AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

PODCAST · technology

AI and the Future of Work: Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace, Business, Ethics, HR, and IT for AI Enthusiasts, Leaders and Academics

🏆 Ranked #3, Best 30 HR Tech Podcasts in the US — Million Podcasts (2026). Host Dan Turchin, PeopleReign CEO, explores how AI is changing the workplace. He interviews thought leaders and technologists from industry and academia who share their experiences and insights about artificial intelligence and what it means to be human in the era of AI-driven automation. Learn more about PeopleReign, the system of intelligence for IT and HR employee service: http://www.peoplereign.io.

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    388: From AI Hype to Real Deployment: What Enterprise Leaders Keep Getting Wrong, with Matt Fitzpatrick, CEO of Invisible Technologies

    Send us Fan MailMatt Fitzpatrick is the CEO of Invisible Technologies, an AI platform used to improve models for more than 80% of the world’s leading AI companies, including Microsoft, AWS, and Cohere. The company has raised $100 million and scaled to $134 million in revenue, making it one of the fastest-growing AI companies globally.Before joining Invisible, Matt was the Global Head of QuantumBlack Labs at McKinsey, where he led large-scale AI and data engineering efforts and helped enterprises move from experimentation to production.In this episode, Matt draws on years spent inside enterprise AI deployments to challenge the gap between model progress and real-world adoption, and to explain why most organizations still struggle to turn AI into measurable business outcomes.In this conversation, we discuss:Why enterprise AI adoption lags far behind model performance improvements, and why most organizations still struggle to turn technical progress into real business impactThe hidden role of messy, fragmented legacy data, and why decades of accumulated systems make it nearly impossible to deploy reliable AI at scaleWhy defining “good” output in generative AI is far harder than expected, and how unclear standards stall deployment across high-stakes enterprise workflowsThe case for redesigning workflows from scratch, and why layering AI on top of existing processes fails to create meaningful efficiency gainsWhy most AI initiatives fail due to lack of business ownership, and how separating technology teams from operators prevents projects from reaching productionHow fear-driven narratives about job loss are slowing adoption, and why AI is more likely to shift work toward higher-value tasks than eliminate roles entirely Explore this conversation: 00:00 Intro and Fun Fact 03:57 Matt Fitzpatrick's Path From McKinsey to Invisible Technologies 09:56 Scaling Enterprise AI with Modular Platforms and Clean Data 12:44 The Crucial Role of Expert Human Feedback in Model Training 17:56 Why 95% of Enterprise AI Projects Never Reach Production21:38 The Missing Link: Why True AI Transformation Requires Business Ownership 26:54 Overcoming AI Fear and the Reality of Jevons Paradox 32:24 Responsible AI: Governing Outcomes Over Technology 39:05 The Future of Work: Moving From Administration to Innovation 44:12 Where to Connect with Matt Fitzpatrick and Invisible TechnologiesResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Matthew on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How Allison Baum Gates Reveals the Secrets to a Successful VC Career

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    Special Episode: Inside the 2026 Work Trend Index with Matt Firestone, General Manager for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents

    Send us Fan MailYour employees are already ahead of you on AI. The data is in and the question is no longer whether this is happening, but what leaders choose to do about it.That is one of the key findings from Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index, and it is the starting point for this week's special episode. PeopleReign CEO Dan Turchin sits down with Matt Firestone, General Manager at Microsoft leading product marketing for Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agents, to unpack what trillions of anonymized signals across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem reveal about how AI is actually changing work right now.What pairing telemetry with survey responses and in-house research reveals about the gap between where employees actually are and where their organizations think they are is striking. And the numbers on how organizations reward, or fail to reward, the people already doing this work will make most leaders uncomfortable. The bottleneck, it turns out, isn't where most people expect it.In this conversation, we discuss:Why the job of a leader has shifted from designing transformation strategy to changing systems and cultureHow the report reframes agentic AI collaboration, not as a threat to human agency, but as an expansion of itWhat "frontier firms" and "frontier professionals" actually means, and why it's a mental model and rallying cry, not a marketing termHow building in the open, leaders experimenting visibly and removing the stigma of getting things wrong, is one of the most quantifiably impactful things a manager can doWhy agent adoption on the Microsoft 365 ecosystem is growing at a rate that will surprise even the optimistsExplore this conversation:00:00 Intro01:14 Inside Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index02:22 Telemetry, Not Just Surveys: What the Data Reveal03:09 Employees Are Ahead of Their Managers on Agentic AI04:37 The Transformation Paradox and Broken Reward Systems06:15 More Agentic AI, More Human Agency: The 49% Finding09:28 How Leaders Should Respond: Build in the Open11:26 Safety, Trust, and Responsible AI at Microsoft Scale13:36 Building a Manager Equity Dashboard in 25 Minutes with Copilot17:31 What Frontier Firms and Frontier Professionals Actually Do20:04 AI, Toil, and the Fear of Becoming Obsolete22:52 The 1 Billion Agents Prediction and What Comes NextResourcesSubscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Matt on LinkedInMicrosoft's 2026 Work Trend Index

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    387: Agentic AI, Stablecoins and the Future of Money. Most Institutions Are Solving the Wrong Problem, with Emmanuel Daniel, Founder of TAB Global

    Send us Fan MailEmmanuel Daniel is an author, advisor, and global thought leader on geopolitics, the future of finance, and their intersection with business and society. As the founder of the research and consulting house TAB Global and a recognized top 10 global influencer in the Fintech Power50, Emmanuel has spent decades looking under the hood of the global economy to understand how nations and institutions truly interact. In this episode, Emmanuel draws on 25 years of building relationships with central bankers, policymakers, and fintech leaders across 157 countries to make the case that the disruption most financial institutions are bracing for is not the one that is actually coming, and that the leaders asking the wrong questions today will have no runway left when the real inflection point hits.In this conversation, we discuss:Why financial markets distracted everyone from the real AI disruption, and what happens to large organizations when agentic AI finally reaches the Internet of Things.Why the end user no longer interacts with your bank's app directly, and what that means for every institution investing in UX.Why Emmanuel argues that debt is the economy, and why the conversation about U.S. debt-to-GDP is asking the wrong question entirely.Why state-promoted digital currencies are structurally designed to fail, and what China's eCNY after 8 years in pilot reveals about the limits of government-driven innovation.Why stablecoins have enabled a parallel global economy that traditional banking missed, and what that signals for the institutions still holding the rails.Why originality of thought is the one human capability AI cannot replace, and why Emmanuel says AI is of no use to you if you cannot form the right questions yourself.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Emmanuel on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI Voice Assistants Will Make Meetings More ProductiveOther episodes mentioned:344: Can Decentralized AI Fix Banking? Crypto, Brain OS, and the Future of Finance with Paolo Ardoino, Tether CEO358: Inside Mastercard’s AI Adoption Journey: CTO George Maddaloni on Building Trust, Detecting Fraud, and the Future of Payments

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    386: Pace, Noise, and What's Really Blocking AI Transformation at Work, with Tom Scott, CEO of Wrike

    Send us Fan MailTom Scott is the CEO of Wrike, the work management platform trusted by over 20,000 customers including Walmart Canada and Sony Pictures Television, across more than 140 countries and nearly 2 million end users.Tom's path to the CEO seat is anything but conventional. He spent over 20 years leading finance and operations across some of the most hardware-intensive sectors in tech, from building cell towers to running finance at Zebra Technologies and autonomous robotics company Fetch Robotics, before joining Wrike as CFO and transitioning to CEO in July 2023.In this episode, Tom draws on that rare vantage point (having led through multiple waves of technological disruption) to make a case that the leaders and companies that treat organizational intelligence as a combination of human judgment and AI capability, rather than a replacement of one by the other, are the ones building something that lasts.In this conversation, we discuss:Why transformation remains stubbornly hard in the AI era, and what leaders consistently underestimate about the real blockers to changeWhy the biggest career risk today is not AI itself, but the decision to stop moving up the value stack of your current roleThe two words Tom's customers and team use most to describe the current moment: pace and noise, and what that means for leaders trying to drive transformation.How Tom coaches his leadership team to hire for intensity and ownership over domain expertise, and why that philosophy matters more now than everWhy a deterministic career plan is no longer a viable strategy, and what curiosity and experience-chasing actually look like as professional operating principlesWhat Tom believes will be table stakes in the workplace well before 2031, and why the building blocks are already visible todayExplore this conversation:00:00 Intro and Fun Fact04:08 Scaling Work Management with Tom Scott, CEO of Wrike 04:47 From Cell Towers to the CEO Seat at Wrike 05:51 How Wrike Helps Teams Connect and Accelerate Work 10:21 The Hardest Part of Transitioning to the CEO Role 14:13 Wrike's Origins: Building Scalability for Complex Workflows 17:04 Managing Pace and Noise During AI Transformations 21:20 Why True Organizational Intelligence Requires Human Judgment 25:54 Embracing Technology to Move Up the Value Stack 28:11 Why Curiosity Outweighs a Deterministic Career Plan 31:25 Hiring Empowered Teams: Selecting for Ownership and Intensity 34:31 The Future of Work: When Agentic AI Becomes Table Stakes 36:32 Where to Connect with Tom Scott and Wrike Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Thomas on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How Decentralized Intelligence and Data Precision Are Reshaping the Future of AI

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    Authors on Redefining the Human at Work: The Shift from Efficiency to Meaning (Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this special April compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work, we’re bringing back six great former guests who published popular books about how AI is redefining humans at work. The future of work isn't about competing with algorithms. It’s about how we use technology to increase our capacity for trust, express our vulnerability, and discover meaning.This episode brings together insights from authors who explore how AI is reshaping work and what it means for individuals and organizations. What You’ll LearnWhy delegating routine tasks to AI frees us to explore our human superpowers like empathy, rational thinking, and compassion.How the future of knowledge work lies in navigating ambiguity and expressing entirely new ideas.Why leaders must move beyond monitoring and productivity theater to build cultures of trust and give teams the space to experiment.How the traditional, contract-based employment model is failing the next generation and what replaces it.Why the era of the “superhuman” leader is over, and how showing your human side earns loyalty in times of disruption.How the AI revolution is sparking a massive work quake, and why only you can write your own story and decide what gives you meaning.Featured GuestsBernard Marr, Futurist and Bestselling Author of Generative AI in Practice - Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15441666] Atif Rafiq, Former Fortune 500 Executive and Author of Decision Sprint - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14507445] Brian Elliott, Executive Advisor and bestselling author of "How the Future Works". - Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17282891] Josh Drean, Co-founder of the Work3 Institute and Co-author of Employment is Dead - Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16473644] Linda Rottenberg, CEO and Co-founder of Endeavor, and Author of Crazy is a Compliment - Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/8356582] Bruce Feiler, Bestselling Author of The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World - Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14158168] 💬 Inspired by something you heard in this episode? Share your favorite insight about redefining work, building trust, or finding meaning in the AI era, and tag us on social. We’d love to hear what resonated with you. And don’t forget to subscribe to AI and the Future of Work for more conversations with the authors and leaders shaping what comes next.

