For almost three decades, Fortune Most Powerful Women has been bringing together women at the top of the business world to connect, learn, and discuss the most pressing issues of the day. For even longer than that, Gloria Steinem has been making space for women from all walks of life to do the same. At 92, she still opens her home several times a month for her famous “talking circles,” a format in which groups of women sit in her living room (often cross-legged on the floor) to discuss a theme. The topic can be anything from paid family leave to girls’ education and empowerment; the focus is always on listening to others.
My colleagues Ellie Austin, Alyson Shontell and I were so honored to co-host a talking circle with Steinem at her home in Manhattan this week, bringing together members of the Fortune MPW community to talk about AI and its impact on business and society. This is a topic that Steinem readily admits she’s not an expert in, but talking circles are about listening and learning more than they’re about speaking—and she was interested in learning more about the transformative impact of this technology. Gloria’s Foundation, which is working to preserve Steinem’s legacy and her home as a historic hub of connection, this year started a residency program. Charter cofounder Erin Grau and Bloomberg Beta founding partner Karin Klein are the program’s inaugural residents, with a focus on AI, and their support helped us bring this circle to life.
In the room, we had a variety of perspectives. Executives in the thick of it at the world’s biggest tech companies. AI and tech execs who are working in legacy industries like media, retail, finance, and entertainment to help those companies adapt. Leaders who are working to realize AI’s most transformative impact in curing disease. All agreed that it’s important for women to be at the center of these conversations. As Steinem said: “We can’t make decisions for half the world if that half is not represented.”
That doesn’t mean the view of AI was entirely rosy. This group raised real concerns, including a dire warning that the U.S. has less than a year to figure out a better way to regulate AI businesses before the long-term impact on the workforce is irreversible. (Ideas include: a tax on AI agents to match the employer tax on human workers.)
The women who were in this room collectively oversee hundreds of thousands of employees. We also heard some practical advice for helping employees upskill for the AI era. Make room for everyone to block 30 minutes for learning each day. Find a buddy in your organization to keep you accountable on your progress—even better if that person knows more than you and can help along the way.
Through most of this discussion, Steinem listened. Afterwards she shared her takeaways from the conversation: “What I learned today is how many smart, diverse, amazing, fantastic women there are in AI and the workforce in general. I’m just so proud to see them.”
We were proud to be there with her.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
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