The magentIQ Show Ep. 5 | The Co-Thinking Era: How AI Is Changing How We Learn and Work (Guest: Tom Davenport)

Ian Barkin and David Brain are joined by Tom Davenport, President's Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College and author of twenty-five books on AI, analytics, and the future of work. Tom, David, and Ian have co-authored numerous journal articles and a book on citizen development. Tom is a friend, collaborator, and expert with an unrivaled perspective on the agentic era. Welcome to Episode 5 of The magentIQ Show.In this episode, Ian, David, and Tom unpack:Why process slop happens when everyone in a workflow uses AI to write and review the same documentsThe 30x gap between AI rhetoric and capability: 60% of companies have cut jobs, but only 2% have the systems to absorb the workWhy the forward deployed engineer is just an AI-washed consultant, and why the next great job title might be the backward deployed engineerThe return of the blue book, the lost generation of graduates, and what David plans to tell a room full of schoolboys about using AI wellWhether humans can keep pace with agentic workflows, or whether they just become a dipping bird hitting the enter keyThe Thoreau origin of brain rot, and why teaching the next generation to think with AI rather than around it may be the defining educational challenge of the decadeFurther reading and resources from the conversationCo-authored by Tom Davenport and Ian Barkin:"All Hands on Tech: The AI-Powered Citizen Revolution" is the definitive guide to vibe coding in the agentic era. Drawing on years of joint research, Ian and Tom argue that the next wave of enterprise transformation will not come from a handful of technologists at the top, but from the millions of business users now equipped to build, automate, and innovate with AI tools. The book lays out how leaders can mobilize this citizen workforce, govern it responsibly, and turn it into a durable source of competitive advantage. Available at Amazon here. "We're All Programmers Now", Harvard Business Review, 2023, HbrWe’re All Programmers Now"Harnessing Grassroots Automation", MIT Sloan Management Review, Mitsloanreview.mit.edu/article/harnessing-grassroots-automationCo-authored by Tom Davenport and David Brain:"Before Automating Your Company's Processes, Find Ways to Improve Them", Harvard Business Review, 2018, HbrBefore Automating Your Company’s Processes, Find Ways to Improve Them