Newsweek’s AI Impact Summit showcases how 130 leaders implement AI across industries

Newsweek’s AI Impact Summit 2025 brought together 130 industry experts and leaders to discuss AI implementation, scaling, and governance across organizations. Google Cloud COO Francis deSouza emphasized that AI will touch every part of companies, requiring strategic workforce development and placing a premium on employee curiosity and experimentation skills.

What you should know: The summit focused on demonstrating practical AI value rather than extreme predictions about AI’s future impact.

• Newsweek Contributing Editor Marcus Weldon opened by explaining how AI conversations typically fall into extremes of either saving or ending humanity, with the goal being to “find rational value” without being overly skeptical or optimistic.
• Cognizant, a technology consulting company and the event sponsor, showcased agentic AI demonstrations and multi-agent systems that attendees could customize and take home.

Key industry perspectives: Leaders from major companies shared how AI enhances efficiency by handling routine tasks, freeing employees for strategic work.

• Toyota Motor North America’s Senior Director of Enterprise AI Melody Ayeli emphasized their conservative approach: “We’re a company that’s very conservative because we put safety and quality first, and so that extends to AI. Anything that we put in the car is rigorously tested, and as you know, [AI] is not always correct.”
• Companies from Zoom, Ancestry.com, and Kaiser Permanente all stressed that listening to customer, user, and stakeholder needs is the most important starting point for AI implementation decisions.

What they’re saying: Google’s deSouza outlined the workforce transformation AI will require.

• “Every part of a company is going to be touched by AI, so executives need a strategy,” he told Newsweek’s Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Cunningham.
• “A successful employee in any company will be viable in every function, plus AI. And so companies need to create sort of skilling programs and training to make sure that their employees are comfortable with what’s out there.”
• “It will also place a premium on skills like curiosity [and] willingness to experiment, because things change so quickly that we need a workforce that is willing to be curious about what’s out there.”

Innovation showcase: The summit featured practical AI applications across industries.

• A sidewalk delivery robot from Serve Robotics participated in the “AI in Motion: Designing for Driving the Future” panel alongside speakers from Designworks, a BMW Company.
• Both companies demonstrated how they’re using AI to optimize product design processes.

What’s next: The summit continues with live coverage resuming Tuesday at 9:00 am PST, with ongoing updates available through Newsweek’s AI Impact Summit live blog.