Paradoxes & Paradigms & Consciousness
The Rise of the Chief Consciousness Officers
Technology ascends, Humanity falters yet, Who will hold the line?
These past few months, I have had the honor of joining numerous esteemed panels while also delivering dedicated talks on the importance of leading change more humanely in this era of AI. With each question posed amidst these discussions, it has become increasingly evident that we are all standing on the precipice of an AI-driven era, whereby we are almost unknowingly turning over our agency and last vestiges of humanity to lifeless, agentic-powered machines.
And as headlines fill with feuds between boorish billionaires and fanfaron founders, it appears the everyday consumer and citizen is left to debate the importance of ethics, access and application of an ever-pervasive artificial intelligence. While corporations are promising us companionship and titans are clamoring for control, it is us, all of us, who are wondering who is going to be the person (or power) to help us hold on to who we are, and who we were, before all of this?
I believe a new role is emerging from a quiet cry in the digital hallways of corporations now undergoing this behemoth transformation. I believe this new role will define the intersection of technology and humanity—the Chief Consciousness Officer (CCO).
This visionary position would be charged with addressing the growing need for leaders dedicated to integrating ethical AI practices with the core human values of compassion, purpose, and mindfulness. All while keeping a calm, curated, collective of wisdom that counters the hysteria coming from a 7 trillion dollar promise.
Over the next two years, we will see the price of discernment in demand and witness the deliberate delineation between those that hold the promise, and those that get rich from the perilous panic makers.
The concept of forward thinking only matters if we don’t derail ourselves before getting to the destination. We will see cohorts of deep thinkers willing to do what it takes to be forward-thinking, not future breaking.
And organizations who are wise will prioritize this role, recognizing its pivotal impact on our long-term relevance and sustainability.
The Chief Consciousness Officer will act as the conscience of the corporation in and amidst an accelerated age of dangerously rapid technological advancement. This role will ensure that AI technologies are implemented not just for efficiency and profitability but also in ways that honor the dignity of human experiences.
As Arianna Huffington recently pointed out in an interview, we have now entered into realms where we must return to understanding and developing the GPS for the Soul. From this place, we must call upon the wiser ones, to disconnect and reconnect and course correct while designing and directing AI systems.
What does this look like exactly? Well, it has more to do with the classical than it does with the chip count.
In order for us to minimize back-breaking bias and foster long overdue transparency in communication about the role of automation in the workforce, the role of the CCO will be essential to help companies navigate the complex ethical terrain of innovation.
The more we understand its usage and misuse, the stronger the call to get crystal clear and compellingly consistent with our expectations of broader societal demand and benefit of AI. And for organizations to act responsibly and authentically in their pursuit of progress, we must first acknowledge the plummeting possibilities and letdowns of this technology.
Are we really ready to place our agency, livelihood and humanity in its silica grip?
The work of a CCO goes beyond ethics on day one. The CCO will carry the Olympic torch to help us focus on preserving the irreplaceable aspects of humanity within corporate cultures and against the backdrop of capitalism. Addressing the rising concerns of AI replacing human jobs and eroding creativity, this leader will have to champion initiatives that enhance employee well-being and foster emotional intelligence, for the benefit of all, not the few.
The integration of AI will need to cross the thresholds once stewarded wisely, to live up to the hype and promise of augmenting rather than diminishing human potential. Therein lies the paradox. Not many can operate in the space of managing the paradox while fixing the problem.
That is the unwritten charter of the CCO, soon to emerge. To serve as a guide, much like a sherpa, in balancing the dynamics, navigating the elements, securing humanity, while ascending to new heights. This will be the secret cornerstone to help organizations remain competitive AND deeply human-centric.
The call for investment in this future role will likely emerge quickly, seen as the most important decision for corporations aiming to stay relevant. AI technologies are already on a path to become ubiquitous, and we see in the tides that the competitive advantage will shift from adoption to responsible, innovative and humane implementation. The Chief Consciousness Officer is in fact one of those roles that doesn’t exist today and soon we won’t be able to imagine how we functioned without it.
This future role will most likely be filled by those with a liberal arts education and an insatiable appetite to understand the ancients, philosophy and the tendencies of sociology and anthropology to inform our sanctity. Skill libraries will call for unfettered discernment and the ability to embed ethical considerations into strategic decisions, combined with a focus on cultural resilience. These are not lines that exist in job descriptions today but will soon position companies who invest in a CCO to lead distinctly in an increasingly scrutinized and interconnected world.
This role’s quarterly check ins will be measured in KPIs = Knowingly Purposeful Interactions. Only through those measures will successful adoption and sustainment be achievable. How does one measure core human values like compassion, purpose, and mindfulness? There is another paradox to manage. Those who don’t need to measure will master, because it will be embedded and celebrated in every decision made.
To thrive in a digital age takes getting back to the essence of who we are, without all that is accentuating our limits. Perhaps it is in all that is limiting that makes us limitless.
This will be the call to the Chief Consciousness Officer to help corporations remember that which they are…a collection of humans hoping for better outcomes.
Businesses continue to grapple with the challenges and opportunities presented by AI, but they don’t have to if they simplify and listen to the serenity that comes with equanimity. It will be this capability and competency that becomes a beacon for responsible innovation by Fortune 500s around the world.
The CCO of the future will help secure a future of work that is not merely about technological marvel but also a testament to the enduring value of empathy, creativity, and shared purpose.
The Chief Consciousness Officer may be the most enigmatic addition to the C-suite, where fellow executives can interrogate whether AI is used in humane, responsible and ethical ways. This role isn’t without its complexities and challenges, as is the case with anything that is essential. Because soon corporations will remember that is they don’t stand for something, they easily can fall for anything. And that only leads to the further descent of the human condition.
To embody the future we want to see, we need to embody the future we want to be a part of.
As businesses grapple with the headline-grabbing challenges and opportunities presented by AI, there is a lighthouse that will keep us from shipwrecking at these speeds and amidst these tides of change. That lighthouse has a light that never burns out. It is our consciousness. And we need daily reminders and regents in the form of Chief Consciousness Officers to protect the future of work and livelihood from falling victim to a technological and rudderless marvel or tyrant technocrat’s tactics.
Nice notions Bill, but in most boardrooms and kitchens, people will roll their eyes and ask whether you've been smoking the drapes. I say that as an 'early late adopter' of AI who is using it every day and focusing on using it extensively in the future - not to get ahead, but only to have an impact on how fast I'm falling behind. This is magic; and yes, it's an ethical minefield, and it's a bit of the wild west right now - the future world, if we are to save our species, eliminate disease and be both humane and to brutally beat evil into the ground, 'every good person with a keyboard' can defeat a bad person with a keyboard ....