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    385: From API Management to Agent Control: Why Governing AI Actions Is the Only Path to Enterprise Value, with Oren Michels, Co-Founder and CEO of Barndoor AI

    Send us Fan MailOren Michels is an entrepreneur, investor, board member, and advisor to technology startups in the US and Europe. He is the co-founder and CEO of Barndoor AI, the control plane for agentic AI, and the founder who previously helped define the API management category with Mashery, acquired by Intel in 2013. He is also a Tony-nominated Broadway and Off-Broadway producer whose credits include Romeo+Juliet and Good Night, and Good Luck starring George Clooney.In this episode, Oren draws on two decades of building foundational infrastructure for the enterprise to make the case that governing AI agents is not a security problem. It is an entirely new category of problem, and most companies do not yet have the vocabulary to describe it, let alone the tools to solve it. If your agents can already write to your CRM, interpret your instructions, and act without life experience or fear of consequences, who is actually in control?In this conversation, we discuss:Why securing AI agents is entirely different from managing APIs, and why traditional security and identity access tools were never designed to handle what agents can do.The reason most so-called agentic AI is still glorified robotic process automation, and what it will actually take to unlock enterprise value.How Barndoor AI's "least privilege" framework for agents works, and why the permission logic goes far beyond the identity of the human using the tool.Why an agent with delete access to your CRM is one probabilistic misfire away from a catastrophic outcome, and why ultimate responsibility always comes back to the humans operating the tools.The BYO AI parallel to BYOD: why well-meaning employees using personal AI tools with company data may force the enterprise governance moment no one is ready for.Why the same instinct that took Oren from API infrastructure to Broadway and back to enterprise AI may be exactly the mindset the agentic era demands from its builders.Explore this conversation:00:00 Intro and fun Fact03:46 Oren Michels's Path From API Management to Building Barndoor AI05:44 Redefining Trust: AI Lacks Life Experience and Fear of Consequences08:24 History Repeating: Why AI Needs a Control Plane Just Like APIs Did12:35 Deterministic APIs vs. Probabilistic Agents: Why Governing AI Is a Social Challenge18:25 How Barndoor AI's "Least Privilege" Framework for Agents Actually Works20:50 The Token Economy and Context Windows: Wandering Into the AI Home Depot25:25 Preventing Catastrophic Failures: Why AI Agents Should Never Have Delete Access31:39 The BlackBerry Moment of AI: Navigating the "BYO AI" Enterprise Trend38:04 Balancing Tech and Creativity: From Enterprise AI to Producing on BroadwayResourcesSubscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Oren on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI may eliminate jobs: what the data reveals

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    384: When AI Creates Art, What Stays Human? with Jake Saper, General Partner at Emergence Capital

    Send us Fan MailJake Saper is a General Partner at Emergence Capital, one of the most iconic venture firms in enterprise software, with a portfolio that includes Zoom, Gusto, Veeva, and Together AI. Emergence has backed some of the most category-defining B2B companies of the last two decades, and Jake has spent nearly 12 years at the center of that deal flow.What sets Jake apart is a life lived on both sides of the creativity question: he backs the companies building AI but also performs across genres from blues to metal as a working musician.In this episode, Jake brings that rare combination of investor rigor and artist instinct to one of the hardest questions AI is forcing us to face, and whether you leave reassured or unsettled may depend entirely on how much of your identity is wrapped up in the work you create.In this conversation, we discuss:How AI will democratize the creation of art but commoditize its execution, ultimately causing the value of live, dynamic human performances to skyrocket.The stunning acceleration of startup growth, with top-quartile B2B software companies now scaling from zero to $1 million in ARR in just four months.How the flood of AI-generated content is turning attention into the real bottleneck, and why curation and point of view become the new competitive advantage.Why Jake believes the market will self-regulate the anthropomorphization of AI agents in the workplace, and where that logic has a hard limit.What Geoffrey Hinton said about building AI "like a mother," why it was both comforting and deeply unsatisfying, and what it reveals about AGI risk.Why Jake argues disclosure matters during this transition period, but what he actually wants people to ask about art as AI becomes a normal creative tool.Explore this conversation:00:00 Why AI Makes It Easier to Build a Demo and Harder to Build a Moat05:25 From Cell Towers to Venture Capital: Jake Saper's Path to Emergence08:53 How AI Is Compressing Startup Growth: From 18 Months to 4 Months to $1M ARR18:05 What Art Actually Is: Compressed Human Experience and the Act of Making Meaning Shareable23:30 How AI Can Unlock Latent Creativity in People Who Don't Think of Themselves as Creators26:55 Why Disclosure Matters When Trust and Authenticity Are at Stake30:19 Navigating a Post-Truth Era: When Everything Looks Synthetic, What Do We Believe?32:14 Why the Value of Live Performance Is About to Skyrocket35:58 As Soulless Entities Multiply, Soul-to-Soul Human Connection Becomes More Valuable40:38 What Geoffrey Hinton Said About Building AI "Like a Mother" and Why It Was Unsatisfying43:04 Why the Most Enduring Art Has Always Been About Transfer, Not AuthorshipResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jake on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI Is Revolutionizing Creativity in Art, Music, and Education

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    383: From Zero-to-One to a Billion in ARR: Why monday.com Is Rebuilding Its Product Thinking from Scratch, with Daniel Lereya, CPTO at monday.com

    Send us Fan MailDaniel Lereya is Chief Product and Technology Officer at monday.com, the AI work platform trusted by 60% of the Fortune 500 and valued at approximately $8 billion. He joined the company when it had 30 people and $4.5M ARR, and has since grown his team from 5 to nearly 900 people as monday.com crossed $1 billion in ARR.In this episode, Daniel draws on nearly a decade of scaling one of the world's most adopted work platforms to share what it actually takes to rebuild product thinking from scratch when AI changes everything you thought you knew.In this conversation, we discuss:Why the instincts that made monday.com successful are the exact ones Daniel says had to be dismantled to build AI-first products.What the critical difference is between building a demo that impresses and an agent that actually works in production, and where most teams get it wrong.Why Daniel believes wrapping AI inside rigid workflows produces better results than giving agents full discretion, and what monday.com learned the hard way.What happened when 2,000 of 3,000 monday.com employees started building their own apps in just two weeks, and what it revealed about the future of who gets to build software.Why Daniel argues that when an AI agent makes a mistake, the real question leaders should be asking has nothing to do with the technology.Why the biggest barrier to AI adoption is not the technology itself, and what Daniel says companies must stop waiting for before they start.Explore:00:00 Why AI Adoption Is Harder Than It Looks00:53 Introduction + AI Commerce Standards: Google, OpenAI & Visa04:30 Daniel Lereya's 9-Year Journey Scaling monday.com to $1B ARR09:00 How AI Forces a Complete Reset in Product Thinking12:25 The "AI Month" Initiative: Pausing R&D to Rebuild from Scratch14:57 Building AI Products When the Output Is Non-Deterministic20:47 What 250,000 Customers Taught Us About AI in the Real World25:38 Responsible AI: Guardrails, Governance, and Data Control31:28 Who Is Responsible When an AI Agent Makes a Mistake?37:04 The Future of Work: Humans, Agents, and What Comes NextResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Daniel on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How we can take back control from Big Techhttps://peoplereign.io/podcast/

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    382: Are We Building AI Without Half the Population? With Lisa Davis, Author of The Only Woman in the Room

    Send us Fan MailLisa Davis is a technology executive who has served as CIO and tech leader for some of the world's most complex organizations, including Intel, Blue Shield of California, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Department of Defense. She is now focused on shaping the next generation of leaders and advocating for women and diverse talent in STEM through her board work, executive coaching, and her forthcoming book, The Only Woman in the Room: How to Win in a Workplace Still Built for Men.In this episode, Lisa draws on 30+ years leading technology at the highest levels of government and enterprise to make the case that the future of AI depends on who gets to build it, and as long as women remain locked out of those rooms, we are getting it dangerously wrong.In this conversation, we discuss:Why women's representation in STEM has fallen from 34% in the mid-1980s to 22% today, and why that decline is a crisis for the future of AI, not just the workplace.Why the real risk isn't the technology itself but the leadership teams making AI decisions without diverse voices at the table.The structural systems that were never designed for women to thrive, and why redesigning them is a business imperative, not a social favor.Why current corporate layoffs are being falsely attributed to AI, and what leaders need to start saying out loud.Why girls begin dropping out of math and science as early as middle school, how cultural norms around "bossiness" suppress leadership potential, and what parents and organizations can do to intervene earlier.What Lisa says women who finally reach the executive table must do differently, and why most don't.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Lisa on LinkedIn or visit her website to learn more about her book.AI fun fact articleOn how to navigate life transitions with Bruce Feiler, award-winning author and popular TEDx speaker 

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    381: Who's Really Responsible When AI Gets It Wrong? Bloomberg Beta's James Cham on Power, Morality, and the Case for Removing Humans from the Loop

