Visionary business strategist Loren R. Douglass believes Black communities hold a unique advantage in the rapidly growing artificial intelligence space. With decades of experience across global finance and corporate transformation — including roles as vice president at Goldman Sachs, transformation leader at AIG, and director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch — Douglass has spent his career studying power structures, wealth-building, and institutional leadership. His perspective: AI is a moment for Black innovation, discipline, and cultural influence to move into a new phase of impact.
Douglass is the author of Seize The Future! The Boulé As A Force For Change, a forward-looking roadmap for emerging Black leadership. He argues that creativity has always been a core strength across Black communities, and technology provides the tools to channel that creativity into scalable ideas and ownership. With nearly forty years in international business, he frames this moment as one defined by access, opportunity, and the ability to transform talent into sustained power.
The strategist emphasizes that artificial intelligence is not a threat, but a multiplier. He calls the approach “Augmented Intelligence” — the ability to pair natural skill and cultural creativity with digital power to accelerate productivity, planning, and execution. He outlines this vision further in another book, Beyond AI: The Twelve Laws of Augmented Intelligence, which explores how working alongside AI can unlock new levels of thinking and long-term success.
According to Douglass, Black communities have historically shaped culture, driven trends, and excelled in new arenas once given space to participate. AI, he says, widens that space. With accessible platforms like Sora, ChatGPT, and AI-powered design tools, the barrier to building businesses, launching creative projects, or developing new systems is lower than ever. In his view, the combination of resilience, imagination, and strategic use of AI creates a path to enter industries and steadily build influence from within.
Douglass encourages immediate action and experimentation. He stresses that mastery of AI does not require massive capital — only curiosity, practice, and vision. He argues that participation now will determine who benefits as the technology evolves. Rather than waiting for institutions to dictate the future, he urges Black innovators to claim space early, create systems, and develop sustainable ventures that reflect community needs.
His broader philosophy focuses on empowerment and long-term wealth. Through works like The Power Doctrine, Douglass provides a framework for building durable economic strength, cultural institutions, and intergenerational impact. For him, AI represents a window of possibility — a chance for Black leaders, creators, and entrepreneurs to turn cultural ingenuity into structured opportunity and lasting progress.
As Douglass explains, the moment calls for optimism, strategy, and collective movement. He believes the creativity and leadership already present in Black communities can shape the next phase of technological advancement. With access to tools, a mindset of ownership, and proactive engagement, he says the time to build and innovate is now.
