AI Appreciation Day: The surprising way leaders are using AI

For all the hype around artificial intelligence, business leaders are increasingly using it not just as a productivity tool but as a thinking partner—one that questions assumptions and sharpens decision-making. On AI Appreciation Day, Business Today asked leaders how AI has quietly become part of their everyday work.

Don't ask AI to agree with you. Ask it to challenge you

For Priyanka Anand, Vice President and Head of HR for Southeast Asia, Oceania and India at Ericsson, AI's biggest lesson has been deceptively simple: the quality of the outcome depends on the quality of the question.

"Technology can accelerate thinking, but it's still up to us to ask better questions and apply human judgement," she says.

That philosophy shapes one of her regular prompts: "What perspectives or blind spots might I be missing?" Rather than seeking validation, she uses AI to challenge her assumptions and enrich discussions with her teams. It also handles first drafts and lengthy summaries, giving her more time for coaching and thoughtful conversations.

If AI were sitting across from her in a performance review, she'd have one piece of feedback: "Don't confuse confidence with accuracy. Show your reasoning, acknowledge uncertainty and make it easier for humans to verify information. Trust is earned through transparency."

What am I not seeing?

For Ruchika Panesar, Country Head, India and CIO Functions at NatWest Group, AI is at its best when it behaves less like an assistant and more like a thought partner.

One lesson her personal AI agent, Donna, keeps reinforcing is: "Don't start with the technology. Start with the problem you're trying to solve." Whether it's a business challenge, a learning goal or a personal project, she says, being clear about the outcome leads to better answers and better decisions.

Her everyday prompt reflects that mindset: "What am I not seeing? Challenge my assumptions and show me a reverse perspective."

She uses AI to explore emerging technologies, compare platforms and accelerate product development, but believes its greatest value lies in helping her test ideas and make more balanced decisions.

If AI had an appraisal, her verdict would be brief: "Strong potential. Exceptional productivity. Needs development in humility."

Don't just decide fast. Decide informed

For Krishnakumar Govindarajan, Chief Technology Officer at MiQ, AI's biggest contribution has been changing how he thinks, not just how quickly he works.

"AI has fundamentally shifted how I work," says Govindarajan. By helping him synthesise information from disparate systems and sources, it enables him to build a coherent understanding of complex topics, a capability he says has significantly improved the quality of his work in the fast-evolving adtech landscape.

AI has also transformed how he approaches research, allowing him to explore context and precedents more rigorously before making decisions.

The biggest lesson? "Don't just decide fast—decide informed," he says, adding that AI removes the time constraints that once limited thorough analysis.

The biggest benefit is not speed alone

For Priya Mathilakath Pillai, Head – HR (Retail, Corporate & Manufacturing) at Titan Company, AI has become an indispensable tool for making sense of complexity.

As a people leader, she uses it to connect the dots across employee feedback, workforce insights and organisational data, helping identify patterns much faster. "The biggest benefit is not speed alone," she says. "It's that I can spend more time on coaching leaders and making decisions that improve employee experience and business outcomes."

Before important communications or talent decisions, she asks AI: "Challenge this thinking. What assumptions am I making, and what alternative perspectives should I consider?"

If AI were up for its annual performance review, her feedback would be simple: be more transparent about uncertainty. "The most valuable AI isn't the one that always sounds confident. It's the one that clearly highlights where human judegment, context and experience are still required," she says.

In leadership, where decisions are often shaped by people, relationships and culture, she believes AI can provide valuable insights, but empathy and accountability must remain human.

Clarity comes before AI

For Arti Rajaraman, SVP – Data Science & AI at Synchrony, AI has reinforced a leadership principle that extends well beyond technology: start with clarity.

"Working with AI has reinforced the importance of first-principles thinking for me," she says. "Better outcomes start with understanding the context, challenging assumptions and clearly articulating what you're trying to achieve. That's a discipline that extends beyond AI."

While she uses AI for research, preparation and productivity, she values it most for helping communicate strategy more effectively. By synthesising complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives tailored to different audiences, AI enables her to simplify complexity without losing strategic intent.