    Send us Fan MailJames Cham is a Partner at Bloomberg Beta, the venture capital firm recognized by CB Insights as the #2 investor in AI. He has spent years backing the companies quietly building the infrastructure of tomorrow's economy, including Orbital Insight, Primer, Domino Data Labs, and AppZen. A Harvard CS graduate and MIT MBA, James brings a rare combination of technical depth, philosophical seriousness, and long-horizon investing perspective to every conversation. In this episode, he challenges some of the most popular  assumptions in enterprise AI adoption (including the idea that keeping humans in the loop is always the right answer) and makes a compelling case for why the moral and economic decisions we make right now will shape the nature of work for the next hundred years.In this conversation, we discuss:Why the people who benefit from AI models, not those impacted by them, should bear full legal and moral responsibility for the harms they causeWhy comparing AI to a flawless "Platonic ideal" is a mistake, and how the mathematical consistency of models is a massive advantage over noisy, unpredictable human decision-makingThe case for pulling humans out of the loop and why romanticizing your role in the process is exactly how organizations miss the real opportunityWhy corporate America's "gold star" approach to AI adoption, tracking how many employees used AI once this week, is a dangerous distraction from what heavy users are already doingHow ancient wisdom and the biblical concept of creation in Genesis can help us navigate the moral responsibilities of building new technologiesJames’s three massive investment theses, including the untapped market for AI tools with high emotional intelligence and why developers spending over $50 a day on tokens are already living in the futureResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with James on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI Impacts Humanity

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    380: Customer Service's AI Shift: Zendesk CTO Adrian McDermott on Deterministic AI and Context Engineering

    Send us Fan MailAdrian McDermott is Chief Technology Officer at Zendesk, where he leads the company’s product management and engineering teams and helps shape the technology behind one of the world’s most widely used customer service platforms. He joined Zendesk in 2010 and has played a key role in guiding the company’s product and platform strategy as customer experience continues to evolve in the age of AI. Drawing on years of experience building enterprise software used by service teams around the world, Adrian brings a thoughtful perspective on how AI can help organizations deliver better customer service while allowing people to focus on the work humans do best.In this conversation, we discuss:How customer service evolved from a cost center with rigid scripts and binders into a strategic function where technology helps teams deliver better experiences.Why customer service leaders shouldn't fear automation — and why everyone has a "service debt" that AI can finally help pay down.The shift from traditional contact centers to AI-enabled service platforms that help companies respond faster while improving both employee and customer experience.Lessons Adrian learned scaling Zendesk from a small product team to a global platform serving 100,000 customers and how product-led growth shaped that journey.The critical challenge of moving from non-deterministic, creative AI models to deterministic, reliable solutions necessary for enterprise trust and safetyThe future of context engineering and why the next major leap in AI won't be about superintelligence, but about building systems that capture and act on the knowledge created in every customer interaction.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Adrian on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How the impact of the pandemic on leaders, culture, and the evolving nature of work

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    Confidence, Bias, and Opportunity: Lessons from Women Leaders in Tech Building the Future of AI and Work (International Women’s Day Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailTo celebrate International Women’s Day, this special compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work revisits powerful moments from past conversations with women leaders shaping technology, artificial intelligence, and the future of work.Across industries and roles, these leaders share reflections on career growth, leadership, resilience, and the barriers women still face in technology and executive leadership. Their stories reveal how confidence, mentorship, and opportunity shape who gets to lead in emerging industries like AI.As artificial intelligence reshapes how organizations operate and how work evolves, representation in the people building and guiding these technologies matters more than ever. Expanding access and opportunity is essential to creating a more innovative and inclusive future of work.Featured GuestsCharlene Li – Author, Keynote Speaker & Strategic Advisor. Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/3970637]Daphne Jones – CEO at The Board Curators. Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12105172]Patty Hatter – President & COO at Opsera. Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/5939122]Mona Sabet – SVP at GCG. Listen to the full conversation here: [https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16747398]Tess Posner – CEO and Founder at AI4ALL. Listen to the full conversation here: [2019: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/2207636 - 2025: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17326118] What You’ll LearnWhy women often wait until they feel fully qualified before pursuing leadership rolesHow imposter syndrome shapes career decisions and confidence in techWhy perfectionism can limit growth for technical leadersHow hiring practices based on brand signals reinforce gender imbalanceWhy diversity in AI development leads to better technology outcomesHow leaders can expand opportunity for the next generation of women in tech💬 Inspired by something you heard in this episode?Share your favorite insight about leadership, risk-taking, or expanding opportunity for women in AI and tech, and tag us on social.And don’t forget to subscribe to AI and the Future of Work for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of work.

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    379: AI and the End of the Knowledge Economy: Gen Alpha, Reskilling, and the Rise of Creative Work, with Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy

    Send us Fan MailMatt Britton is Founder and CEO of Suzy and a leading voice on how AI and generational change are reshaping business. He is the author of the best-selling book Generation AI: Why Generation Alpha & The Age of AI Will Change Everything, and has advised more than half of the Fortune 500 on marketing, innovation, and consumer behavior. Drawing on decades of experience working with global brands, Matt examines why AI is shifting the economy from knowledge tasks to creative problem solving, why reskilling will define the next decade, and how leaders can build organizations that elevate human judgment in an AI-driven world.In this conversation, we discuss:Why AI is accelerating a shift from memorization and knowledge tasks toward creativity, critical thinking, and real problem solving.Why reskilling, not upskilling, will define the next decade and why that transition will be harder than most leaders admit.How Gen Alpha, the first AI-native generation, will reshape expectations around work, brands, privacy, and employer relationships.Why robotics will transform the service economy sooner than most leaders expect, and what that means for jobs.The mistake companies make when they chase AI tools instead of focusing on the most important problems to solve.How hyper-personalization and an “audience of one” are redefining trust, value creation, and meritocracy in business.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Matt on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How Kai Nunez, Vice President of Research & Insights at Salesforce, is making tech teams take ownership of AI ethics

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    378: From Certifications to Careers: How Reskilling Pathways Are Closing the AI Talent Gap

    Send us Fan MailKourtney Cross is a RiseUp with ServiceNow Graduate and Business Analyst at Leidos. With a background in accounting and operations, Kourtney saw a shift happening in the enterprise tech landscape and decided he wouldn't be left behind. He immersed himself in a new ecosystem, earned multiple certifications through the RiseUp program, and built his own hands-on projects to prove his skills to skeptics.But his story isn't just about learning new software. It's about the grit it takes to pivot your career in public. Kourtney joins Dan Turchin to share what it really looks like to go from "credentials on paper" to delivering value in the AI economy, and why he believes compounded effort always yields success.In this conversation, they discuss:Why Kourtney saw a market shift and decided to dive in headfirst, and how that decision became a pivotal career inflection point.How RiseUp with ServiceNow program enables ambitious early-career professionals to obtain certifications, build real skills, and pivot into future-proof tech roles.What certifications actually do, and don’t do, in the job market, and how Kourtney differentiated himself by building and showcasing a hands-on project.How to proactively leverage AI as a business analyst, from writing user stories to tightening requirements, instead of fearing job displacement.Where AI should accelerate productivity and where clear human boundaries still matter, especially in high-stakes areas like healthcare and admissions decisions.Why patience, resilience, and what Kourtney calls “compounded effort” matter more than credentials alone when breaking into tech and building long-term career momentum.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterAI @ Work – Level One Leaders certificationConnect with Kourtney on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn how AI can unleash human potentialExplore more about RiseUp with ServiceNow

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    377: How Wyndham Hotels Aligns AI with Business Strategy to Empower People at Work, with CCO Scott Strickland

    Send us Fan MailScott Strickland is Chief Commercial Officer at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and former Chief Information Officer of Wyndham Hotel Group, where he led technology and AI initiatives across one of the world’s largest hospitality portfolios. With experience spanning global operations, enterprise data strategy, and board-level leadership, he has built a reputation for translating business priorities into scalable technology execution.Drawing on that experience, Scott brings a pragmatic lens to how organizations align AI with business strategy, prioritize initiatives by ROI and time to value, and scale responsibly while building trust across teams.In this conversation, we discuss:How Scott translates business needs into technical AI execution while keeping a sharp focus on measurable dollar impact.Why winning board support for AI requires the “4 E’s” framework, and how making AI a recurring agenda item changes the trajectory of investment.How to scale from four initial AI use cases to more than 340 by prioritizing ROI, time to value, and data readiness.Why AI works best as a co-pilot that removes friction and drudgery, rather than as a replacement for frontline teams.What it takes to build trust with employees during AI transformation, including transparency, reskilling pathways, and new roles like AI coaches.Why security, privacy, and risk management must be built into AI initiatives from day one, and how servant leadership creates the cultural foundation for responsible adoption.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Scott on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn how the journey from intern to a $5B unicorn happens

  16. 329

    The Founders’ Playbook: How to Build AI Companies That Last (Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this special February compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work, we explore what it truly takes to build AI companies designed to last.While AI innovation moves fast, enduring companies are built on fundamentals. Clear problem selection. Thoughtful product design. Ethical intent. Leadership under uncertainty. And the resilience required to keep going when the market pushes back.This episode brings together insights from founders and operators who have built, scaled, and sustained AI-driven companies across different stages and industries. Their stories reveal a shared truth. Long-term success depends less on hype and more on discipline, courage, and trust.Featured GuestsEric Olson, CEO and Co-founder of Consensus - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/11574063 Rich White, Founder of UserVoice and CEO of Fathom - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/11911533 Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of MindStudio - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14866979 Daniel Marcous, Founder and CTO of April, former CTO of Waze - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12679210 George Sivulka, CEO of Hebbia - Listen to the full conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16572788 What You’ll LearnWhy founders must act before certainty appearsHow solving real pain leads to stronger, longer-lasting companiesWhat ethical intent looks like in practical AI system designWhy trust, accuracy, and discipline matter more than speedHow resilience shapes leadership through uncertaintyWhat separates durable AI companies from short-lived experimentsInspired by something you heard in this episode?Share your favorite insight on social and tag us. We’d love to hear what resonated with you. And don’t forget to subscribe to AI and the Future of Work for more conversations with the founders and leaders shaping what comes next.Other special episodes: Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Artificial General Intelligence: Can Machines Really Think Like Us? (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)AI and the Law: How AI Will Change Legal Careers (Special Episode)AI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)365: What We’ve Learned from 364 Expert Conversations (Special Episode)

