In this episode of 10X Growth Strategies, host Preethy Padmanabhan brings together a diverse panel of experts to explore one of the most important questions of our time — who decides what AI becomes?

Featuring Natalia (Strategic Foresight), Denise Umubyeyi (Head of Partnerships, AGI), and Jonathan Azoff (Co-Founder & GP, SNOCAP), the conversation unpacks how artificial intelligence is not shaped by a single entity, but by a complex ecosystem of builders, investors, users, and institutions.

The discussion moves through how early-stage AI is influenced by those building models, but increasingly shaped by users, startups, capital, and global governance. The panel examines the role of startups as the interface between technology and everyday users, and how they translate complex systems into usable products.

A major focus is on ethics and control — from the values embedded in AI systems to the challenge of governing technologies we don’t fully understand. The conversation also explores the importance of open-source models, the role of global partnerships, and the need to ensure access beyond developed markets.

From infrastructure and cost barriers to questions of power, incentives, and long-term impact, this episode looks at AI not just as a technological shift — but as a societal transformation shaped by multiple competing forces.

A sharp, multi-perspective conversation on the future of AI — and the forces quietly shaping it.

⸻

⸻

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – 01:50 • Introduction & Panel Overview 01:50 – 04:30 • Who Decides What AI Becomes? 04:30 – 07:30 • Builders, Investors & the Power of Ecosystems 07:30 – 10:30 • Role of Startups in Shaping AI Products 10:30 – 14:30 • Ethics, Values & AI Governance 14:30 – 18:30 • Can We Control What We Don’t Fully Understand? 18:30 – 22:00 • Access, Infrastructure & Global Inequality in AI 22:00 – 26:30 • Capital, Compute & Who Holds Power 26:30 – 30:30 • Incentives: Profit vs Transformation 30:30 – 36:00 • Open Source vs Closed AI Systems 36:00 – 42:00 • Future of AI: Efficiency or Transformation? 42:00 – 52:00 • Audience Q&A & Closing Thoughts

🎙️ E120: Who Decides the Future of AI?

10X Growth Strategies