Mahesh the Geek

In the final installment of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn joins Mahesh to tackle one of the most complex hurdles in artificial intelligence: building and calibrating human trust. We explore why common transparency tools, like confidence scores, often fail to improve human judgment and how trust is built through repeated, personalized interaction over time. Dr. Rowthorn delves into the "black box" of AI, the ethical necessity for transparency and why designing systems that reward quality and scrutiny over mere speed is critical — especially in high-stakes environments like public safety. Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In the third part of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn joins Mahesh to explore the profound impact of AI on human learning and cognitive development. We dive into the critical distinction between using AI as a "mind replacement" — outsourcing critical thinking and planning — and using it as a "mind extender" that enhances our ability to personalize learning and ask better questions. Dr. Rowthorn shares her personal experience with AI as a mentor-like guide and explains why designing "friction" into AI software might be the key to building better mental models and ensuring humans remain the central drivers of the thinking process. Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In the second part of our series, cognitive psychologist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn returns to move from the foundations of memory into a more specific set of questions: what happens when AI enters the loop of human recall? We explore why AI can be so dangerous when memory is already fragile — examining how plausible errors, confidence and "processing fluency" can make inaccurate information feel trustworthy — and why this is such a sticky problem. We also look at the other side of the equation: whether AI might be designed not to replace human recall, but to support it more carefully — less as an answer machine and more as a tool that helps people surface, test and articulate what they actually remember. Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In this first part of a four-part series, cognitive psychologist and behavioral scientist Dr. Harriet Rowthorn joins the show to discuss the fundamental nature of human memory. Moving away from the common "video recording" analogy, Hattie explains how memory is actually a reconstructive, forward-facing system shaped by attention, emotion and mental frameworks. The conversation explores how these psychological insights are critical for high-stakes environments like the criminal justice system and the design of AI.Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

This episode continues our conversation with Professor Krzysztof Gajos, diving deep into the foundational challenges of integrating AI into high-stakes, mission-critical environments. We move beyond simple performance metrics to examine socio-technical systems—the complex interplay of technology, people, policies and liability that truly shapes outcomes in public safety and other critical fields.Professor Gajos introduces the “Dynamite Problem” analogy to caution against treating powerful AI as a universal solution, arguing that responsible design must start with a deep understanding of the problem and the cognitive work of the people at the heart of a given socio-technical system.The discussion centers on the profound question: what is a decision? We explore the tension between human autonomy and AI advice, highlighting why a collaborative workflow where AI truly supports rather than replaces human judgment is vital for ensuring accountability and for protecting the professional confidence and identity of first responders and other key personnel. Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In the first of a two-part conversation, Mahesh welcomes Professor Krzysztof Gajos, lead of the Intelligent Interactive Systems Group at Harvard, to challenge the common assumption that human + AI is always better than either alone.Professor Gajos takes us deep into the fascinating, messy problem space of human-AI collaboration, revealing these configurations to be inherently fragile and contingent. The discussion dissects how specific design failures—including over-reliance on incorrect advice, increased cognitive load, poorly conceived delegation models and interface design—can undermine decision quality, de-skill users and create perverse incentive structures that ultimately undermine the very goals of the systems themselves.Across this wide-ranging conversation, Professor Gajos’ emphasizes the need for worker-centric AI systems that prioritize human competence, learning and autonomy over clamors for what are all too often superficial efficiency gains. Discover why thoughtful AI design must start with a deep understanding of the cognitive work people actually perform.Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

"Will AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) be achieved faster by humans working with machines? I actually think that is true. And it's almost a mistake to think of machines as operating only by themselves." In this episode, Mahesh speaks with Professor James Landay, a leading expert in human-computer interaction and co-founder of the Human-Centered AI Institute at Stanford. This episode explores the complexities of designing AI systems for high-stakes environments like public safety and enterprise security, a core focus for Motorola Solutions. Professor Landay introduces the principles of human-centered AI, emphasizing its power to augment human capabilities rather than replace them. Discover how “human-AI collaboration can lead to superintelligence faster than AI acting alone.” The conversation also delves into the crucial shift from user-centered design to “community-centered and society-centered design,” acknowledging AI's broader impact beyond the immediate user. Finally, Professor Landay shares invaluable advice for today's developers, underscoring the responsibility of “managing AI's benefits and harms through better design ethics and intentional collaboration,” particularly relevant for those building solutions for the safety and security of communities.Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing.Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

 “A police report isn't merely a record; it can be a memory aid, a legal artifact, a shield or even a performance.”Join us as Mahesh welcomes back Professor Martin Holbraad, a leading anthropologist and director of the Ethnographic Insights Lab at University College London. This episode delves into the idea that anthropology offers more than cultural interpretation; it provides a radically different way of thinking about systems. Using frameworks like actor-network theory, you’re invited to rethink agency, not as something humans possess, but as something co-produced in the relationships between tools, practices, people and policies. This fundamentally changes how AI is understood, not as a "ghost in the machine," but as an active participant in dynamic, shifting networks where meaning, power and responsibility are constantly negotiated.As Mahesh and Martin discuss, a police report isn't merely a record; it can be a memory aid, a legal artifact, a shield, or even a performance. These overlapping realities that exist within the same system are never neutral; they are shaped by power, pressure and purpose. For those who seek to be on the cutting edge of innovation, anthropology reminds us that imagination is a method. Every system encodes assumptions about the world, and at Motorola Solutions, we believe those assumptions can always be questioned, rethought and reimagined to better serve the mission-critical needs of public safety professionals around the world.Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!  

