Of all the words in the dictionary, Sarah Franklin says that "balance" is perhaps her favorite - especially when embracing AI's companies.

Franklin leads Lattice, an employee performance software company founded by Jack Altman, now worth $3 billion. Whether on the stage of SXSW in London or in conversation with TechCrunch, she talked a lot about the opportunity to balance - the opportunity to find it, and the risk of not having it during this AI revolution.

“We put people first,” Franklin told TechCrunch, referring to Lattice, which has begun to adopt more AI and automation capabilities.

While some companies are touting AI to replace large numbers of workers, some technology leaders are more open about the importance of balance for companies: retaining human employees while enhancing them with AI assistants and “agents”. Franklin said at SXSW London that it might seem like a good idea to completely replace labor workers for cost saving reasons, but such a move may not actually be attractive to customers.

“It’s important to ask yourself, ‘Are you building AI success in building it first (or is building for the success of people and customers)?” she said, adding that trust is the most important currency any founder or startup has, and building trust with consumers is crucial. “Efficiency is great, but you don’t want to trade trust.”

Franklin also stressed the importance of transparency, accountability and accountability. Leaders need to be transparent with what employees do about AI, which must be narrowly applied to specific goals so that people understand how it works and ultimately have to be responsible for the impact of AI.

"Otherwise, we are serving AI and serving AI," Franklin continued.

In an interview with TechCrunch after SXSW's appearance, Franklin said that Lattice has established an AI HR agent that provides positive insights and assists employees in one-on-one meetings. The company also has a platform where Lattice customers can create their own custom agents for their businesses.

Franklin insists that humans must monitor any AI technology implemented by the company. "It's a regular check and balance that we're used to," she told TechCrunch.

She believes that the winner of this AI moment in history will be the one who learns how to put people first. Franklin believes this is one of the most important guardrails a company can have on AI.

“We all have a responsibility to make sure we do this for the people of society,” Franklin said. “There is no substitute for relationships, and the winners will become companies that understand this.”