Meet The AI Optimist

Barbara Peng started her career automating her own analyst job and has spent the decade since leading brands through transformation. At Business Insider, she brought the brand back to its roots and made AI optimism part of how the newsroom works.

AI Optimism Starts With Going First: Business Insider launched an AI-powered paywall and was the first publication to bring generative AI search to its site. Barbara says the goal was to innovate and iterate to "meet a moment that was coming." 🤖

Back to Business Insider: Barbara's first move as CEO was refocusing the brand on business, tech, and innovation journalism. More than 80 percent of it is now original, and it is paying off. 📰

A Framingham Study for AI: Barbara is part of an MIT working group studying how AI affects the brain. The ambition is to match the scale of the Framingham Heart Study. 🧠

Morning Miles in Central Park: Barbara runs every morning, and fall is her favorite season for it. For her, running is meditative, and it is just for her. 🍂