In this episode, Mahesh and leading anthropologist Professor Martin Holbraad of University College London’s Ethnographic Insights Lab unravel the transformative power of anthropology. Far more than just studying cultures, anthropology – through its deep ethnographic research – unveils a powerful truth: to build truly effective AI, you must first understand the very fabric of human knowledge. This is more than just studying cultures; it’s about redefining what it means to design for a world where "AI changes the meaning of reports themselves" and the line between "where the machine ends and the person starts" blurs. This first part of a two-episode series plunges into the fundamental questions of human memory and how anthropological thinking can conquer the complex challenges of AI, as seen in Motorola Solutions and UCL’s groundbreaking work on police incident reporting. Discover why understanding "what kind of world you're building for" isn't just an essential first step, it’s the only step to crafting tools that truly serve humanity.Martin Holbraad is Professor of Social Anthropology at University College London (UCL). He has conducted anthropological research in Cuba since the late 1990s, on the intersection of politics and ritual practices, producing works including Truth in Motion: The Recursive Anthropology of Cuban Divination  (Chicago, 2012) and Shapes in Revolution: The Political Morphology of Cuban Life (Cambridge, 2025). He has made significant contributions to anthropological theory, including in his co-authored volume The Ontological Turn: An Anthropological Exposition (Cambridge, 2016). He is Director of the Ethnographic Insights Lab (EI-Lab), which he founded at UCL in 2020 as a consultancy dedicated to helping organizations better understand their customers and users, as well as themselves. EI-Lab’s tagline is “the problem is you don’t know what the problem is”. Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYouTube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In the second episode of Mahesh the Geek, Mahesh is joined by Dr. Read Hayes, executive director of the Loss Prevention Research Council (LPRC), as they explore the evolution of loss prevention, emphasizing the importance of prevention over response in public safety. They discuss the integration of technology, such as AI and body-worn cameras, in enhancing crime detection and prevention. The dialogue also highlights the significance of collaboration between retailers and law enforcement, the challenges of data sharing and the behavioral cues that can indicate potential criminal activity. Mahesh and Dr. Hayes also discuss insights into future trends in crime prevention and the role of technology in shaping these developments.Read Hayes, PhD is a Research Scientist and Criminologist at the University of Florida, and Director of the LPRC. The LPRC includes 100 major retail corporations, multiple law enforcement agencies, trade associations and more than 170 protective solution/tech partners working together year-round in the field, in VR and in simulation labs with scientists and practitioners to increase people and place safety by reducing theft, fraud and violence. Dr. Hayes has authored four books and more than 320 journal and trade articles. Learn more about the LPRC and its extensive research: https://lpresearch.org/research/ Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYoutube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard!

In the debut episode of Mahesh the Geek, Motorola Solutions EVP & CTO Mahesh Saptharishi is joined by Brigadier General (ret.) Patrick Huston, who shares his unique journey from military service to becoming a legal expert in AI and cybersecurity. Mahesh and Patrick delve into topics such as: Human-machine teaming, regulatory challenges, AI's impact on intellectual property law and fair use, the need for AI risk management standards, cyber risks, open source LLM security and licensing concerns, AI's transformation of work through automation and the potential for escalating errors with AI agents. General Huston’s insights are grounded in his message for those considering leveraging AI – be bold, be responsible and be flexible.General Huston is an engineer, a soldier, a helicopter pilot, a lawyer, a technologist and a corporate board member. He’s a renowned strategist, speaker and author on AI, cybersecurity and quantum computing. He is a Certified Director in the National Association of Corporate Directors, he’s on the FBI’s Scientific Working Group on AI, on the American Bar Association's (ABA) AI Task Force, and on the Association of Corporate Counsel’s (ACC) Cybersecurity Board.Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYoutube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutionsNever miss an episode by subscribing. Please leave us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts if you liked what you heard! 

Mahesh Saptharishi is the chief technology officer at Motorola Solutions, and a person obsessively interested in all things tech. A geek is one who is knowledgeable and obsessed, and this podcast is Mahesh’s attempt to seek knowledge. Mahesh the Geek will delve into the core of mission-critical AI – technology that safeguards lives, communities and essential daily services. In this series, we'll be exploring the science, the challenges and the incredible potential of AI when it matters most. During each episode, Mahesh will talk to the experts and ask them one crucial question: what is mission-critical AI, and how is it shaping our future?Let's geek out.Follow Mahesh on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/maheshsaptharishiFollow Motorola Solutions on socialLinkedin: linkedin.com/company/motorolasolutionsX: x.com/MotoSolutionsInstagram: instagram.com/motorolasolutionsFacebook: facebook.com/MotorolaSolutionsYoutube: youtube.com/MotorolaSolutions