Soft AI, strong leadership: TNCC Leadership Dialogues launch transnational discourse on artificial intelligence

The launch of the TNCC Leadership Dialogues on 7 November 2025 at the Falling Walls Summit in Berlin marks a new milestone in transnational exchange on issues of leadership, innovation and artificial intelligence. TNCC – Trans-Nation Co-Creation – is a German-American innovation and peer learning programme led by Prof. Sabine Remdisch, Professor of Human Resource and Organisational Psychology at the Institute for Performance Management at Leuphana University, which connects innovation drivers from companies and institutions with researchers and innovation ecosystems in Germany and Silicon Valley. The decision to embed the kick-off in the Falling Walls Summit was a conscious one: the Berlin conference stands for overcoming barriers between disciplines, sectors and nations – which is exactly what TNCC is all about.

Leading international figures discuss issues at round tables

At the invitation of project manager Remdisch, eight executives each took part in six parallel round table discussions. The tables were diverse: innovation-oriented top executives from large companies, representatives from politics and the public sector, practice-oriented scientists, venture pioneers from start-ups and SMEs, and international partners. These groups were supplemented by wild cards for participants with deliberately unconventional perspectives and TNCC ambassadors who made connections in the growing network visible. The tables were moderated by neutral facilitators who ensured that all voices were heard, results were secured and next steps were specified.

Soft AI as a lever for cultural change

The 90-minute kick-off workshop followed a structured format. The introductory phase, ‘On the Table’, focused on sharing perspectives and sharpening common challenges around AI, leadership and innovation culture. In the ‘Power Moves’ phase, participants used impulse cards and use cases to play through future scenarios – from AI-supported personnel development and new organisational models to questions of regulation and governance. The aim was to understand soft AI as a lever for cultural change and cross-sector collaboration and to view leadership as an active creative task in the transformation with AI. The event concluded with ‘Now & Next’: participants recorded key insights and formulated concrete ‘power moves’ that can be initiated in their organisations over the next 30 to 90 days.

Further round table formats planned

The TNCC Leadership Dialogues are designed as a multi-stage process. A total of five round-table formats are planned, each with 50 to 70 participants at different locations. Over the entire duration, a curated network of around 240 executives will be created, who will repeatedly address the tension between AI, leadership and innovation culture. Sabine Remdisch's team is responsible for overall coordination and integrates the dialogues into a research design that takes an empirical look at transnational co-creation and the future of leadership. TNCC is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, which acts as a funding body and technical sparring partner, particularly for the Falling Walls edition.

Partnerships, pilot projects and policy development

The kick-off at Falling Walls clearly demonstrated the potential of transnational dialogue on soft AI: When participants from different industries, sectors and countries sit down together, not only do new insights emerge, but also concrete next steps – from pilot projects and new partnerships to impetus for policy-making. The launch in Berlin has opened up more than just a series of dialogues: TNCC is establishing itself as a laboratory for leadership in the age of artificial intelligence.