AI Workplace and Culture Series 05 - The Commons or the Wild West? Ethics, Community & AI

We're closing out our AI and Culture series with Nikki Silvestri, CEO and Founder of Soil and Shadow, international keynote speaker, and environmental advocate. Nikki has spent her career asking hard questions about who benefits and who bears the cost, and she brings that same lens to AI. This conversation covers environmental impact, personal responsibility, and what it means to lead with ethics when technology is moving this fast.What We CoverThe Commons vs. the Wild West – AI is actually both happening simultaneously, and the education gap is the biggest driver of why.The urgency is real – The pressure to adopt AI isn't false. Productivity expectations are shifting and jobs are being replaced. But individual blame isn't the answer.Environmental impact in context – Data centers use energy and water, but so does streaming, Zoom, and Spotify. A systems view means holding the whole picture, not just the sound bite.The regional advocacy gap – Placing data centers in drought-prone or already-stressed regions has real consequences, and local advocacy matters more than most people realize.BYO AI and Shadow Tech – 70-75% of organizations have no AI policies, but the same percentage of people are using it individually. That gap is where risk lives.Using AI to reclaim your time – Nikki's personal case for how AI is giving her back the mental and psychic energy that intellectual work used to drain, especially for women and neurodivergent leaders.What to actually do – Understand your footprint, advocate for democratic infrastructure, use free templates to get your team aligned before you spend money on outside help.Bullish or bearish? – Both. The power of the tool is real. The incentives of the companies building it are not in your favor.Key Takeaway Growth mindset. A lot is changing fast and it is scary. Stay at the growth edge, but you don't have to make yourself unsafe to do it.Guest ResourceNikki Silvestri and Soil and Shadow: soilandshadow.comWe Want to Hear From You Send your questions to [email protected] and subscribe to our newsletter at cocreatework.com.As always, thank you for your leadership.Resources:Leading through growth takes intention. Our capabilities deck shows how we help founders and leadership teams lead boldly and build cultures that scale.Think coaching might be right for you? Schedule a free consultation to explore how we can help you step into your next level of leadership.We would love to connect with you!CoCreate Work on LinkedInCoCreate Work on InstagramLa’Kita on InstagramChloe on InstagramVisit our Podcast PageQuestions you would like us to answer on the podcast? Email us at [email protected]