Press

At the Universo TOTVS 2026 event in São Paulo, senior lecturer George Westerman gave an interview to CNN Cast to discuss how artificial intelligence is affecting the corporate world and the job market. "AI doesn't produce value in companies on its own," he said. According to him, what AI does is enable businesses to operate differently — and that's the truly critical part of the transformation.

Professor Scott Stern explained that research accumulated over the past 20 years has shown that industrial clusters influence business activity, startups, innovation, and regional economic performance. However, he argued that the benefits of geographical proximity lead to actual growth not merely by gathering companies in one place, but only when people move within that space, technology and infrastructure are shared, and they become mutual customers and suppliers.

"I would encourage people to use AI to explain and define," said associate professor Taha Choukhmane. "If you're interested in knowing what the stock market is, what the difference between a mutual fund and an index fund is. Using AI to explain these concepts can be very useful because it can empower people to get the most out of these methods." Choukhmane also recommends asking AI to provide references to trusted sources to verify the information provided.

According to lecturer Lars Frølund, Yucatán faces the challenge of moving from recognizing its strengths to turning them into concrete opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The question, from his perspective, is not only what technology Yucatán can adopt in the face of the transformation driven by artificial intelligence, but also what advantage the state has and how it can turn it into an innovation platform capable of generating growth and opportunities.

Professor Emilio J. Castilla emphasized that employee experience should not be measured solely by how people feel, but also by the real opportunities they have to join, learn, contribute, receive recognition, and advance. "When employees have real opportunities to contribute, learn, and exercise their judgment, organizations create better conditions for delivering higher-value experiences to their customers," he said.

Professor Emeritus Paul Osterman wrote: "Companies are increasingly stripping workers of employee status, along with the benefits and protections that a job has traditionally offered. And in doing so, they're creating a disposable workforce. Without sustained pressure, disposability will become the default way America works, and the costs will keep piling up. We need to lift our eyes from an obsession with AI, recognize this pattern – and act."