Red pen or black pen? Finding authentic dialogue in the age of AI

Is it the job of the speaker to entertain, to inspire, and to educate, or to be honest, even though it might be the bitter truth?

Should we paint the future with sunny skies and look through rose-tinted glasses, or tell it as it is?

Take AI in banking as an example. With so much hype and excitement in the ecosystem, one of the common questions I get asked is around how to become an AI-ready bank and what it will take to succeed.

The answer, of course, is nuanced, with plenty of if/then statements and assumptions. Here are just a few:

• Size matters. Bigger organisations that have the most data and with the most resources to secure and develop talent, conduct research, and establish patents will have an inherent advantage in the new world of AI. This is not guaranteed, of course. But it’s also one of the reasons why JPM, Capital One, and RBC rank higher than their peers in the Evident AI Index.
• Talent matters, and the ability to reskill/upskill is critical. To be truly successful in the long term, we must look beyond just efficiency gains. We must find ways to leverage the technology to create new value and tap into new markets. We still need humans, after all.
• Having the right data strategy and starting with the right use case matters. The former is self-explanatory: garbage in and garbage out. And instead of trying to boil the ocean or going after AI due to FOMO, identifying the right use case to implement and get business buy-in will improve your chance of success.

But I digress.

Let’s go back to my original question. Should we paint the future with sunny skies and look through rose-tinted glasses, or tell it as it is? There is no right or wrong answer, of course, but it does matter dependent on what you want to leave the audience with.

And increasingly (or interestingly), I am finding that the answer depends on where I am speaking and with whom, especially in the US, where some topics might be deemed more sensitive than others. In the past few years, I have been asked to remove certain key words (and slides) or focus on more positive aspects instead of the gloomier reality, so as not to make some of the executives in attendance feel bad.

This reminds me of something I learned when my older son was in the first grade, who ended up in tears after I marked up his work with a red pen. As it turned out, the teacher told the children that she used a black pen instead of a red one because she didn’t want to hurt their feelings.

Imagine my surprise, as someone who grew up in much stricter environments in Asia. Little did I know, this would transcend my professional world as well. “Let’s have an informative and productive conversation, as long as we are only talking about the feel-good things that we can all agree on, and everyone would leave the discussion being happy that they’ve done all the right things.”

Truth is, AI will likely benefit the bigger players, and it will become increasingly difficult for smaller organisations to catch up.

Truth is, AI will also likely exacerbate the inequality in our society, leaving behind those who are from poorer economies and those with less access to the digital ecosystem.

That is, unless an intentional course correction takes place to redistribute the benefits of AI.

But getting there will require immense effort and collaboration between nations and organisations. And it will require us to acknowledge the reality that we live in. To become uncomfortable.

And therein lies the irony. Being able to have a reprieve from reality is a luxury. And we can keep believing in the version of truth that makes us feel comfortable by staying in our own bubble — until it bursts.

This begs the question: What happens when leaders shield themselves from the inconvenient truths and when we can no longer confront our own limitations in the fragmented world that we live in?  Where then will AI lead us?

About the author

Theodora Lau is the founder of Unconventional Ventures, a public speaker, and an advisor. She is the author of Banking on (Artificial) Intelligence (2025), co-author of The Metaverse Economy (2023) and Beyond Good (2021), and host of One Vision, a podcast on fintech and innovation. She was named one of American Banker’s Most Influential Women in FinTech in 2023. She is also a regular contributor and commentator for top industry events and publications, including BBC News and Finovate. All opinions are her own.