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    376: Why Human Skills Now Matter More as AI Automates Tasks at Work, with Andrea Iorio

    Send us Fan MailAndrea Iorio is one of Brazil’s most requested keynote speakers on digital transformation, innovation, and leadership. His work has reached more than 50,000 people through live talks, and his podcasts have surpassed 300,000 downloads. A former Head of Tinder across Latin America and Chief Digital Officer at L’Oréal Brazil, he brings firsthand experience leading digital change inside large organizations. Today, he advises leaders, teaches MBAs, and studies how AI reshapes work, skills, and decision making. His latest book, Between You and AI, explores how humans stay relevant as machines take on more cognitive tasks.In this conversation, we discuss:Why AI replaces tasks rather than entire jobs, and how reframing work around tasks changes how leaders redesign roles, workflows, and value creation.Andrea shares surprising data from a global HR survey that reveals why 93% of HR leaders prioritize soft skills over hard skills in new hires, and why this trend signals a massive shift in the future of work.Andrea outlines nine new skills, grouped into Three Pillars of Transformation essential for professionals and leaders: cognitive, behavioral, and emotional.Why asking better questions matters more than producing answers, and how prompting extends beyond AI inputs into everyday leadership and decision making.Andrea shares how L’Oréal’s reverse mentoring program shifted the C-Suite’s perspective on emerging digital trends, demonstrating why understanding the Gen Z consumer requires direct immersion over passive presentations.What the rise of autonomous AI agents means for responsibility, goal setting, and collaboration, and why agency remains a human obligation even as systems gain autonomy.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Andrea on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn how investors decide what to fund in gen AI and what most entrepreneurs get wrong

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    375: How AI Is Changing Healthtech Investing, According to Define Ventures’ Lynne Chou O’Keefe

    Send us Fan MailLynne Chou O’Keefe is the Founder and Managing Partner of Define Ventures, one of the largest early-stage health tech investment firms, with $800 million in assets under management.With deep experience across digital health, venture capital, and frontline healthcare systems, Lynne brings a clear-eyed view of why the industry is changing now and where AI can make a meaningful difference. She is widely recognized for her work backing companies that rethink access, outcomes, and patient experience, and is a trusted voice on how technology, ethics, and human judgment must come together to move healthcare forward.In this conversation, we discuss:Why healthcare still runs on fragmented systems and what that means for where AI can truly move the needle.How the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care changes incentives and pushes the system toward prevention over volume.Why patients now expect healthcare to work like transportation or food delivery, and how that expectation reshapes care delivery.The three phases of AI in healthcare, from administrative efficiency to clinical workflow support and, eventually, clinical decision-making.Where the ethical boundary sits today between AI-assisted care and AI-led decisions, especially when access to care is limited.Why the future of healthcare is hybrid by design, with AI augmenting clinicians rather than replacing human judgment.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Lynn on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn how AI is fixing the biggest problem faced by doctors.

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    374: Dave Kellogg Unpacks the 2026 Predictions on SaaS, AI, and Trust

    Send us Fan MailDave Kellogg is a leading voice in enterprise software, SaaS metrics and go-to-market strategy. A four-time guest on AI and the Future of Work, Dave brings decades of hands-on experience inside SaaS companies to challenge how leaders think about growth, metrics, and execution. He is an Executive-in-Residence at Balderton Capital and the author of Kellblog. His perspective is shaped by years spent leading and advising software businesses from early stages through scale.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Dave argues that we are increasingly working for the algorithm, not the other way around, and how that shift shows up in SEO, productivity, and workplace behavior.Why SaaS is not dying but is under real pressure, and how claims that companies can easily replace systems like Salesforce or Workday misunderstand how enterprise software actually works.How AI changes jobs by pushing work up the value chain rather than simply eliminating roles, and why history suggests societies adapt faster than we expect.Why trust becomes more valuable as AI floods the world with low-quality content, and how brands, creators, and leaders must earn credibility in an era of front-run information.What the move from the Rule of 40 to the Rule of 60 signals about today’s market, and why many mid-scale SaaS companies now face uncomfortable strategic choices.How venture capital is becoming more financialized, what that means for founders, and why AI may accelerate the shift toward larger funds, bigger bets, and fewer safety nets.Episode Chapters00:00 Why Dave Kellogg’s Annual SaaS Predictions Matter More Every Year03:53 Working for the Algorithm, Not the Other Way Around06:10 “Death of SaaS”: Why Enterprise Software Isn’t Going Away08:56 Why Enterprise Software Is Built to Last11:51 AI and Jobs: Why Work Disappears Differently Than We Expect16:31 The New Jobs AI Creates and Why Humans Stay Essential at Work19:22 Why Trust Becomes the Most Valuable Currency in an AI-Driven World24:23 Why AI Forces Us to Rethink Trust, Media, and Credibility27:57 Why the Rule of 60 Is Replacing the Rule of 40 for Startups in 202633:44 How Venture Capital Is Becoming a Financial Services Business41:47 Why Silicon Valley’s New Willingness to Take Political Positions Surprised Many Founders45:57 What the Grateful Dead Can Teach Us About Business, Creativity, and LegacyResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Dave Kellogg on LinkedInKellblog Predictions for 2026AI fun fact articleOn How AI is Making Networks SmartPrevious episodes in AI & The Future of Work featuring Dave:[2025] 324: 2025 predictions with Dave Kellogg: The Future of AI, SaaS, and Business[2024] Dave Kellogg, SaaS whisperer and EIR at Balderton Capital, predicts the future of AI, Silicon Valley, and venture capital[2023] Special episode: Dave Kellogg, serial CEO, investor, and SaaS pioneer, shares his (provocative) tech predictions for 2023

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    373: From Credentials to Curiosity: Why Learning Paths Matter More Than Career Paths, with Columbia Professor Lynn Thoman

    Send us Fan MailLynn Thoman is a professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the founder of 3 Takeaways, a top 1% global podcast known for distilling big ideas from influential leaders shaping policy, business, and society. Drawing on experience across corporate strategy, public sector advisory work, and board service at institutions such as the Brookings Institution and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Lynn brings a cross-sector lens to how AI is reshaping decision-making, learning, and human potential.In this conversation, we discuss:Why AI is best understood as an amplifier of human capability, especially in leadership, where judgment and choices matter more than technology.How the real upside of AI is giving people more space for imagination, empathy, and meaningful human connection.How to prepare students and professionals for an AI-shaped job market by prioritizing learning paths, adaptability, and relationships over fixed career tracks.Why the biggest risks of AI come from small, hard-to-detect changes in data or models that can create serious downstream harm.How AI is pushing education, work, and leadership back toward core human skills like judgment, curiosity, and imagination.Where cautious optimism comes from, including AI’s potential to expand access to knowledge, healthcare, and opportunity when used with care.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Lynn on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How genAI studios launch AI-first companiesOther podcast episodes mentioned on the show:On reinventing the academic curriculum for MBAs with Dave Marchick, Dean of the Kogod School of BusinessFrom 3 Takeaways:The Genetic Revolution Has Begun - George Church on What Comes NextThe Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business: Setting the Table with Union Square Hospitality Group Founder & CEO Danny Meyer

  21. 324

    AI and Education: How Artificial Intelligence Is Transforming Learning (International Day of Education Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailEvery January 24, the world celebrates the International Day of Education, a reminder that learning remains one of the most powerful drivers of opportunity, mobility, and social progress.In this special compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work, we revisit conversations with education leaders, university deans, and workforce innovators exploring how AI is transforming learning, access, credentials, and lifelong education.From academic integrity and digital classrooms to reskilling and future-ready education models, this episode highlights one essential truth: technology can accelerate learning, but education must remain human-centered.Featuring insights from:Chris Caren (CEO, Turnitin) - Listen to the full conversation here: https://aiandthefutureofwork.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15780222 Marni Baker Stein (Chief Content Officer, Coursera) - Listen to the full conversation here: https://aiandthefutureofwork.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17359747 Dave Treat (Chief Technology Officer, Pearson) - Listen to the full conversation here: https://aiandthefutureofwork.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17557154 Dave Marchick (Dean, Kogod School of Business, American University) - Listen to the full conversation here: https://aiandthefutureofwork.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17119724 Gary Bolles (Chair for the Future of Work, Singularity University) - Listen to the full conversation here: https://aiandthefutureofwork.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/9236086 What You’ll Learn:How AI is reshaping education and digital learning modelsWhy academic integrity matters more than ever in the age of generative AIHow universities and platforms expand access to global educationWhy lifelong learning and reskilling are becoming essential career skillsHow educators prepare students for future work and leadershipWhich human skills remain critical in an AI-driven economyInspired by something you heard?Share this episode with someone passionate about education and the future of learning. And don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of work.Other special episodes: Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Artificial General Intelligence: Can Machines Really Think Like Us? (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)AI and the Law: How AI Will Change Legal Careers (Special Episode)AI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)365: What We’ve Learned from 364 Expert Conversations (Special Episode)

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    372: From CRM Data to Revenue AI: How Sales Is Being Rebuilt with Gong Co-Founder and CEO Amit Bendov

