Webit 2026: Beyond automation: where AI meets human judgement and responsible innovation

This talk focuses on the intersection of artificial intelligence and human judgment in the workplace. The speaker emphasizes the need for organizations to center their efforts on developing human skills such as creativity, adaptability, and decision-making while integrating AI into their processes. They discuss the transformation of legal professionals into 'legal architects', where technology assists in legal research and contract drafting, allowing lawyers to focus on ethics and human judgment. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of responsible AI use, particularly in protecting minors through digital age verification solutions. Ultimately, the discussion stresses that technology, including AI, should serve to enhance human capabilities and foster trust in organizational practices.

We now move to a question at the heart of every organization entering the AI era. What remains uniquely human when intelligent systems become part of everyday work? Please welcome back Anella, CEO of Webbit, joined by Maria Marinova, legal council and head of legal at Philip Morris International for Beyond Automation, where AI meets human judgment and responsible innovation. Together they will explore how AI can enhance people, decisions

and organizational capability while preserving accountability, judgment, and responsibility. Because the real question is not only what machines can do. It is how humans evolve alongside intelligent systems with trust, purpose, and better judgment. Welcome to Angela and Maria Marino. Well, Maria, it's honor for me to have you here on the stage. Let's talk about AI today. This is the topic. When people talk about AI, though, the conversation

often starts with efficiency but ends with fear. From your perspective, what should the real conversation be about? >> Thank you very much. This is a great question to start with. So I'm human. You are human. >> Definitely we are. >> Everyone here is human. Robots outside. Still have no AI chip in my brain. Imagine that. So as humans what we have? We have emotions and feelings. And

of course it is okay to have mixed feelings when we talk about AI and the future ahead of us. So it is from one side excitement from the other side it is fear and this is very normal. And here the question and the real answer is actually not to put human versus machine but actually how we go forward and how we collaborate and put the humans at

the center of all of it. MI's recent white paper speaks about human cognition as the next frontier. What does that idea mean in practice for companies today? This means that recognizing AI and what is the future coming ahead of us to nourish human superhuman skills. What does that mean? This means to actually put deliberately efforts developing human making uh the right decisions uh adaptability, creative thinking, all

these which are at the core of the human uh of the human nature. So this is what it is going forward and actually always talk about AI but at the same time really putting the humans at the center of it and how leaders and organizations are deliberately putting efforts on developing these skills because I mean these superhuman skills are not given they just need to be developed

and I think leaders and organizations really need to put efforts in those directions. >> Yeah, that's true. But if AI is becoming part of everyday business, where is the balance and what makes it its use responsible rather than risky? >> The question of responsibility and liability is always at the core because computers cannot be held liable. I'm a lawyer. >> I see that. Right. So, humans are

the ones to have to be held responsible. Computers cannot be held liable. So it is for leaders and policy makers to actually put the right policies in place and to shape the regulatory framework in a way that computers, machines and AI actually help human augmentation and it's not vice versa. give us some practical example of how AI is already improving the way of how your company works.

I can give many examples but uh one practical example for um what it comes to my mind is the so-called first pass imagine as a big corporation with very complex processes um we have a lot of policies a lot of people involved a lot of uh initiatives >> how that all works together yeah >> so so everything Everything has to yes has to work together. So how

do you come from strategy and mechanics and all that to actually go to uh the communication material where legal and marketing and communication colleagues and everyone has to put their insights. So we have the so-called system uh first pass. So basically it combines all uh communications, all legal regulations, uh all marketing inputs and basically all internal codes uh and basically gives the colleagues the marketing colleagues a

visual which then comes to legal to review and to communications and external colleagues to review to put the nuances and the context. So this is um uh a really practical use because um like all these complex um initiatives we have internally to actually make it more simple and time efficient because for example let's say if it takes for this review to take place four weeks now it

can take four days >> and it's your internal >> it is yes internal especially for Yes. And this is just one example but like we have many more spread um in the entire uh organization and here is actually very important how big organizations and not not only big organizations how they see and structure and design internal like from one side to really make processes uh efficient and

easier But from the other side, not to really replace human judgment and decision making because at the end of the day, it is you to take the decision. It's not the AI. >> Yeah. But if one side of the innovation is efficiency and then the speed, the other side is clearly what the trust I think. And how do you think about that balance? How do you achieve

that >> Trust is a core value for my profession. Okay, for legal profession trust is really the core core value. So today with everything what is happening we are talking about legal lawyers not as lawyers but like this new concept as legal architects. So basically what we do, we shift our role and if now AI can do massive legal research, can read regulations and laws, can summarize

law cases, um can draft contracts or letters or whatever. Then what about the lawyers? What they do? >> So now, so now so now yes. So now here's here's the shift here's the shift of our role. So we becoming legal architects. We actually design the frameworks. Uh we put the the human judgment. We put the ethics because it's very important of course the ethics the nuances which

come out of um complex environment. So you take into consideration the context, the environment, everything what is going on. >> So you kind of translate. >> So yes between >> and then uh and then um we actually put uh uh the law into the center of uh how to navigate and how to help the business and organizations to achieve the business strategy and business objectives. So yes,

it's it's a very interesting uh uh time uh for our profession as well. >> Let's move from international from internal transformation to external impact. So you're working now as far as I'm aware uh for a digital age verification solution with every trust. What are the problems that are you're trying to solve with that? >> The the problems are clear. So basically no underage people to have access

to products they must not have access to. >> How do you secure that? >> Yeah. So it is not only about alcohol, it's about social media. It's about everything that minors must do to not have access to. And this is like a very important topic and we really need to talk about that like um not only as businesses but as a society as a whole. Uh so

now with uh all these technologies for example um uh AI face recognition, AI face estimation, we can use that or we can use uh digitalization and ID verification. Exactly. This new becoming easier or more complex. >> This is the the idea is to become easier. Yes, this is the idea and then to be like we really to safeguard what we must safeguard and this is the the

health of the minor people uh the miners. So um in this context this topic is becoming really crucial and we are already working on uh use cases for online edge verification and offline age verification at uh retailers. >> So if you had to connect these three topics human cognition first pass and digital age verification in one final message what would it be? It will be is the

common thread but innovation doesn't go alone. It is the human that actually drives the progress toward the future and innovation and all the technology including AI. This all must help people to actually improve the ways of working and build trust themselves as >> So trust. >> Yes. >> This is again thank you so much Maria. If you have one final message more than welcome to share with

all of us. Thanks for being with us. Yes. Thanks to >> thank you everyone support being here. Yes. So we have a uh >> if we have some questions I see that we are very strict with time. So we have time. Do we have any questions from the audience? Do we have Mike around? >> All right. >> Both of us go to jail because I initiate the

morality and the law regarding AI. If I train the AI killed someone actually killed someone. How am I being in the eyes of the law? Can you prosecute? >> Why? >> Because you're the trigger. You're the >> You You're the You're the human. Yes. >> Because with AI over me, I would only kill people I know. >> As I said, machines and AI cannot be held liable.

So, we need to really have the regulations to put this in place. Next time we will give you a keynote >> at Webbit only. Peace and love. Thank you so much for everyone. Thank you. Thank you, Maria, for being with