Speaker A
I would love for you to welcome to the stage Yusuf Mehdi and Mel Robbins.
Mel Robbins and Yusuf Mehdi discuss navigating change, AI's role, and unlocking human potential at Cannes Lions 2026.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
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Key Takeaways
- Respond to change with optimism and clear action to unlock opportunities.
- AI is a tool to enhance human creativity, not replace it.
- Leadership requires bringing teams along the AI adoption journey.
- Clarity about personal and professional goals is crucial in times of innovation.
- Human qualities like curiosity, empathy, and lived experience remain irreplaceable.
What the video covers
- Mel Robbins highlights how people respond to change either by paralysis or optimism and action.
- Yusuf Mehdi shares insights on AI adoption and the importance of curiosity, empathy, and human ingenuity.
- The discussion emphasizes using AI tools strategically to save time and focus on meaningful work.
- Concerns about AI replacing human creativity are addressed with a focus on human experience and emotional intelligence.
- Leadership challenges in adopting AI and bringing teams along the innovation journey are explored.
- Mel Robbins shares her personal story of starting over in her 50s and the importance of clarity and intentional action.
- The conversation stresses balancing staying true to one’s vision while embracing necessary change.
- They discuss the future potential of AI agents to manage tasks and enhance productivity.
- The speakers encourage embracing new skills, overcoming fear, and sharing one’s unique stories and brilliance.
- The overall message is about unlocking possibilities by combining technology with human qualities like curiosity and empathy.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Setting the Stage
- 00:36Responses to Change: Paralysis vs Optimism
- 01:45Unlocking Possibilities Through Action
- 02:41Using AI: Learning and Experimenting
- 03:25Prioritizing What Matters in a Busy World
- 04:28Human Qualities AI Cannot Replace
- 05:58AI’s Impact on Work and Leadership
- 06:48Personal Journey and Starting Over
- 08:21Balancing Vision and Intentional Change
- 09:00Future of AI and Human Potential
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Let's give it up for them! How about having Mel Robbins here at Cannes? Let's hear for Mel! Hi, everybody!
Speaker A
What I love about you, Mel, is this rare ability to talk about change that is so helpful to so many people, and you do it in this insightful, real, rare way that understands people. A lot of energy around tech, around AI.
Speaker A
And for many of us, myself included, the real story is kind of what do we do in this time?
Speaker A
You know, questions you ask like: Am I ready for it? What does it take to change my world?
Speaker A
And I think that's a good place for us to start. You know, when I think about this incredible moment, in moments of change, whether it's a huge moment of change personally, or a moment of change professionally, positive or negative, there's usually two responses.
Speaker A
People either get completely paralyzed, or they're able to be optimistic and lean in. I'm excited about all the tech, but I'm so exhausted and tired.
Speaker A
I'm not quite sure what to do. But what happens in a moment like this that really defines who you are, and what happens in your career and in your business is how you respond to this enormous amount of change that's happening.
Speaker A
And so as we dig in, I'm going to keep coming back to personal versus professional, because what I'm seeing is I'm seeing that half the world is paralyzed.
Speaker A
The other half is sitting back with their arms crossed, kind of talking about some of the very real concerns in a moment of innovation like this.
Speaker A
But you know what that means? That means there is no one standing in your way, that there is so much possibility that you can unlock if you're clear about what you want and if you're willing to take action.
Speaker A
And so I'm really excited to talk about, you know, Yusuf, what you see. And you've seen so much come and go, but what are you seeing and what excites you given your tenure at Microsoft?
Speaker A
One of the things that I've seen through technology changes is when you have a big wave, like when the internet (dating myself), when the internet came around, the mobile phone came around.
Speaker A
There was a lot of worry and concern. And then there was a lot of optimism.
Speaker A
I think a lot about my father-in-law. I was trying to show him what I was working on, Copilot, and so I said, “Hey, Jack, try this Copilot thing.” This could be helpful for you.
Speaker A
And so the first thing is, he’s like, “What? I don’t know what to ask it, you know?” So I'm like, just talk to it.
Speaker A
He smiled because it was fun. You'll start to see the magic. Yes. Because here's... I don't know if you've seen this thing trending online.
Speaker A
I want to do everything, so I do nothing, which is basically a modern repackaging of the paradox of choice.
