b'PEOPLE-POWERED LEADERSHIPWhat if we Stopped Fearing AIand Started Leading with Curiosity?IVE BEEN THINKINGa lot lately about why soAnd our job as leaders is to guide people through that many peopleespecially in our industryare hesi- unknown without letting fear take the wheel.tant to dive into the world of AI.And I dont think its because they dont get it. ItsThe Lesson from Gene Editingbecause theyre walking a tightrope between pushingRemember how Europe virtually banned GM crops forward and risking too much. Between curiosity andand then gene editing? The science was ready. The control. Between wanting to lead and being afraid totechnology was sound. But the license to operate look foolish trying. wasnt there.Ill be straight with you: if you havent at leastWhy? Because we didnt bring people along.BY SHAWN BROOKlogged into ChatGPT yet, youre missing the boat. We didnt tell the story. We didnt engage early. We President of Seeddidnt help people understand why it mattered.World Group. Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers That same risk exists with AI. If we dont engage A member of our business development team toldnowif we dont talk about it, question it, explore itme he asked ChatGPT, What are the top 10 usewell lose the opportunity to shape how its used.cases for a business development manager at Seed World? Forget ComfortChase CuriositySeconds later, it came back with seven solidLeadership in this moment isnt about making people answers. And heres the part that floored him: hecomfortable. Its about making them curious.hadnt thought of six of them. We need to what if ourselves a lot more: What if That right there is the lesson. The real power of AIAI could manage my calendar? What if it could write isnt in the answers it gives youits in the questionsmy webinar summary better? What if it could teach me it helps you ask.how to use it efficiently?As leaders, thats the leap we need to make Thats not science fiction. Thats structure for curios-from worrying what if it replaces us to wonderingityand its how innovation happens.what if it teaches us? And yes, its scary. Everyones a little bit scared of what AI can do. But fear and curiosity can live in the Generative Means it Grows same spaceand curiosity wins if we let it.Heres a fun fact: many people dont know what GPTWhen I was in school, we werent allowed to use stands for. I had to refresh my own memory beforecalculators until we could do the math ourselves. Learn I sat down to write this. Its Generative Pre-trainedthe fundamentals firstthen use the tool to go faster.Transformer. AI wont replace critical thinking; it will amplify it.And that first wordgenerativeis where theThe real danger isnt that people will stop thinking magic happens. It means it generates. It evolves. Itcriticallyits that theyll stop learning how to learn.keeps creating. Its not static.Were not used to thinking about ideas that way Keep Knowing Moreas something that keeps building on itself. But thatsIf youre leading people right now, this is your moment. exactly the mindset shift we need. Keep the conversation alive. Keep your team asking Just because AI cant do something today doesntwhat if. Create a space where its okay to experiment, mean it wont be able to next month. to ask questions, and to be just a little uncomfortable.My dad used to say, For everything the worldThats where the growth happens. Thats where knows, imagine how many things it doesnt. innovation starts. We dont need more comfort. We Thats where we are right nowstanding on theneed more curiosity.tip of something much deeper than we understand.When curiosity leads, progress follows.SW48/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2025'