Rishad Tobaccowala argues AI is shaping work faster than most leaders realize. The advantage will not go to whoever adopts AI first; it will go to whoever stays most human while using it. His framework for navigating this: embrace AI, adapt your skills, and complement the machine with what only humans can do.

Key Takeaways

• Tobaccowala frames AI as something fundamentally different from past technology shifts. He noted that agentic AI capability is doubling roughly every seven weeks, a pace that outstrips how organizations are used to planning for change.
• His core advice is not to “resist AI” or “adopt AI blindly”. It is a three-part framework: embrace, adapt, complement. He advises using the tool, building new skills around it, and doubling down on what makes you irreplaceably human.
• Rishad centers on four human strengths. He says AI can not replicate: intuition, insight, imagination, and interaction. He argues these, not technical AI fluency alone, will separate the people and companies that continue to succeed from those that do not.

Who is Rishad Tobaccowala?

Rishad Tobaccowala spent nearly four decades at Publicis Group, one of the world’s largest marketing and communication companies. Most recently as its Chief Strategist and Growth Officer. He is the author of two HarperCollins books: Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data and Rethinking Work. He is the host of the What’s Next? podcast alongside a weekly newsletter, The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past, read by more than 30,000 business leaders. He currently advises companies including Prophet, LoopMe, and Quilt.AI, and chairs the Tobaccowala Foundation, which supports education and healthcare access for more than 10,000 people in India.

As a keynote speaker, he is known for pairing deep industry experience with a willingness to challenge how leaders are currently thinking about AI. Helping organizations navigate transformation while maintaining a human- centered approach to business.

AI, Humans, and Work

Tobaccowala’s central claim is blunt: most leaders are still underestimating AI. Speaking at a recent SAP enterprise architect forum, he argued that despite everything organizations already know, AI remains under-hyped because the disruption is not incremental – it is structural. He points out that digital advertising took roughly three decades to become the majority of global ad spending; agentic AI is compounding at a dramatically faster rate.

To make the stakes clear, he looks at AI in a different way. Instead of calling these systems “agents,” he describes them as something closer to alien intelligence. A different kind of thinking that works in a different way.  His point is simple: “Computers are digital, silicon-based computing machines,” while “humans choose on stories.” He argues that this difference is where the real competitive advantage lies – not simply who adopts AI the fastest.

This shows up in how he talks about organizational design, too. He describes the winners of this era as AI-first companies. Organizations that redesign their operations around AI systems first, then deliberately redefine where human judgement adds unique value on top of that foundation. In an interview with Adgully, he put the underlying principle simply: “Machines don’t innovate- humans do.” AI can improve efficiency, but he believes real innovation still comes from human creativity and adaptability. This puts the responsibility back on leaders to actively upskill their teams rather than assume the technology will handle it.

For people navigating this shift, his advice comes down to three steps: embrace AI instead of avoiding it, adapt your skills so you can work with it, and complement it with human strengths AI can not replace – intuition, insight, imagination, and connection. He is honest that some jobs may disappear. He also believes that knowing how to use AI will not be enough to stay relevant. Still, he remains optimistic about the future. His message is clear: people and organizations should take thoughtful steps forward instead of simply reacting to change.

Why Rishad Tobaccowala?

Rishad Tobaccowala brings decades of experience in marketing, technology, and business to his conversations about AI and the future of work. His perspective helps leaders look beyond the latest AI trends and think about what comes next.

He’s a strong choice for leadership offsites, innovation summits, and corporate events focused on AI, change, and the future of work. His keynote can also be paired with a workshop for teams looking to take those ideas further.

Looking for an AI keynote speaker? Reach out to Eagles Talent to learn more about Rishad Tobaccowala and find the right fit for your event.

FAQs

What does Rishad Tobaccowala say about AI and work?
He argues AI is a structural shift, not an incremental one, and that organizations win not by adopting AI fastest but by staying distinctly human while using it. His framework for individuals is embrace, adapt, complement — use AI, build new skills, and lean into human strengths like intuition and imagination that AI can’t replicate.

What is Rishad Tobaccowala’s “embrace, adapt, complement” framework?
It’s a three-step approach he teaches for navigating AI disruption at the individual level: embrace the technology instead of avoiding it, adapt your skills to work effectively alongside it, and complement it by doubling down on human capabilities — intuition, insight, imagination, and interaction — that AI systems don’t have.

What books has Rishad Tobaccowala written?
He’s the author of Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data and Rethinking Work, both published by HarperCollins. His books and ongoing newsletter explore how leaders balance data and algorithms with human judgment and meaning.

Is Rishad Tobaccowala available to book for a keynote on AI and the future of work?
Yes. He speaks regularly on this topic for corporate events, leadership offsites, and association conferences, and has delivered both keynote and workshop formats. Contact Eagles Talent Speakers Bureau for current availability and fee details.

What does Rishad Tobaccowala mean by “alien intelligence”?
It’s the term he uses instead of calling AI an “agent,” to emphasize that AI operates on a fundamentally different kind of logic than humans do — computational and binary, versus human decision-making, which he says runs on story and meaning. The distinction underpins his broader argument that human judgment remains the differentiator, not AI capability alone.

Book Rishad Tobaccowala through Eagles Talent to bring his perspective on AI, humans, and work to your next event.

Source: Rishad Tobaccowala, “Staying Human in the Age of AI,” Substack.
https://rishad.substack.com/p/staying-human-in-the-age-of-ai_