Moderna Is Redefining Work With 3,000 AI Assistants

AI news, leaders, business insights and more

Author

Dr. Ayesha Khanna
May 31, 2025 • Reading Time: 8 minutes

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Hi Everyone,

Here are your tech stories for the weekend 😎

  • Moderna Is Redefining Work With 3,000 AI Assistants

  • Elton John Slams UK’s “Criminal” AI Copyright Law

  • AI Around The World

  • Meet Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft

NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

Moderna Is Redefining Work With 3,000 AI Assistants

Moderna’s Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, Tracey Franklin. Image: Moderna

In a striking move that shows how deeply AI is reshaping business, biotech firm Moderna has merged its human resources (HR) and technology departments under one leader: Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, Tracey Franklin.

So, what’s behind this shift?

  • At the core are AI assistants Moderna developed with help from ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI. These custom GPTs are tailored to Moderna’s needs.

  • Think of them as trained AI assistants that handle specialized tasks, from selecting doses during clinical trials to drafting responses for regulators.

  • For instance, a “virtual HR agent” now answers employee questions that once required junior staff.

Moderna currently uses over 3,000 custom GPTs, a clear sign AI is deeply embedded into daily operations. 🤯

A new way to think about teams

  • The success of these AI assistants has sparked a broader rethink of team structures: What still needs a human, and what can AI do?

  • Some roles are being reshaped, others phased out.

  • I would really like to understand how Moderna is retraining employees, so they’re not replaced but empowered with AI.

One thing is clear: while many companies bolt AI onto old processes or build “digital transformation” teams, Moderna is going further. It is rebuilding its entire organization around a human-AI workforce.

This is a wake-up call for HR leaders everywhere: Your role isn’t going away—it’s expanding. More complexity. More responsibility. Definitely learn more about AI and organizational change to take on this new opportunity.

📺 Watch this 1-min video where Moderna’s Tracey Franklin shares how custom GPTs help her communicate better with the Executive Committee. It’s pretty interesting!

Elton John Slams UK’s “Criminal” AI Copyright Law

Sir Elton John

The UK is facing a heated debate over proposed copyright reforms that would allow AI companies to use copyrighted material without creators’ prior consent, unless they explicitly opt out.

Creators outraged over opt-out model

  • This shift from an opt-in to an opt-out model has sparked major backlash from the creative industry, raising alarm over intellectual property rights and artist livelihoods.

  • Top musicians including Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, and Dua Lipa have spoken out against the reforms.

  • Elton John has called the proposal “criminal,” warning it could deprive young artists of both income and legacy.

Will innovation be stifled?

  • The UK government argues that the opt-out model is essential to drive global competitiveness and requiring explicit permission for each use would be impractical and could hinder the growth of the AI industry.

  • Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Meta executive, supports the government’s stance. He warns that mandatory prior consent could “kill the AI industry” in the UK.

I understand the national competitive concerns of the government, but I am against using the work of creators without their permission. Innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of artistic ownership.

The bill is set for renewed debate in the Lords on June 2.

AI Around The World:

Marks & Spencer (M&S), a major British retail chain, says a major cyberattack will cost the company $400 million in operating profit for fiscal 2025/26.

  • The attack, launched in April 2025, is linked to Scattered Spider, a cybercriminal group believed to include teenage hackers skilled in social engineering and ransomware. 😳

  • The breach disrupted online and in-store operations, compromised some customer data, and forced the company into manual processes.

  • Following the disclosure, M&S lost almost $1.4 billion in market value, with investors shaken by the scale of the disruption.

I was shocked to learn that Scattered Spider is dominated by teenage boys involved in global hacking rings. Watch this 6:30 minute BBC video on the cyberattack and the criminal gang.

Meet Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft

Aparna Chennapragada

Celebrating this week’s Woman in Tech 🥳: Meet Aparna Chennapragada, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft, where she leads AI and agent product strategy across the company’s productivity tools.

Her focus is on shaping how generative AI changes the way we work—through tools like Microsoft 365 and Designer that rethink how people create, decide, and collaborate.

Born in India, Chennapragada studied computer science at IIT Madras and the University of Texas at Austin, then went on to earn a master’s in management and engineering from MIT.

  • At Google, she spent over a decade working on some of its most widely used products. She founded Google Lens, helped evolve YouTube’s recommendation engine, and led core parts of Search and Maps.

  • She later became Chief Product Officer at Robinhood, steering the company’s product, design, and marketing teams through a turbulent period.

  • At Microsoft, she initially led generative AI creation experiences before stepping into her current role leading the broader product vision for AI-powered tools.

Chennapragada is known for making complex technology feel intuitive. She’s especially interested in how AI changes the craft of product building, often saying that “natural language is the new UX.”

She’s been named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Rising Executives and is widely regarded as one of the leading product thinkers in AI. 😎

Until next time!

Ayesha ❤️

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