    Send us Fan MailAmit Bendov is the co-founder and CEO of Gong, the revenue AI platform he started in 2015 after realizing that traditional CRM systems tracked outcomes but failed to explain why deals were won or lost. That insight led him to focus on customer conversations as the missing source of truth in sales. Since its founding, Gong has raised more than $580 million and reached a valuation of $7.25 billion. Today, Gong helps sales teams reduce manual work, improve performance, and better understand what customers are actually saying.In this conversation, we discuss:Why traditional CRM systems track what happened but fail to explain why deals are won or lost, and how that gap led to the rise of Revenue AI as a new category.How Gong’s Revenue AI differs from CRM by analyzing sales conversations, reducing manual admin work, and actively helping sellers prepare, follow up, and improve performance in real time.The emotional cost of sales work, and how using AI to remove administrative burden improves both sales results and seller job satisfaction.What it takes to build trust in AI tools that analyze customer conversations, including data stewardship, transparency, and delivering clear value to sellers.How an AI-first product vision can exist years before the technology is ready, and what it means to design systems for autonomy rather than simple automation.The reality behind “overnight success,” including early product-market fit tests, paid pilots that felt risky, and navigating growth slowdowns without abandoning the original vision.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Amit on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI Is Changing Finance: Data Challenges, Collaboration, and Future Trends with Mike SchusterOther episode mentioned in the show:On AI Design Philosophy and Building the Anti-PowerPoint with Grant Lee, CEO of Gamma 

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    371: From Generic Training to AI-Personalized Learning at Work with Kimberly Williams, Absorb Software CEO

    Send us Fan MailKimberly Williams is CEO of Absorb Software, where she helps over 3,000 organizations deliver smarter learning experiences to 34 million employees. She brings decades of leadership in enterprise tech and now sits at the center of how AI is changing the way people grow at work. In this episode, Kimberly shares how learning becomes more powerful when it’s personalized, embedded in daily workflows, and led by curious teams who treat culture as a competitive advantage.In this conversation, we discuss:How AI is shifting corporate learning from generic training programs to personalized, in-the-flow development tailored to each employee’s needs.Why in-context learning matters more than traditional courses, and how AI coaching inside tools like Slack, Salesforce, or ServiceNow changes how people actually learn at work.What it means to turn L&D teams into AI model trainers who encode company culture, values, and knowledge into coaching experiences.How Absorb Software tracks AI usage across teams and uses dashboards and leaderboards to drive internal adoption.The role of outcome data in modern learning systems, and how tying learning directly to performance metrics changes what training gets delivered.The advice Kimberly gives early-career talent, especially women, about finding roles where their contributions are measurable and their growth is supported by culture, not just credentials.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Kimberly on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn how Robert Plotkin addresses LLM regulation and legal advice for entrepreneursOther episodes mentioned on the show:AI as a Liberating Technology: Josh Bersin on Turning Routine Tasks into Superworkers Driving Trust, Creativity, and GrowthDr. John Boudreau, future of work pioneer and former Cornell professor, discusses the new definition of work

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    370: AI Can Build the Company. Only Humans Can Build the Bond | BARK Co-Founder Henrik Werdelin

    Send us Fan MailHenrik Werdelin is a founder and investor who has spent more than a decade building companies at the intersection of culture, technology, and consumer behavior. He co-founded BARK, the public company that redefined how millions of dog parents connect with their pets, and Prehype, the startup studio behind brands like Ro and Audos.In this episode, Henrik explores how founders can embrace AI without losing human connection, drawing from his experience as co-host of Beyond the Prompt and co-author of Me, My Customer and AI.Recognized by Fast Company and Business Insider for his creative impact, Henrik shares a practical perspective on building companies that scale while staying deeply human.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Henrik believes founders must stay close to users and how AI can deepen (not dilute) human connection.What “building companies at the edge of culture” means and why authenticity beats scale when designing for trust.How Henrik and his team use AI to speed up product development without compromising on creativity or purpose.The shift from storytelling to “storylistening” and how paying attention to customer behavior shapes better products.What the best founders get wrong about generative AI and why Henrik advocates for a more mindful approach to adoption.How roles inside companies are evolving in response to AI and what leaders can do to support creative experimentation.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Henrik on LinkedInAI fun fact articleHow to Use Generative AI to Get Ahead In Your Career

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    369: Why Trust Is the Currency of Work in the Age of AI with Cisco CPO Kelly Jones

    Send us Fan MailKelly Jones is Chief People Officer at Cisco, where she leads the people strategy for more than 84,000 employees worldwide. Over nearly two decades, she has helped make Cisco a global benchmark for workplace culture. In this episode, Kelly explains why trust is the foundation of every AI strategy, how Cisco is equipping managers for an era of augmented work, and what it takes to lead responsibly when the pace of change is this fast.In this conversation, we discuss:Why trust is Cisco’s most valuable workplace currency and how it shapes decisions about AI, culture, and leadership.How AI becomes a co-pilot when employees are given the safety, training, and time to explore new tools at their own pace.What “super leadership” looks like and the four traits Cisco’s CPO believes will define successful managers in an AI-augmented workplace.How Cisco evaluates AI use cases based on disruption, scale, and their potential to enhance the employee experience.Why the real opportunity of AI lies in automating administrative work to give humans more time for purpose, creativity, and connection.The systems Cisco is building to ensure responsible AI use through governance, upskilling, and clear ethical boundaries.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Kelly Jones on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Use Generative AI to Get Ahead In Your CareerOther episode mentioned in the show: AI as a Liberating Technology: Josh Bersin on Turning Routine Tasks into Superworkers Driving Trust, Creativity, and Growth

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    368: Match Humans, Not Keywords: Inside Jobright’s AI Talent Matching with Serial Entrepreneur Eric Cheng

    Send us Fan MailEric Cheng is co-founder and CEO of Jobright, the AI career copilot serving more than 550,000 users. After building core backend systems at Box and scaling Fangcloud to acquisition, he turned his focus to fixing what’s broken in hiring. His perspective blends engineering depth with a human-centered approach to matching talent and opportunity.In this conversation we discussed:Why Eric created Jobright after interviewing 150 young professionals and discovering a gap in personalized job search support.How Jobright reframes hiring as a “matching” problem and uses AI to function more like a career coach than a job board.The limitations of keyword-based search tools and how AI enables more nuanced, human-like job matching.Why building trust matters in AI-powered hiring platforms and how Jobright balances efficiency with authenticity and accuracy.What the “learning loop” means for job seekers and why Eric believes the mindset shift matters more than the résumé.How emerging roles like AI operations and forward deployment engineers reflect deeper changes in how organizations adopt and manage AI.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Eric Cheng on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to raise over $200 million to detect audio deepfakes

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    367: Inside the Tech Humanist Playbook: Kate O’Neill on AI, Purpose, and Meaningful Work

    Send us Fan MailKate O’Neill is a leading voice on AI and tech humanism, known for helping organizations build more meaningful, human-centered futures. She has been featured by outlets like BBC, NPR, and NBC, and serves on the United Nations AI advisory board. A CX Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning entrepreneur, Kate brings a unique blend of optimism and realism to conversations about AI, data, and the future of work. Her latest book, What Matters Next, explores how to make human-friendly tech decisions.In this conversation we discussed:How tech humanism explains the relationship between people, technology, and business, and how leaders can design AI systems that strengthen the alignmentWhy humans project intelligence and agency onto AI tools, and what it takes to build healthy, intentional habits around emerging technologiesPractical ways workers can use AI to elevate their roles rather than fear automationThe role of leadership in creating psychologically safe environments where employees can openly experiment with AI toolsThe risk of designing systems that lead to “automated bureaucracy,” and how organizations can embed meaning into automated experiences at scaleWhy meaning and purpose remain uniquely human, and how future workplaces can evolve by pairing human judgment with increasingly capable AI systemsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Kate on LinkedIn or at KO InsightsAI fun fact articleOn How Unleashing Human Potential with AI

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    366: Inside the Age of Inference: Sid Sheth, CEO and Co-Founder of d-Matrix, on Smaller Models, AI Chips, and the Future of Compute

    Send us Fan MailSid Sheth is the CEO and co-founder of d-Matrix, the AI chip company making inference efficient and scalable for datacenters. Backed by Microsoft and with $160M raised, Sid shares why rethinking infrastructure is critical to AI’s future and how a decade in semiconductors prepared him for this moment.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Sid believes AI inference is the biggest computing opportunity of our lifetime and how it will drive the next productivity boomThe real reason smaller, more efficient models are unlocking the era of inference and what that means for AI adoption at scaleWhy cost, time, and energy are the core constraints of inference, and how D-Matrix is building for performance without compromiseHow the rise of reasoning models and agentic AI shifts demand from generic tasks to abstract problem-solvingThe workforce challenge no one talks about: why talent shortages, not tech limitations, may slow down the AI revolutionHow Sid’s background in semiconductors prepared him to recognize the platform shift toward AI and take the leap into building D-MatrixResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Sid on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How Mastering Skills To Stay Relevant In the Age of AI

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    365: AI and the Future of Work: What We’ve Learned from 364 Expert Conversations (Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this special episode of AI and the Future of Work, host Dan Turchin looks back on what 365 conversations have revealed about how AI is reshaping the way we work.What themes have emerged most consistently? Which ideas connect founders, researchers, and operators across industries? And what have these discussions taught us about the evolving relationship between humans and intelligent systems?Featuring Guests:Mark McCrindle, Founder and Principal at McCrindle  - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13014260 Pradeep Menon, CTO at Microsoft - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13034974 Dave Kellogg, EIR at Balderton Capital - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16665133 Alex Buder Shapiro, Chief People Officer at Jasper AI - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17522593 Gary F. Bengier, Writer, philosopher, and technologist - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/12934217 Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO at The Josh Bersin Company - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17863187 Bryan Power, Head of People at Nextdoor - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16837259 Dave Treat, Chief Technology Officer at Pearson - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17557154 💡 What You Will LearnWhy the future of work remains human-centered How AI amplifies human capability rather than replacing itWhy trust and transparency define successful AI-driven teamsHow workplace culture is evolving as organizations adopt AIWhy meaning, empathy, and lifelong learning matter more than ever💬 Inspired by this episode?Share your favorite insight on social media and tag us (https://www.instagram.com/aifutureofwork/) And remember to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of AI and work.Other special episodes:Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Artificial General Intelligence: Can Machines Really Think Like Us? (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)AI and the Law: How AI Will Change Legal Careers (Special Episode)AI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)

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    364: Inside the AI Infrastructure Race: TensorWave CEO Darrick Horton on Power, GPUs and AMD vs NVIDIA.

