As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms the workplace, much of the corporate conversation has focused on efficiency, automation, and labor cost reduction. But Indian-born Australian entrepreneur Preeti Kennedy believes businesses may be approaching the AI revolution entirely the wrong way. Instead of asking how many employees can be replaced, Kennedy believes companies should ask a far more important question: how many employees can evolve alongside the technology?
“Businesses are moving too quickly toward replacing people instead of retraining them,” Kennedy says. “I understand why companies are excited about AI efficiencies, but I think we’re reaching a dangerous point where loyalty and long-term people development are being overlooked.”
Kennedy, who operates businesses focused on marketing, operational infrastructure, and backend support systems, has become increasingly vocal about what she sees as a growing disconnect between modern business culture and human leadership.
In her view, the real value of the technology is making employees more capable.
“The future shouldn’t be humans versus AI,” she says. “It should be humans working better because of AI.”
That thinking shapes how she runs her own businesses.
Rather than replacing teams as technology evolves, Kennedy says her companies have focused heavily on helping employees transition into more advanced operational and AI-supported roles. Many staff members who originally joined in junior positions have progressed into senior operational and management roles over time through ongoing education, practical training, and hands-on mentorship.
“We’ve always believed in growing people internally wherever possible,” she says. “A lot of our team members started in very junior positions and evolved into leadership roles because we invested in their development.”
Kennedy believes this is where many businesses are making a major mistake with AI adoption. Instead of viewing technology as a tool to enhance employee capabilities, many companies are using it primarily as a replacement. “In reality, businesses still need people who understand communication, relationships, problem-solving, operations, and clients,” she says. “Technology can enhance those things enormously, but it doesn’t replace human judgment or leadership.”
The founder believes loyalty itself is becoming an undervalued competitive advantage in modern business.
According to Kennedy, businesses often underestimate the long-term value of retaining employees who deeply understand company culture, clients, systems, and operational history. “When businesses constantly replace people, they also lose institutional knowledge, stability, and culture,” she says. “That has a much bigger operational impact than many founders realize.”
Her views are particularly relevant as businesses globally struggle with rising labor costs, rapid technological change, and growing pressure to improve operational efficiency. But Kennedy believes sustainable growth comes less from aggressive cost-cutting and more from building adaptable teams that can evolve alongside the business.
“The companies that survive long-term will be the ones that can adapt without losing their people in the process,” she says. That people-first philosophy also shapes Kennedy’s approach to offshore staffing and back-end operational support.
She also believes offshore teams should not be treated as disconnected support units but as fully integrated extensions of the business itself. “The companies that get the best outcomes from offshore teams are the ones that genuinely invest in them,” she says. “When people feel included, trusted, and part of the long-term vision, the quality of work changes dramatically.”
Kennedy’s leadership style is highly hands-on and emotionally engaged, something she admits may not align with the detached corporate leadership models that have become more common in recent years. She also takes a strong interest in employee performance, as well as their personal development and stability outside the workplace.
“Some people would probably describe me as demanding,” she says. “But I’m also extremely loyal to the people who are loyal to the business.”
Her views were significantly shaped by watching a long-standing business collapse after the COVID period, which reinforced her belief that leadership carries a responsibility beyond financial performance alone.
For Kennedy, success today is no longer tied purely to revenue growth or expansion.
“There comes a point where fulfillment matters more than ego,” she says. “Success becomes less about how much money you make and more about whether you’re genuinely building something meaningful.”
As AI continues to reshape industries worldwide, Kennedy believes businesses are approaching a defining moment in leadership. The companies that thrive, she argues, will be the ones that bring their people along as the technology advances, not the ones that automate the fastest.