Speaker A
I think one of the biggest opportunities right now for everybody is to get very clear, like, if I could, if we could give you four hours back every day, what would you spend it on?
Speaker A
And in a moment like this, what's more important than ever is for you to define what actually is work that matters to you.
Speaker A
Because if everything's important, nothing is important. I think a lot in a moment like this, where you have an enormous opportunity about how to use a tool to give you more time and more energy back, so you can dedicate that time
Speaker A
and energy to things in your life that are meaningful, or that you can dedicate that time and energy to doing the work that you can't quite seem to get to.
Speaker A
Now you're using a tool strategically instead of what most people do, which is kind of jumping in and then doing lots of more busy stuff, because one of the big concerns that people have, because we did a ton of research before we partnered
Speaker A
with Microsoft Copilot, one of the big concerns that I think is a very valid one is the sense of, oh my God, like, is this going to replace human ingenuity?
Speaker A
Yes, there are very valid concerns, and this is still something that's really important to lean into.
Speaker A
The way I think we're thinking a lot about it is that, and it doesn't sometimes feel that way, that's why I love your going from “but” to “and,” is that as we kind of all spend more time and I, we're going to realize that
Speaker A
what really matters is the human part of everything that we do. What I really gravitate to is people that I know, people who I identify with.
Speaker A
And I'm like, “Oh, I know that person.” And so, ironically, the lived experience, right?
Speaker A
AI can understand so many things, but it will not know the butterflies you feel when you're going to ask that girl on the prom date.
Speaker A
It won't know the complete fear of the driver's test that you're about to take with three other people in the car and they're betting that you're not going to pass it.
Speaker A
The second thing is curiosity, right? So AI again can answer questions, but it's not curious.
Speaker A
Some of you might be that “But why? But why? But why?” So a big part, I think, what I think it's going to do, Mel, is it's going to unlock our unique capabilities as people, as humans, and curiosity, empathy, you know, understanding.
Speaker A
These are the things that I think are going to raise up. And that's kind of what I get excited about.
Speaker A
It's going to optimize a lot of mundane work. It's going to let you focus on the things that you care the most about, and that is going to be really cool when you get to tap into it.
Speaker A
How many of you are using it day to day in work? It has removed the things that drive me fricking crazy and that frustrate me and that create roadblocks.
Speaker A
And it has given back time and taken away frustration, which means we can really focus on doing our best work.
Speaker A
But when you think about it from a leadership perspective, because I think a lot of people make the mistake of saying, “Okay, you have to use it.” How do you, as a leader in one of the largest corporations
Speaker A
in the world, manage bringing people along with the pressure that you probably feel to innovate and move at the speed of light?
Speaker A
Yeah, I mean, I think I would say even being there and getting access to all of the resources, all of the technical people, I actually feel a lot of pressure myself to use AI better.
Speaker A
And I would say if I grade myself, I'm missing... and this is what I do every single day.
Speaker A
One of the things I've realized is it's not just about myself, but I have to bring my team on the journey.
Speaker A
That's one of the things I've learned as a CMO is that when a big part of success is not you doing great work, it's your team doing great work, and you need to teach everyone who's with you on the journey, all of your co-creators.
Speaker A
You have to bring them along. And so that's a big, big thing. I think that's one of the challenges.
Speaker A
You just got to stay in it. A lot of you don't realize that just six years ago when I turned 52, I was starting over.
Speaker A
I moved to a new town. Most of you only know me because of what I've done in the last three and a half years.
Speaker A
In my mid-50s, there was no Let Them Theory. There was no podcast. It was just me going, “All right...” And so if you can get clear about what you want to create, you can use your time and energy and incredible tools that are out there now to create the plan.
Speaker A
But here's what AI can't do for you... it can't make you do the work.
Speaker A
That's where you're going to be on the line. And so the thing is, everyone now asks me, “Oh, are you going to write another book?”
Speaker A
No. SEO is dead. So I got to make sure that everything that we're doing is generative search.
Speaker A
I gotta reverse engineer for the actual ecosystem I'm playing in, and for the game that I want to be competitive in.
Speaker A
If it's not aligned with that, we're not doing it. I think there's real gold in what Mel said, not just if you're a creator, but even if you're a business person.