    Send us Fan MailDarrick Horton is the CEO and co-founder of TensorWave, the company making waves in AI infrastructure by building high-performance compute on AMD chips. In 2023, he and his team took the unconventional path of bypassing Nvidia, a bold bet that has since paid off with nearly $150 million raised from Magnetar, AMD Ventures, Prosperity7, and others. TensorWave is now operating a dedicated training cluster of around 8,000 AMD Instinct MI325X GPUs and has already hit a $100 million revenue run rate. Darrick is a serial entrepreneur with a track record of building infrastructure companies. Before TensorWave, he co-founded VMAccel, sold Lets Rolo to LifeKey, and co-founded the crypto mining company VaultMiner. He began his career as a mechanical engineer and plasma physicist at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, where he worked on nuclear fusion energy. While he studied physics and mechanical engineering at Andrews University, he left early to pursue entrepreneurship and hasn’t looked back since.In this conversation we discussed:Why Darrick chose AMD over Nvidia to build TensorWave’s AI infrastructure, and how that decision created a competitive advantage in a GPU-constrained marketWhat makes training clusters more versatile than inference clusters, and why TensorWave focused on the former to meet broader customer needsHow Neocloud providers like TensorWave can move faster and innovate more effectively than legacy hyperscalers in deploying next-generation AI infrastructureWhy power, not GPUs, is becoming the biggest constraint in scaling AI workloads, and how data center architecture must evolve to address itWhy Darrick predicts AI architectures will continue to evolve beyond transformers, creating constant shifts in compute demandHow massive increases in model complexity are accelerating the need for green energy, tighter feedback loops, and seamless integration of compute into AI workflowsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Darrick on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How the new definition of work

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    363: Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel on AI’s Real Constraints, Skill Gaps, and the New Rules of Work

    Send us Fan MailJeetu Patel is President and Chief Product Officer at Cisco. He previously served there as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Security and Collaboration.He joined Cisco in 2020 after serving as Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Box, where he played a key role in expanding the company into a multi-product platform used by more than 100,000 customers. He currently sits on the board of real estate services company JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) and holds a B.S. in Information Decision Sciences from the University of Illinois.In this conversation, we discuss:How Cisco is becoming an AI-first company and why fully embracing AI is now a requirement, not a choiceHow AI will reshape every job, and which human skills will matter most in the decade aheadThe real constraints slowing enterprise AI adoption: power, trust, and dataThe infrastructure, security, and data gaps limiting AI’s potential, and how Cisco is closing themWhy skill gaps are growing, and what workers can do to stay relevant as AI changes the workplaceHow Cisco approaches new markets, strategic focus, and building products people love at global scaleResourcesSubscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jeetu on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How AI helps serve 70 million meals every dayPast guests mentioned on this show:Box´s CTO Ben Kus on Responsible AI Use, Innovation Culture, and Future AI TrendsBox’s Global CIO Ravi Malick on Why Every Problem Doesn't Need an AppCisco´s Former CEO on the Future of AI-Driven Work and Investing in PeopleReign

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    AI and the Law: How AI Will Change Legal Careers (Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this special episode of AI and the Future of Work, host Dan Turchin examines one of the most urgent questions in technology today: how artificial intelligence is reshaping the law.Who owns AI created work? Who is accountable when automated decisions cause harm? And how should legal professionals prepare for a world where AI influences every part of the practice?This compilation episode revisits insights from five leaders who are redefining how the legal system approaches ownership, risk, compliance, and the future of legal work.Featuring GuestsRobert Plotkin,Co-founder, Blueshift IP - Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13061560 Jim McKenna, CIO, Fenwick & West - Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13373166 Scott Stevenson, Co-founder & CEO, Spellbook - Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17211693 Rafie Faruq, Founder & CEO, Genie AI - Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/16949168 Tamara Steffens, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters - Full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15250057 💡 What You Will Learn • How AI is changing ownership, IP rights, and data confidentiality • Why law firms need strong governance to innovate safely • How legal AI tools reduce risk with verification and citations • How AI will reshape early legal careers and firm operations💬 Inspired by this episode?Share your favorite insight on social media and tag us.And don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of AI and work.Other special episodes:Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Artificial General Intelligence: Can Machines Really Think Like Us? (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)The Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & TrustAI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)

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    362: How AI Is Transforming Chip Design and Solving the Engineering Shortage with Faraj Aalaei, Cognichip CEO

    Send us Fan MailFaraj Aalaei is the Founder and CEO of Cognichip, an AI company building the world’s first Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI) platform to design semiconductors using AI. He brings four decades of experience in communications and networking, having led two companies (Centillium and Aquantia)through IPOs. Aquantia was later acquired by Marvell, where he also held an executive role. Prior to that, Faraj was Co-Founder and CEO of Centillium, which went public on NASDAQ just three years after its founding, the fastest IPO ever for a semiconductor company. He holds an honorary Doctor of Engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he also earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, along with an MSEE from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire.In this conversation we discussed:Why chip development cycles are trailing AI applications by years and how that disconnect leads to inefficient infrastructure and higher energy costsHow AI could help democratize chip design by enabling smaller teams outside traditional hubs to build customized, application-specific hardwareWhat Faraj sees as the real barrier to innovation: the time and cost of chip development, and how Cognichip is reducing both through compute-led designHow AI can augment, not replace, engineers by offering transparent, explainable design suggestions while keeping humans in the loopThe coming talent shortage in semiconductor engineering and how AI might close the skills gap and unlock new opportunities for nontraditional buildersWhy every major technological shift creates more opportunity than it destroys, and how Faraj sees AI enabling people to work on more meaningful problemsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Faraj on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Drive Compelling Narratives in Youtube Videos.

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    361: Can AI Be a True Creative Partner? Grant Lee, CEO of Gamma, on AI Design Philosophy and Building the Anti-PowerPoint

    Send us Fan MailGrant Lee is the CEO and co-founder of Gamma, the company reimagining presentations by building what some call the “anti-PowerPoint.” Since its launch in 2022, Gamma has grown to over 70 million users, with 30 million gammas created each month, and has reached $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). These milestones were achieved profitably, with a team of just 50 people (that’s about $2 million in ARR per employee) and a Series B round at a $2.1 billion valuation, led by Sarah Wang at Andreessen Horowitz.Before founding Gamma in 2020, Grant led finance at Optimizely, where he developed a passion for A/B testing. He began his career in investment banking and holds a BS in Biomechanical Engineering and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.In this conversation, we discuss:How Gamma went from an idea to one of the fastest-growing presentation tools in the world with $100M ARR and a 50-person teamWhy Grant and his co-founders set out to reinvent slides from scratch instead of improving on PowerPointLessons from Optimizely that shaped Gamma’s culture of experimentation and rapid iterationHow Grant thinks about product-market fit and why every feature must solve real user pain instead of mimicking the competitionHow AI serves as a design partner, not a replacement for human creativity, and why “human in the loop” is central to Gamma’s philosophyThe importance of building user trust in generative AI through transparency, feedback loops, and community programs like the “Gambassador” initiativeHow resilience, early failures, and conviction helped Gamma survive investor rejection and a near-collapse during the SVB crisisResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Grant on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Revolutionize Finance and Financial Decision Making using AI.

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    360: From Automation to Accountability: AI Governance, Hybrid Workforce Security, and Trust with Dennis Kozak, Ivanti CEO

    Send us Fan MailDennis Kozak is the CEO of Ivanti, a leading enterprise IT and security company generating over $1 billion in annual revenue and serving more than 40,000 customers. He previously served as Ivanti’s COO after holding senior leadership roles at Avaya. Earlier in his career, Dennis spent nearly 23 years at CA Software (now Broadcom), where he led global partnership sales and services teams. He holds a BS in Accounting from St. Joseph’s University in Long Island.In this conversation, we discuss:Dennis’s leadership journey from CA Technologies and Avaya to becoming CEO of Ivanti, and what prepared him to lead a billion-dollar IT security companyWhy convergence between cybersecurity and IT operations is accelerating, and how Ivanti is positioning itself at the center of that shiftThe impact of generative AI on IT support, including how Ivanti is building AI agents to handle routine tickets and empower human techniciansHow organizations can reduce cyber risk by closing visibility gaps and simplifying their tech stackThe challenges of securing distributed workforces in a hybrid world, and why automation is critical to stay ahead of threatsWhy Dennis believes the future of enterprise IT is about blending user experience with security, not choosing between themResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Dennis on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Reimagine Fan Experiences and Digital Transformation.

