Nothing happens until something moves
The final day of Agentic AI and the Student Experience began with a plenary session from best-selling authors Vala Afshar and Henry King, titled Autonomous: Why the Fittest Businesses Embrace AI-First Strategy and Digital Labor after their newly released book.
Their discussion focused on how nothing happens until something moves. “You need movement routinely,” said King. “It’s so important to encourage and increase the flow of real-time data. You can’t make strong decisions and take action without it.”
They also stressed why the most resilient and forward-thinking organizations are embracing an AI-first strategy and integrating digital labor into their core operations. Their message was clear: to thrive in this new era, both business and education leaders must rethink the systems and assumptions that have long defined human-designed enterprises.
Move from a silo to an autonomous model
Afshar, who serves as the Chief Digital Evangelist at Salesforce, challenged attendees to move beyond conventional models of efficiency and control, envisioning instead a future where humans and intelligent systems collaborate to drive creativity, adaptability and sustained growth. He used the example of the cybercab, an autonomous vehicle that drives users without a steering wheel.
“We need to think about when it’s safe to remove steering wheels from our businesses,” said Afshar.
Digital labor is the future of business and education. “For the first time, we’re dealing with technology that doesn’t follow the rules of the past,” said Afshar. He explained that in traditional business equations, you can have high stability or high performance. Now, with AI, you can build systems and businesses that have both.
As institutions and organizations recalibrate for an AI-powered future, the keynote called on participants to challenge every orthodoxy underpinning “business as usual” and to design institutions ready for a world where digital and human intelligence work hand in hand.
The leading cause of death for businesses is due to blockages. “We think waste reduction is a much better strategy than cost reduction," said King. “All waste is costly, but not all costs are wasteful.” He added that the fittest businesses are the ones that remove waste and blockages efficiently: AI is the answer to do so.
“Regardless of the size of your team or institution, you can scale,” said Afshar. “Be boundless.”
After the presentation, Afshar and King hosted an exclusive book signing of their new book for Agentic AI and the Student Experience participants.