A Conversation with Vanessa Edmonds, CEO & Founder, Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative
At the Utility 2030 Leadership Collaborative (U2030), we spend a great deal of time listening.
Every week, we talk with utility executives—our members and advisory clients—about the challenges keeping them awake at night. We ask what they’re hearing from employees, customers, regulators, and boards. We look for patterns because patterns point to the biggest leadership challenges.
Lately, artificial intelligence (AI) has risen to the top of almost every conversation. Some leaders are excited, some are skeptical, and many are unsure what to do next.
That made AI an obvious topic for UNFILTERED, U2030’s interview series featuring candid conversations about issues shaping the future of utility leadership.
Q: You’ve had dozens of conversations with utility leaders about AI. Some believe it’s transformative. Others think it’s another technology bubble. Where have you landed?
Vanessa:
I’ve reached a conclusion that I don’t say lightly—I believe AI is the next industrial revolution.
An industrial revolution begins with a breakthrough technology or a cluster of technologies, but it becomes a revolution when it changes how society creates value—reshaping how people think, work, lead, and compete.
History tells us what happens next. Organizations that adapt thrive. Those that don’t eventually become case studies. Think about Blockbuster, Nokia, and BlackBerry. They weren’t defeated by technology alone. They were defeated because they couldn’t evolve as quickly as the world around them.
Industrial revolutions have always been deeply personal because they redefine how people work and live.
What makes AI different is its pace. AI is evolving faster than any technology I’ve seen in my lifetime, leaving organizations and leaders with very little time to adapt.