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    359: Why AI-Efficient Startups Are Forcing Venture Capital to Evolve with Jim Curry, CEO of BuildGroup

    Send us Fan MailJim Curry is the co-founder and CEO of BuildGroup, a venture firm based in Austin that has raised $330 million since its founding in 2015 and backed companies like Anaconda, Vidmob, DigniFi, and Benefitfocus. He brings more than two decades of experience in product, strategy, and corporate development from roles at Rackspace and Dell, and he co-founded OpenStack, one of the most widely used open source cloud computing platforms. Jim serves on the boards of Generation Serve and the University of Texas School of Undergraduate Studies. He holds degrees from UT Austin and Harvard Business School.In this conversation, we discuss:Jim’s journey from Rackspace to launching BuildGroup and why he believes in “longer, slower capital” to support mission-driven foundersHow his experience co-founding OpenStack shaped his thinking on community-driven innovation and open-source softwareWhat AI startups can learn from the cloud era—and why infrastructure still matters in the age of foundation modelsWhy Jim believes VCs often push startups to scale too fast and what sustainable growth looks like in practiceThe impact of AI on venture capital and how BuildGroup thinks about investing in software companies that solve real problemsHow founders can balance product vision with pragmatism, especially when building in volatile marketsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jim on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Develop NLP and AI Data Harvesting Using Games and Blockchains To Earn NFTs

  37. 308

    Artificial General Intelligence: Can Machines Really Think Like Us? (Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this special episode of AI and the Future of Work, host Dan Turchin explores one of the most ambitious and debated frontiers in technology: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).What is AGI? How close are we to creating machines that truly think, reason, and learn like humans? And what will that mean for the future of work, creativity, and ethics?This compilation episode revisits insights from three leading thinkers who have spent years defining, debating, and developing the next generation of intelligent systems.Featuring Guests🔹 Peter Voss, CEO & Chief Scientist, Aigo.ai 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15366873 🔹 Babak Hodjat, CTO of AI, Cognizant 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14689727 🔹 Pankaj Kedia, Founder, 2468 Ventures 🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15662279 ✅ What You’ll LearnWhat truly defines Artificial General Intelligence and how it differs from narrow AIWhy scaling large models isn’t enough to achieve real cognitionHow cognitive and embodied AI could bridge the gap to human-like understandingWhy AGI may usher in a new “age of abundance” where work, creativity, and purpose are redefined💬 Inspired by this episode?Share your favorite insight on social media and tag us.And don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of AI and work.Other special episodes:Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)The Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & TrustAI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Empowering the Next Generation: Career, Leadership & Resilience Insights (International Youth Day Special Episode)Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)

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    358: Inside Mastercard’s AI Adoption Journey: CTO George Maddaloni on Building Trust, Detecting Fraud, and the Future of Payments

    Send us Fan MailGeorge Maddaloni is the EVP and CTO for Operations at Mastercard, where he leads the performance and modernization of technology platforms serving more than 35,000 employees worldwide. He has previously held senior IT leadership roles at AIG, UBS, AT&T, GM, and Merrill Lynch, and currently serves on the board of SustainableIT.org. George earned his BS in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Fordham University.In this conversation, we discuss:How Mastercard’s CTO thinks about the balance between innovation, trust, and regulation in one of the world’s most complex financial networks.The strategy behind modernizing Mastercard’s internal technology platforms to empower 35,000 global employees.Why a decade of AI experience changed how Mastercard approaches fraud, data, and customer confidence.The cultural shift that turned curiosity about AI into measurable progress across a global workforce.How a 50-year-old payments company keeps competing with startups by rethinking infrastructure from the ground up.George Maddaloni’s vision of the next era of payments and how technology might make transactions faster, safer, and nearly invisible.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with George on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Create an Energy-Based Work System that Empowers EmployeesOther resources mentioned in this conversation: On decentralized AI in Banks and the Future of Finance with Paolo Ardoino, Tether CEO 

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    357: Emotional Team Intelligence Over Star Power: Behavioral Scientist Jon Levy on Culture, AI, and Leadership

    Send us Fan MailJon Levy is a behavioral scientist and New York Times bestselling author known for exploring trust, human connection, belonging, and influence. He’s the founder of The Influencers Dinner, a secret dining experience that has grown into a community of thousands of leaders, including Nobel laureates, Olympians, celebrities, executives, artists, and musicians. His book You’re Invited: The Art and Science of Connection, Trust, and Belonging was named a Wall Street Journal “Book of the Month” in 2021. He’s also the author of The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure and the newly released Team Intelligence: How Brilliant Leaders Unlock Collective Genius.In this conversation, we discuss:Why the smartest teams often fail, and how trust, belonging, and psychological safety drive collective intelligenceThe surprising data behind team performance, including why individual IQ doesn’t predict group successWhat makes a team “brilliant,” and how leaders can design environments that unlock group flow and faster decision-makingHow AI changes team dynamics and why it's urgent to redefine collaboration in a hybrid, tech-driven worldThe four principles of Team Intelligence and how they apply to both startups and global enterprisesJon’s personal journey from hosting secret dinners to writing Team Intelligence, and why he believes social bonds are the future of workResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterLearn more of Jon on LinkedInExplore Jon’s published work and speaking eventsAI fun fact articleOn How gen AI startups can beat Big Tech incumbents 

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    356: Can HR Build Trust in an Age of AI Uncertainty? With Tracy Layney, Former CHRO of Levi’s, Gap, and Shutterfly

    Send us Fan MailTracy Layney is a seasoned HR leader with more than 15 years of experience shaping people and culture strategies at Levi’s, Gap, and Shutterfly. She currently teaches Human Capital Strategy as an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Tracy holds a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania.In this conversation, we discuss:Tracy shares her unconventional path from English major and aspiring lawyer to CHRO at Levi’s, Gap, and Shutterfly, and how consulting shaped her approach to organizational strategy.She reflects on lessons from working with iconic leaders like Eva Sage Gavin and Chip Bergh, including leading Levi’s through the early days of the pandemic.She explains why excellence and heart-centered leadership must coexist to build values-driven, high-performing cultures.She explores how AI and other disruptive forces are reshaping HR, from talent strategy to employee expectations, and why adaptability is critical for leaders.She discusses the importance of transparency and trust-building between HR and employees during times of uncertainty, drawing parallels with past crises.She shares her perspective as a professor on how future HR leaders are navigating unprecedented change, mental health challenges, and the rapid rise of AI in the workplace.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Tracy on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Democratize Content Creation using AI 

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    355: Can AI Transform Proposal Writing, Bidding, and RFPs? Sean Williams on AutogenAI’s $40M Journey.

    Send us Fan MailSean Williams is the CEO and founder of AutogenAI, the world’s leading AI proposal-writing engine, launched in May 2022. Under his leadership, the company recently closed a nearly $40 million Series B round led by Salesforce Ventures. Prior to AutogenAI, Sean founded Corndel Ltd, where he served as Chief Executive and scaled the business to 350 employees before its $60 million acquisition by THI Holdings in 2020.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Sean believes AI will revolutionize how organizations write, win, and deliver proposalsHow AutogenAI is reducing proposal writing time from days to hours for companies bidding on complex contractsThe ethical considerations of AI-written proposals and why transparency is critical in high-stakes industriesWhat Sean learned from scaling Corndel to 350 employees and how that experience shaped AutogenAI's go-to-market strategyWhy the biggest risk for organizations isn’t adopting AI too quickly, but failing to experiment earlyHow AutogenAI is building trust with enterprise clients through customization, compliance, and human-in-the-loop designResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Sean on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Prevent Bias and Be Responsible for Ethical Decision Making

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    354: AI as a Liberating Technology: Josh Bersin on Turning Routine Tasks into Superworkers Driving Trust, Creativity, and Growth

    Send us Fan MailJosh Bersin is one of the most respected voices in HR and HRTech, known for shaping how organizations think about talent, learning, and the future of work. He began covering the space in 2001 and later sold his firm, Bersin & Associates, to Deloitte in 2012. Today, he leads The Josh Bersin Company, which produces influential research, publishes widely on workplace trends, and hosts the annual Irresistible conference. He’s also the author of Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations and the host of a podcast that explores the evolving world of work with clarity and insight.In this conversation, we discuss:Why fears of AI-driven job loss are overstated and how automation can unlock new opportunities for growth.The rise of “superworkers” who use AI to eliminate routine tasks and focus on creativity, innovation, and more meaningful contributions.How companies are rethinking organizational design, roles, and skills in response to rapid advances in AI.Real-world examples of AI adoption in banking, insurance, and airlines—and what leaders can learn from them.The concept of “supermanagers” and why human leadership and soft skills remain critical in an AI-powered workplace.Josh’s perspective on what it means to be an “irresistible organization” in a time of massive technological and cultural change.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Josh on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Invest on AI Driven WorkPast Episode with Josh [Season 3, #278]: On How the Best-Performing Teams use AI

  43. 302

    Lessons from Leaders: How AI Is Redefining Work and the Human Experience (Labor Day Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailIn this Labor Day Special Episode of AI and the Future of Work, host Dan Turchin sits down with three leaders for an open conversation about how AI is reshaping the workplace.They discuss both opportunities and challenges. The focus is on building organizations where technology amplifies human potential rather than replacing it.From rethinking the employee experience to redefining leadership in the AI era, the panel explores themes of empathy, trust, and the evolving social contract between employers and employees. Together, they share what it means to lead responsibly at a moment when the future of work is being rewritten in real time.Featuring Guests:🔹 Armen Berjikly (Venture Partner, Emerson Collective) – Listen to a previous conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15520806  🔹 Alex Buder Shapiro (Chief People Officer, Jasper) – Listen to a previous conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17522593  🔹 Anthony Moisant (CIO & Chief Security Officer, Indeed) – Listen to a previous conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/17751365 ✅ What You’ll LearnHow to create a culture of experimentation that builds empathy during times of changeWhy leaders must balance speed of adoption with responsibility and trustThe evolving social contract between employees and employers in the AI eraWhat responsible AI policies look like in practice, and how to communicate uncertainty with honestyWhy the human experience must remain central as AI transforms the future of workWatch the video version of this episode here: https://youtu.be/zJa8ASZVFYk 💬 Inspired by this episode? Share your favorite insight on social and tag us. And don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of work.Other special episodes:Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)The Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & TrustAI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)Empowering the Next Generation: Career, Leadership & Resilience Insights (International Youth Day Special Episode)Data Privacy Day Special Episode: AI, Deepfakes & The Future of Trust

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    353: Can AI Bring Back the Human Side of CRM? Jody Glidden, CEO of Postilize, on Nurturing Relationships

    Send us Fan MailJody Glidden is the CEO and founder of Postilize, a company focused on reinventing CRM through AI. Before launching Postilize, he co-founded Introhive and served as CEO until 2022, helping raise over $100 million to build the enterprise relationship management category. A serial entrepreneur, Jody previously founded icGlobal, which was acquired by Smartforce, and played a key role in scaling Chalk Media, later acquired by BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. He holds a BBA from the University of New Brunswick and a Master’s in Information Systems from Harvard.In this conversation, we discuss:Why traditional CRMs fail to reflect how relationships actually evolve—and how Postilize is addressing that gapHow Postilize handles privacy, hallucinations, and human oversight to stay useful without crossing ethical linesJody’s approach to using AI not to replace human connection, but to augment and scale authentic relationship buildingHow relationship intelligence helps sales and go-to-market teams understand who to engage, when, and whyWhy keeping CRMs accurate is nearly impossible without automation and real-time enrichmentWhat Jody learned from building Introhive and why Postilize is taking a radically different approachThe future of CRM as a system of engagement rather than just a system of recordResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jody on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Manage Enterprise Apps That Support Thousands of Employees for a Rapidly Growing Global Company. 

