Su Belagodu: Bringing Clarity, Responsibility, and Human Judgment to AI Strategy

In this episode, host Sheena Katz sits down with Su Belagodu — strategy and governance advisor, product leader, and creator of the Human-in-the-Loop Maturity Model, which helps organizations build AI workflows responsibly with human oversight. Su shares how her career across engineering, product, and executive leadership shaped her perspective,where organizations are navigating complexity in AI adoption today, and how leaders can move from experimentation to intentional, scalable impact.From bridging the gap between technical builders and decision-makers to rethinking AI as work redesign ratherthan a simple technology rollout, this conversation highlights the importance of clarity, governance, and human oversight — and why asking what AI should do matters more than whatit can do.About the PodcastWelcome to the World Pulse Podcast, where we explore how women around the world are driving social impact in their communities and across borders through leadership, connection, and collective action.World Pulse is a global social impact network that supports grassroots women leaders advancing gender equity worldwide. We believe progress happens through connection — by building bridges that turn stories into shared understanding and meaningful change.🌍 Learn more or support our work: https://bit.ly/486L4ZK    ---(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:33) – meet su (00:02:49) Bridging the Gap Between AI builders and DecisionMakers(00:04:40) Common Missteps in AI Adoption (00:07:24) The Importance of Front-Loading AI Strategy(00:09:39) The Value of Diverse Experience in AI Strategy (00:11:32) Operationalizing AI: Success vs. Hype(00:12:47) Human Oversight in AI Systems(00:15:16) Understanding Responsible AI(00:16:41) Governance as a Competetitive Advantage (00:18:43) Risks of Rapid AI Deployment(00:21:39) Global Perspective on AI Governance(00:25:06) Creating Equitable AI Systems(00:26:56) AI as a Bridge for Opportunity (00:33:03) The Responsibility of Knowledge Sharing(00:36:14) Mindset Shift: From Capability to Purpose