‘Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn’: Business Leaders on How AI Is Changing Creative Work

Four business leaders discussed how AI is changing creative work during a TIME100 Talks panel in Cannes, France, on Wednesday. The panelists, including executives from Nespresso, Luma AI, Philip Morris International, and Publicis Sapient, emphasized that AI should be seen as a complement to human creativity, not a replacement. They argued that workers must adapt by learning to use AI tools to remain competitive.

Four business leaders discussed how AI is changing the nature of creative work, and how to navigate that change, during a TIME100 Talks panel in Cannes, France, on Wednesday. The panel included Vice President of Marketing and Head of Sustainability at Nespresso USA https://time.com/7331064/coffee-pods-plastic/ Jessica Padula, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of AI platform Luma AI Amit Jain, Chief Global Growth Officer at Philip Morris International PMI Stefano Volpetti, and Chief Executive Officer at Publicis Sapient Nigel Vaz https://time.com/branded-content/publicis-sapient/ask-an-expert-nigel-vaz-ceo-publicis-sapient/ . Volpetti addressed how the use of AI is particularly aligned with the goals of a company like PMI, which sponsored the event. PMI, he noted, is currently undergoing a massive corporate transformation, as the tobacco company perhaps best known for the Marlboro brand hopes to eventually phase out traditional cigarettes in favor of “smoke-free” nicotine alternatives. He said that philosophy is in line with that of artificial intelligence, which is also changing habits “every day.” Read More: How to Make an Impact in the AI Economy Volpetti contended the future is not humans “versus” AI, but humans “and” AI. “We believe that the two together have the ability to become a force multiplier of capacity,” he said during the panel, which was moderated by TIME editor Ayesha Javed. “We can do more things in parallel instead of doing them in a sequence.” Vaz, whose company Publicis Sapient works with both small and established businesses to build AI platforms, took Volpetti’s framing of humans and AI even further. “I use the analogy of Iron Man: you've got to invest in the suit and the people, and you put them together, you get a superhero,” he said. “If you invest in just one, it's a great suit or it’s great people, but you're not going to get the same kind of acceleration.” Padula added that for Nespresso, incorporating AI in the company’s machines is about elevating consumers’ experiences. She said that while some might associate Nespresso with reducing friction by being able to easily make a cup of coffee, the company’s consumer data has shown that consumers want to slow down and drink their coffee with more attention—something that AI could help with. “How do we think about content, creativity—and maybe AI experiences—that all can surround that singular moment where we have … something that captures them maybe creates that little bit of friction to say pause, slow down,” she said. One way Nespresso wants to do that, she said, is through teaching consumers about coffee beans. “We have all these coffee nerds who want to know ‘Where is this origin from,’ and ‘How do I get it?’ How are we using our direct one-to-one relationship with that consumer, whether it's through our app or something like that, to create that moment that sets their day up.” Jain, of Luma AI, acknowledged that people in the creative space in which the company operates are very “emotional” about how AI challenges https://time.com/6337835/ai-mediocrity-essay/ the authenticity and originality https://time.com/article/2026/03/26/ai-slop-is-threatening-musicians-can-tech-companies-stem-the-tide-/ of content. Jain argued, however, that AI will only enhance creativity when executed correctly by people who understand their brand and consumers. These creative people, he said, will then be able to “experiment with 100 different ideas.” He added that people need to be ready for the competition and change that AI will bring to the workforce in this way. “A person will only lose their job to another person who's using AI, and it would never be that an AI loses a job to a person,” Jain said. In order to be ready for that change AI will make in the world of work, Vaz added, people need to “forget about being valued for what we know ” in their professional life, and instead train younger people to develop their ability to “learn, unlearn, and relearn, to be a valuable employee. And it's up to organizations and companies to make that a part of their culture, he said. “I think younger people today are going to have to have the equivalent of a four year degree or more every four years in terms of being relevant to the workforce, because of the rate of change,” he said. “How do you actually build a culture where people are valued for their ability to constantly learn and unlearn and relearn?” TIME100 Talks: The Human Edge: Creativity in the Age of Cognition was presented by Philip Morris International.