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    352: Can AI Solve the Job Search Problem? Make Hiring Faster and More Human with Anthony Moisant, CIO & CSO at Indeed

    Send us Fan MailAnthony Moisant is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Security Officer (CSO)  at Indeed, the world’s leading job site with over 610 million job seeker profiles. He joined Indeed nearly five years ago after serving in a similar role at sister company Glassdoor for eight years. As CIO, he leads the teams responsible for the internal technology that supports employees and drives the business. As CSO, he oversees the security team focused on protecting the data of job seekers, customers, and employees. Anthony is also a graduate of the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine School.In this conversation, we discuss:Indeed’s goal to cut time-to-hire by 50% by removing friction across systems and workflows.Solving the hiring challenges so every application gets seen and answered, using AI to improve matching and follow-ups.Why skills (not degrees) will define the future of hiring, and how job seekers can prepare for a skill-first economyHow to double team productivity with AI while keeping trust high and addressing fears about automation.A values-driven approach to AI ethics: transparency, fairness testing, red-teaming models, and an “AI constitution” agent.The lessons Anthony brought from the U.S. Navy and how they continue to shape his leadership approach in high-pressure environmentsResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Anthony on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How to Invest and Advise Early Stage Tech Companies

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    351: The End of the Pre-Written Story: Nick Mehta, former Gainsight CEO, on Embracing AI’s Uncertainty

    Send us Fan MailA few days ago, Nick Mehta announced his transition from CEO to Board Director and Special Advisor at Gainsight. As CEO, he spent more than a decade transforming the company into a global leader in customer success, serving over 20,000 customers and surpassing $100 million in ARR. Before Gainsight, he led LiveOffice through its acquisition by Symantec and co-founded Chipshot in the 90s. Nick serves on the boards of F5 and PubMatic and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s degree in Computer Science, both from Harvard. Known for leading with heart, humor, and humility, he’s also the voice behind the blog Mehtaphysical Musings, a rapper, and a YouTube creator with over 50 parody videos.In this conversation, we discuss:How Nick Mehta balances vulnerability and optimism as a leader navigating uncertaintyWhy Gainsight’s values like “childlike joy” matter more in an AI-driven worldWhat happens to identity and purpose in a post-work economy shaped by automationThe growing divide between capital and labor, and why Marxist ideas are resurfacing in the AI eraWhy we shouldn’t assume past tech cycles will repeat and how to question AI's impact on jobsWhat Gainsight’s AI initiative “Atlas” reveals about the rise of agentic tech in customer successResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Nick on LinkedInPast Episode with Nick [Season 5, #298]: On Building A Human-First AI CultureWatch this for a laugh: “I promise that you’ll never find a CEO like Nick”Recommended by Nick:Three-Body Problem by Liu CixinPlayer Piano by Kurt Vonnegut 

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    350: What Comes After AGI? A Vision for a Freedom-Based Economy with Jad Tarifi, Co-Founder of Integral AI

    Send us Fan MailDr. Jad Tarifi is the co-founder of Integral AI, a company he launched in 2021 after holding senior AI roles at Google. He earned his PhD in Computer Science and AI from the University of Florida and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo. A returning guest to the podcast, Jad is a leading thinker on world models in AI and often shares insights on the science of longevity and the future of intelligence.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Jad believes the goal of AGI isn't intelligence but freedom, and how that redefinition reframes both ethics and alignmentThe role of world models in achieving AGI, and why video prediction alone isn't enough for robust, reliable reasoningWhat it means to design AI that can autonomously learn new skills with minimal energy and data, matching or exceeding human learning efficiencyHow Integral AI is building AGI-capable models by focusing on unsupervised abstraction and embodied, open-ended agentsHow Jad defines superintelligence and what it reveals about the evolving relationship between humans and machinesA glimpse into Integral’s long-term roadmap, including recursive superfactories and post-AGI economiesResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Jad on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Pick The Right Business Problem to Solve with AIJad Tarifi’s past episode on how to train AI to reason like humans

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    Empowering the Next Generation: Career, Leadership & Resilience Insights (International Youth Day Special Episode)

    Send us Fan MailTo celebrate International Youth Day (August 12), this special compilation episode of AI and the Future of Work brings together inspiring voices with wisdom for both young people starting out and the leaders, parents, and mentors guiding them.In this episode, we revisit key moments from four remarkable guests who share timeless lessons on navigating change, finding meaning in work, embracing vulnerability, and developing the human-centered skills that will matter most in the future.Featuring Guests:🔹 Bruce Feiler, Bestselling Author - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/14158168 🔹 Linda Rottenberg, Co-Founder & CEO, Endeavor - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/8356582 🔹 Mark McCrindle, Social Researcher & Speaker -  Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/13014260 🔹 William Osman, Tech Creator & YouTuber - Listen to the full conversation: https://www.buzzsprout.com/520474/episodes/15701415-301 💡 What You’ll Learn:Why your work journey will change multiple times—and how to embrace itHow vulnerability can make leaders more relatable and effectiveThe enduring value of human-centered skills in a tech-driven worldWhy experimentation and adaptability are critical for successHow leaders and mentors can help create opportunities for young peopleWhether you’re charting your own course or helping others navigate theirs, these conversations will inspire you to take bold steps toward a meaningful future.—Inspired by something in this episode? Share your favorite insight on social and tag us. And don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of work.Other special compilation episodes: Lessons from Four Unicorn CEOs Disrupting Massive Markets with AI (Special Episode)Ethical AI in Hiring: How to Stay Compliant While Building a Fairer Future of Work (HR Day Special Episode)The Future of AI Ethics Special: Perspectives from Women Leaders in AI on Bias, Accountability & TrustAI and Safety: How Responsible Tech Leaders Build Trustworthy Systems (National Safety Month Special)World Health Day Special: How AI Is Making Healthcare Smarter, Cheaper, and KinderData Privacy Day Special Episode: AI, Deepfakes & The Future of Trust

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    349: Can AI Reinvent Healthcare Admin? Cutting $260B in Waste and Optimizing Revenue Cycles with William Chan, CEO of Iodine Software

    Send us Fan MailWilliam Chan is the co-founder and CEO of Iodine Software, a company he helped launch in 2010 to pioneer the use of AI in helping healthcare providers get paid. A serial entrepreneur, he previously co-founded WhisperWire, acquired by Convergys, and Crimson, acquired by The Advisory Board, and has held product leadership roles at companies including Oracle. William holds a BS in computer science from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.In this conversation, we discuss:The challenges hospitals face in accurately capturing patient care details for proper reimbursement.How AI can address staffing shortages by assisting with clinical documentation review.The importance of responsible AI that supports, rather than replaces, human decision-making in healthcare.Strategies to reduce bias and improve accuracy by training AI models on diverse datasets from different hospital types and geographies.Why AI must deliver clear, actionable insights that clinicians can validate, ensuring trust and accountability in healthcare decisions.William’s vision for reducing the $260 billion in administrative waste and enabling providers to focus more on patient care.Resources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with William on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn How To Revolutionizing Finance and Decision-MakingPast episodes mentioned in this conversation:[With Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO and Co-Founder of Abridge] - On How Generative AI is fixing the Biggest Problem faced by Doctors

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    348: Will Society Evolve Fast Enough? AI Ethics, Quantum Futures, and Rethinking Humanity with Dr. Mark van Rijmenam

    Send us Fan MailDr. Mark van Rijmenam is ranked as the world's best futurists and is known globally for his trademark “Optimistic Dystopian” viewpoint. Recognized by Salesforce as a top voice shaping the future of AI, he’s a sought-after speaker on the relationship between innovation and humanity. He delivered the world’s first TEDx Talk in VR (2020) and introduced a digital twin that speaks 29 languages (2024). Mark holds a PhD in Management from the University of Technology Sydney, where he studied how organizations can use big data, blockchain, and AI. He’s also a six-time author and dedicated endurance athlete.In this conversation, we discuss:Why Dr. Mark van Rijmenam believes we need a paradigm shift to prepare society for the long-term consequences of AI and quantum computingThe critical difference between building technology for shareholders versus stakeholders and how that shapes our futureWhat the “spiral dynamics” framework reveals about humanity’s current worldview and its path toward a more interconnected mindsetHow banning technology for kids under 16 could protect future generations and reshape digital educationThe risks of anthropomorphizing AI and the need to preserve human agency in a world increasingly shaped by machinesWhat inspired Dr. Mark’s sixth book Now What? and how he uses fiction, philosophy, and global cultures to help readers ride the tsunami of changeResources:Subscribe to the AI & The Future of Work NewsletterConnect with Mark on LinkedInAI fun fact articleOn Extending Life With AIExplore more from Dr. Mark van Rijmenam:Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of ChangeFuturwise Platform — The Fastest Path to your Next InsightDr. Mark’s TEDx Talk in VR 

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

🏆 Ranked #3, Best 30 HR Tech Podcasts in the US — Million Podcasts (2026). Host Dan Turchin, PeopleReign CEO, explores how AI is changing the workplace. He interviews thought leaders and technologists from industry and academia who share their experiences and insights about artificial intelligence and what it means to be human in the era of AI-driven automation. Learn more about PeopleReign, the system of intelligence for IT and HR employee service: http://www.peoplereign.io.

HOSTED BY

Dan Turchin

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