these questions through the concept of The Human Line.

The panel features Kwek You Cheer, Chief Financial Officer at AEM; Tan Toi Chia, Chief Human Resources Officer at StarHub; Satyaki Banerjee, Chief Executive Officer at LUXASIA Group; and Bharathi Viswanathan, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Suntory Beverage and Food International.

From AI Adoption to Measurable Business Value

The conversation begins by examining where AI has already touched business operations. As organisations move beyond experimentation, leaders must determine how AI fits into their business strategy and how they can demonstrate tangible results to the board.

This raises two closely connected questions: how should companies define an AI strategy, and how should they evaluate the money spent on AI? Technology investment alone does not guarantee business value. Organisations need to connect their AI initiatives to business priorities, productivity, and measurable outcomes.

Rethinking Performance in the AI Era

As AI becomes part of everyday work, traditional approaches to evaluating employee performance may need to evolve. Leaders must consider how to assess contributions when people work alongside AI systems and how to recognise the value employees create beyond the tasks they complete.

The discussion also highlights the risk of wisdom obsolescence. If AI takes over tasks that previously helped junior employees gain experience, organisations could unintentionally limit opportunities to develop practical judgment and expertise. Building human capability therefore remains an important consideration in AI adoption.

What Should Agentic Architecture Look Like in 2026?

The panel also examines what an effective agentic architecture should look like and where organisations may be getting it wrong. This question extends the conversation beyond individual AI tools to how businesses organise and integrate AI capabilities into their operations.

A strong foundation requires reliable data, investment in people, and opportunities for teams to identify problems and experiment with solutions.

Will AI Shrink the Human Cost Line or Grow It?

At the heart of The Human Line is a question about the future of workforce costs. AI may increase productivity and change how work is distributed between people and machines. Yet absolute people costs may still rise as organisations grow and employees take on higher value responsibilities.

The broader challenge is to understand how human and machine capabilities can work together to improve business performance rather than treating AI solely as a cost reduction exercise.

For CEOs, CFOs, CHROs, CIOs, and transformation leaders, this episode offers a timely opportunity to reconsider how AI strategy, investment, performance, and workforce planning connect.

Recent Podcast

June 24, 2025