More Jedi, Less Terminator: will.i.am on Why Human Intuition and Empathy are the Keys to Winning the AI Revolution

“The Future of Creativity & AI” panel featured a compelling conversation between Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman of S4 Capital, and will.i.am, founder and CEO of FYI.AI. Entrepreneur and innovator will.i.am detailed his long-standing and deeply-rooted involvement in artificial intelligence, dating back to his first AI company in 2012. He revealed his strategy as a direct, early-stage investor in foundational AI companies like OpenAI, Runway, Anthropic, and Hugging Face, driven by a mission to find solutions and solve problems.

A core focus of will.i.am’s work is addressing the ethical challenges of AI, specifically combating data and algorithmic bias to ensure representation for urban communities and embedding empathy into models. He expressed concern that AI could reflect and amplify humanity’s worst traits—such as greed and inhumanity—if not guided by a renewed focus on community and human well-being over profit-driven marketing.

Despite the dominance of Big Tech, will.i.am remains optimistic about the democratization of AI. He argued that the rise of open-source platforms and the shrinking size of powerful models will create a “David and Goliath” scenario, empowering a new generation of entrepreneurs to compete with established giants. He dismissed fears of AI surpassing human ingenuity, comparing it to other powerful tools like calculators and cars, and urged for a focus on sharpening uniquely human skills like intuition. His final advice to the next generation was to actively engage with open-source AI tools immediately, build teams, and leverage passion and community to create new solutions before 2030.