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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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)

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

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.

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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