Amal Clooney on AI, Justice, and Leading with Purpose

It seems like every AI headline is either predicting the apocalypse or obsessing over productivity hacks. Either we’re bracing for the robot takeover or celebrating how much faster AI can process our inbox.

But what if we’re missing the bigger picture? What if AI’s true power isn’t in efficiency or disruption, but in what it makes possible?

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of interviewing Amal Clooney, powerhouse international human rights lawyer and co-founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice at PCMA Convening Leaders. She’s taken on dictators, defended journalists, and fought for justice in the world’s toughest legal battles.

But when we talked about technology and AI, her perspective wasn’t one of caution—it was one of optimism.

Amal shared how AI and digital tools are already reshaping the fight for justice, creating systemic solutions to systemic problems. Through the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s TrialWatch program, AI is being used to monitor courtrooms worldwide—tracking trials, uncovering human rights violations, and ensuring greater accountability across different countries and languages. By leveraging technology, TrialWatch is making the legal system more transparent and equipping advocates with the data needed to challenge injustice at scale.

While many of us are worried about AI making things worse, leaders like Amal are already asking: How do we use it to improve things?

This is the conversation we need to be having about AI.

AI as a Force for Good

AI’s risks—bias, misinformation, job displacement—dominate the headlines. Don’t get me wrong; we need to take these challenges seriously. But what gets far less airtime is how AI is already being used to tackle some of our biggest global challenges.

Across the world, innovators are using AI not just to optimise processes but to solve fundamental human problems:

• Bridging the education gap – In remote parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Viamo is revolutionising learning through AI-powered voice recognition. By delivering daily tutoring via basic mobile phones—no smartphone or Wi-Fi required—they’re making education accessible to those who have historically been left behind.
• Protecting our rainforests – Rainforest Connection has built the world’s first real-time AI monitoring system to detect illegal logging. By identifying threats as they happen, conservationists can intervene before irreversible damage occurs.
• Cleaning Up Our Oceans – At sea, The Ocean Cleanup is using AI-driven robotic systems to track and remove plastic waste—tackling pollution at a once unimaginable scale.
• Fostering Human Connection – Even in addressing social isolation, AI is making an impact. Eldera is using AI to forge meaningful connections, pairing older adults with young mentees for weekly video mentoring sessions and creating opportunities for connection and conversation. These interactions help combat loneliness while strengthening intergenerational relationships.

These stories invite us to ask different questions about AI. Instead of “What will we lose?” or “How much faster can we work?”, what if we asked:

What problems have we accepted as “just the way things are” that AI might help us solve?

Where are we settling for “good enough” when we could be reaching for “what if”?

How might AI help us be more human, not less?

What This Means for Leaders Today

Leadership isn’t about knowing all the answers. It’s about asking better questions. AI will disrupt industries, challenge business models, and reshape our work. But leaders who engage with AI intentionally—rather than fearfully—will shape its role.

3 Steps to Lead with AI for Positive Impact:

1. You don’t need to be an AI expert—You need AI fluency. AI literacy is now as fundamental as digital literacy was a decade ago. You don’t need to code, but you do need to understand AI’s potential to create positive change, experiment with its applications, and guide your team through its integration.
2. Start small, but start now. The best way to understand AI isn’t to read about it—it’s to use it. In my own work, I’ve been running AI experiments with my team—tweaking prompts, testing use cases, and seeing where AI adds value. Some tests fail, some succeed, but every attempt builds our AI fluency and strategic understanding.
3. Expand your peripheral vision on AI. To understand AI’s potential for good, you need to be inspired by what it can do. That means looking beyond your industry and learning from the boldest use cases out there. I’ve found some of the best ideas come from exploring how others are pushing AI’s boundaries.

You don’t need to be an AI expert—you just need to be an engaged, curious leader. The ones who stay open, start small, and keep experimenting will be the ones who turn disruption into opportunity. This moment calls for courage, not perfection. So let’s get our hands dirty, learn as we go, and lead the charge on using AI for good. The future is being written right now—let’s make sure we’ve got a say in the story.