Speaker A
That balance between staying true to what you're really about, but then continuing to say, “Hey, I can't do the same thing every year, I have to make intentional change.” That balance is the magic.
Speaker A
That's the art. It's super clear. Like, are you someone who's got a point of view?
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You're sharp with your audience. It doesn't have to
Speaker A
But then be that innovator, be working on those changes. That’s I think, great advice.
Speaker A
We're a mission driven company. And so our mission is very much empower people and businesses in the world to achieve more.
Speaker A
The question is, how do you go and make that achievement happen? What I believe we're on the coolest period we've ever had in terms of having, as you said, a powerful tool that can amplify everything that you do.
Speaker A
AI has gone through three phases. We tend to think it's one thing, but it was actually three things.
Speaker A
It was a chat bot. Then there was a reasoning engine where AI can basically understand what it's doing, which is kind of wild.
Speaker A
And now, most recently, agents where the AI will take action on your behalf. It'll go research overnight or for two weeks, it'll write code in the background.
Speaker A
It can do shopping for you. And so imagine now that you have knowledge on tap, you can have 5 to 10 agents that you will manage an a daily basis that will get work done for you, do research for you
Speaker A
that unlocks the potential. And today, when you come back to your computer, if you boot up your computer, what do you see on the taskbar?
Speaker A
You see the apps that are running. Tomorrow, or maybe not tomorrow, But in about six months, you'll see the agents that are running and you'll go back...
Speaker A
Six months? So yeah, like six months. God, now I'm exhausted. Yeah, sorry about that.
Speaker A
So just imagine what will we as a human race do? I'm fascinated by how our brains have developed over time in history.
Speaker A
When the first brain came out, it was 400 cc in dimension. Right? In the first person that walked upright.
Speaker A
Now, our brains are 1300 cc in dimension. Why did they grow? They grew because we developed skills like language.
Speaker A
We learned to do group hunting. We learned the actually, the art of deception apparently grew the brain.
Speaker A
So imagine now,what can you do if you devote your time to the things that really matter?
Speaker A
Understanding the world, understanding empathy at a much deeper rate. I'm so excited to see what the world is going to be able to do with this technology.
Speaker A
You know, the vision is very inspiring. Here's what I'm going to say, though, is that it doesn't change a fundamental truth about human beings.
Speaker A
That knowledge is incredible and it makes you smart, but it doesn't make you do what you need to do.
Speaker A
And when I hear the vision, I'm just going to say, personally, it makes me feel like, “Oh God, how do I even start doing that?” Like, I need agents because I would love a personal assistant.
Speaker A
But then I start to feel the pressure and I start to feel paralyzed. And I don't even know where to start.
Speaker A
Again, that saying... “I want to do everything, so I do nothing.” And that feels very exciting.
Speaker A
What I would recommend, because when you look at the big picture, it can become paralyzing.
Speaker A
This is just what happens to human beings in change. When there's so much going on, you tend to do nothing.
Speaker A
I would ask you, what are the things... and I use the word “friction” that create friction inside your day-to-day life.
Speaker A
These are points of friction where you can use a tool and invest a little bit of time to remove the friction that you feel that's preventing you from doing the things that build your business, or from having the brain space
Speaker A
and the time to create the content that you're inspired by, versus getting stuck on that treadmill of constantly churning things out.
Speaker A
And that's a way to take the big vision of where we're going and to narrow it down to, “How can I actually start?” And we have so many people that have written in that have said that, “My gosh, you know, I was scared to death of this thing.”
Speaker A
“Because I feel old, or I feel like I'm not really good with tech.” or “I don't really know how to get started.” Just like you were talking about with your father-in-law.
Speaker A
And once I leaned in and I just started experimenting, I feel like I'm able to manage my life a little bit better.
Speaker A
I feel like I'm getting a little bit of support in a moment in my life where I'm not, and that's what I'm actually excited about.
Speaker A
Try some of these things. If they don't work, that's okay. Give yourself some grace.
Speaker A
If it's an epic fail on your first agent, no worries. Keep trying. Don't be worried about it.
Speaker A
You know, I think one of the things... and I'd be curious to hear what you think about this...
Speaker A
Is it cheating if I use this to help me make content? How do you think about that?
