At John Cabot University in Rome, Agilian CEO Jamey Harvey joined an international panel of scholars, technologists, and policy experts to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping open societies. Together, they looked at what AI means for democracy, markets, and public systems, and what choices leaders still have in front of them.
Key Themes from the Panel
AI is changing how people think, not just what they do
Panelists stressed that AI tools do more than just speed up tasks. When people rely heavily on AI, answers to complex questions become more similar and teams become more dependent on the same patterns and prompts. That can limit how problems are framed and reduce visible diversity of thought. The group also discussed relational AI and the risk that chatbots can deepen isolation if they are not designed with real human connection in mind.
Incentives are steering AI more than vision
The discussion highlighted how current business models and investment structures drive the direction of AI. Very large funds and aggressive growth expectations reward scale, engagement, and data extraction over long-term public value. Panelists warned the audience that when a small circle of powerful actors control the most influential systems and treat the future as fixed, societies risk drifting toward less accountable and more authoritarian arrangements.
Democracies need updated guardrails and institutions
The panel agreed that open societies only work if the future stays open to debate and change. Today that openness is under pressure from regulation that has not kept up, narratives that glorify speed above all else, and global competition around strategic technologies. The group pointed to the need for better aligned public institutions, more technologists in government, and investment in research and tools that are designed with social impact in mind.
What the future could look like
In the next five years, several panelists expect to see the current AI investment bubble cool. That would create space for more thoughtful design, stronger oversight, and tools that are less extractive in how they use attention and data.
Looking twenty years out, the group pointed to embodied AI and robotics as a likely turning point. Today’s systems are not grounded in physical experience. As robots and assistive devices become more common, especially in aging societies, they could change both what AI can do and how people experience it.
Across both timelines, the panel reinforced one central idea: the future is not predetermined. The choices that current and emerging leaders make about design, governance, and institutions will shape whether AI strengthens or weakens the systems that people depend on.