Speaker A
I don't at all think it's cheating if you stay true to what you said.
Speaker A
People out there respect authentic things. No one is going to give you free points for just doing something automated.
Speaker A
If you didn't bring something special to the party, it's going to show. I'm inspired by anybody who is talking about ideas, who is spreading positive information and research and science and lifting people up.
Speaker A
And so if you're in the camp where you are somebody that is bringing the weather in a positive way and you're talking about interesting ideas and you're sharing your story, you're somebody that I would follow and be deeply inspired by
Speaker A
because you have something very unique to contribute to the world inside each and every one of you, there is untapped potential.
Speaker A
There is a story to be told. There are people on this planet who are just waiting for you to show up and be your true, authentic self.
Speaker A
And the more you kind of hold yourself back, the more that you allow cringe to stop you from fully expressing yourself.
Speaker A
In fact, I'm just going to say “How dare you?” How dare you withhold your stories and your true nature and your brilliance from the world?
Speaker A
Because when you are editing yourself, you are robbing another person on this planet from being impacted by you.
Speaker A
And that's why you're here. See, I think everybody's purpose is the same. It's to show up and to share who you are in service of others.
Speaker A
And you can do that by creating. You can do that by leading a certain way at work.
Speaker A
You can do that, by the way, that you take a deep breath before you walk in, and you're a thundercloud on your family.
Speaker A
You can do that by leaning into new skills and learning how to be a better version of yourself.
Speaker A
And the there's nobody stopping you. Like, can anybody tell... who is actually stopping you from doing what you need to do?
Speaker A
Who? Who is it? Yes. Like when people really stop and think about that, because everybody's so damn worried about everybody else's opinions.
Speaker A
We have let them. So you can just say let them. Because the reason why people have like critical opinions of you is they don't understand you.
Speaker A
They don't have to. The only person that needs to understand you and what you want to create in this world is you.
Speaker A
And the more you silence yourself, the more you hold yourself back, the more you sit up there and you’re like, “What is this person going to think?” “What's that person going to think?” “What’s this guy...” “My family doesn't do this...”
Speaker A
You are the one standing in your own way. Stop it. Let people misunderstand you.
Speaker A
[applause] And you know, it's because here's the thing with dreams and callings, you have no choice.
Speaker A
The things that you feel called to do, you either take action on or it's going to haunt you for the rest of your life.
Speaker A
Aren't you sick of watching people who are dumber than you make more money, right?
Speaker A
Aren't you tired of watching people that, you know, whatever, are doing what you're capable of doing?
Speaker A
And so these are all tools, but we've become a tool to our own aspirations by staying up here too much and overthinking everything instead of action.
Speaker A
And that's one thing AI cannot change for you. Ultimately, you're the one that's going to have to start.
Speaker A
You're the one that's going to have to make the change. You're the one that's going to have to kill the part of you that cringes at yourself.
Speaker A
That's what you have to do. And these tools only work if you use them.
Speaker A
But you're the one that's got to get clear about what you want to create in this world.
Speaker A
What is the impact you want to make? Because I'm telling you, if I can build all this in my mid 50s, I don't know what the hell your excuse is.
Speaker A
Seriously. And they're very valid things that can stand in your way, I’m not denying that. There are very real problems in the world.
Speaker A
There are very real circumstances that hold people back, and... and with time and energy and consistent effort, you can create things that will blow your mind.
Speaker A
In fact, I bet one of you will be up here in a matter of a year or two.
Speaker A
If you put your head down. And you let.... And this is an amazing moment, because when half the world is paralyzed and the other half is like upset, “But, but, but, but, but” again but and the “buts” are valid and need to be addressed.
Speaker A
There's nothing in your way. This is when you pull ahead. This is when things get kind of fun and easy.
Speaker A
Welcome to my TED Talk. I'm a therapy session. So good! Well it just drives me crazy, the number of excuses we have.
Speaker A
That you stop yourself from being seen. There's a difference between hoping people find you and discover the real you, and being willing to show who you are and to show your work.
Speaker A
That's the game. Thank you everybody! Thank you everybody.
Topics:Mel RobbinsYusuf MehdiCannes Lions 2026AI and human ingenuitychange managementtechnology adoptionleadershippersonal growthMicrosoft Copilotinnovation
