My Robot Boss

In this episode of My Robot Boss, I talk with Dr Alexis Hanna, a management professor at the University of Nevada Reno whose research explores how people find meaningful work and how AI is transforming that process. We dive into how AI is reshaping vocational interests, why some jobs are far more exposed than others, and how identity and motivation shift when technology starts doing the tasks we rely on to feel competent and fulfilled. We also talk about gender differences, student reactions to AI, and what leaders can do to support employees who feel anxious or unsure about the future of their roles.Top 5 Highlights from AlexisThe least exposed jobs to AI based are social and hands-on roles like teachers, nurses, and tradespeople, while high-knowledge and business roles are among the most exposed.People’s sense of identity is tied to the tasks they enjoy at work, and AI can threaten or enhance that identity depending on how leaders redesign roles in an AI-world.A gender trend in the classroom: more male students eagerly embrace AI, while many female students hesitate because they want more human connection in their work.Job crafting with AI can actually improve fit and motivation by letting people offload tasks they dread so they can spend more time on what they love.The most important future leadership skills may be empathy, relationship building, and supporting employees’ self-motivation as roles change rapidly.Learn more about Dr. Hanna's work:Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexi-hanna-830b6884Hanna et al. (2024) paper on Interests and AI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2024.104012. UNR faculty page: https://www.unr.edu/business/faculty-and-staff/hanna-alexisAnalytics, Recruitment, and Careers (ARC) lab website: https://arcresearchlab.com/

What does it take to build healthy workplaces?In this episode of My Robot Boss, Dr. Katina Sawyer joins Devon to explore how technology is reshaping leadership, trust, and well-being at work. Katina’s research reveals why “generator leaders” - those who actively create energy, trust, and connection - will become even more vital in an AI-driven future.Together, they discuss:Why wellness programs alone can’t fix burnout and how leadership behavior is the missing piece.What “person-centered planning,” adapted from Carl Rogers’ psychotherapy, teaches us about leading with curiosity and care.Why the best leaders listen to understand, not to fix.How to balance efficiency gains from AI with the need for genuine human connection.What younger generations really think about working in AI-heavy organizations and why companies should pay attention.Key Quote:“Leaders can be healing forces at work — but only if they stay curious, compassionate, and human.” — Dr. Katina SawyerLearn More about Katina and her work:LinkedIn: Dr. Katina SawyerBook: Leading for Wellness Workr Beeing PodcastSubscribe to My Robot Boss wherever you get your podcasts and join the conversation about how AI is transforming leadership, performance, and the human experience at work.

In this episode of My Robot Boss, Dr. Anna Tavis joins Devon to discuss how AI is revolutionizing performance management and leadership. Anna’s groundbreaking Harvard Business Review articles on performance management were named HBR Must Reads and Her latest book, The Digital Coaching Revolution, explores how technology is scaling coaching and transforming how we grow, measure, and experience leadership itself.Together, Devon and Anna dive into:How performance management evolved from annual reviews to continuous feedback.Why AI offers both promise and peril — enabling real-time insights but risking surveillance.The central role of trust, transparency, and privacy in the age of data-driven performance.How digital coaching is democratizing development across entire organizations.Why “human-in-the-loop” leadership is more critical than ever.Key Quote:“It’s not about technology — it’s about intention. Tools don’t transform organizations; people using them thoughtfully do.” – Dr. Anna TavisLearn More:LinkedIn: Dr. Anna A. TavisBook: The Digital Coaching Revolution NYU Coaching and Technology SummitSubscribe to My Robot Boss wherever you get your podcasts to explore how AI is transforming leadership, performance, and the future of work.

From the stage of the 2025 Columbia University Coaching Conference, My Robot Boss host Devon McConnell shares her award-finalist talk. Drawing on four years of research at Oxford and her work with coaching and therapy clients, Devon discusses a hidden cause of workplace burnout: the absence of someone who truly has your back. She explores how attachment science reframes our understanding of leadership, trust, and emotional labor—and what changes when AI begins taking on those relational roles at work.

What happens when your work is a calling—but the job starts to grind you down?In this episode of My Robot Boss, Devon speaks with Dr. Adam Sandell—ER physician, writer, and former human rights lawyer—about the paradoxes of purpose-driven work. From his remote post on a First Nations reserve in British Columbia, Adam shares a deeply human view on what it means to help others, the cost of caring, and why burnout is often a byproduct of meaning.We explore:Why people in mission-driven roles struggle with boundariesWhat AI can and can’t replace in high-empathy professionsThe promise and perils of AI in medical settings—from scribes to decision supportHow feedback and coaching from AI could transform how we work and growThe rising difficulty (and necessity) of having hard conversations—and whether AI can helpWhether you’re in healthcare, social impact, education, or just thinking about what a “good” working life really means, this conversation will resonate.Read more of Adam’s work at www.adamsandell.net

Magda Du Preez, PhD, is a leadership advisor, decision science expert, and founder of GetSense — an AI coaching platform built to reduce bias and improve human judgment. In this episode, we talk about how AI is changing leadership, decision-making, and emotional intelligence at work. Magda shares insights from her research and product development, including why decision intelligence is the leadership skill of the future, how emotion influences bias, and what happens when AI is used alone vs. alongside human coaching. She also shares her hopes — and fears — about what happens when AI surpasses human intelligence.Top 5 highlights:AI Can Reduce Bias — But Only When Used Intentionally: Magda explains how AI isn’t automatically fair or unbiased — but with the right design and integration, it can become a tool to counter human bias in decision-making, especially in high-stakes leadership moments.Emotion + Pattern = Decision Trap: Drawing from research and years of working with clients, Magda shares how unacknowledged emotion can distort perception and lead to reactive, biased decisions — and how AI might help surface these blind spots.Why Decision Intelligence Is the Next Core Leadership Skill: In an AI-augmented workplace, leaders who can slow down, interrogate their thinking, and make clear decisions will stand apart. Magda explains how this new meta-skill is key to navigating complexity.Augmentation > Automation: Magda reflects on how her team’s coaching product didn’t work as expected when it was used on it's own vs. to augment a human coach. The lesson: AI should partner, not replace, in human development.The Risk of Disconnection and Dehumanization: She warns of an emerging risk: AI may offer leaders the illusion of clarity and speed, but without checks, it could increase isolation, reduce reflection, and drive short-term decisions that undermine performance and trust.Listeners can connect with Magda and get early access to her Sense module and audiobook at GetSense.net, by emailing her directly at [email protected], or by finding her on LinkedIn.

Welcome to My Robot Boss, I'm your host Devon McConnell, and on this show, I'll interview experts on how AI is reshaping leadership, performance, and the human experience of work.

What happens when AI makes better decisions than the C-suite? In this episode, I speak with Hamza Mudassir — co-founder of Strategize and lecturer at Cambridge Judge Business School — about his groundbreaking simulation that showed AI outperforming human CEOs on key business decisions and the benefits of having a digital twin at work.Top 5 Highlights:AI Outperformed Humans in Strategy Simulation: Hamza’s simulation showed that an AI model outperformed hundreds of MBA students and executives in business decision-making — except during unpredictable Black Swan events.Why AI Struggles with Uncertainty: Unlike humans who hedge against the unexpected, the AI grew overconfident and “bet the house” — failing dramatically when faced with novel disruptions.Executives vs. MBAs: Risk & Plateauing: Executives quickly reached product-market fit but often stopped playing to avoid reputational risk, while students kept pushing and innovating.Rise of the Digital Twin: Strategize builds “digital twins” — AI-powered, hyper-personal agents that learn everything about an executive’s work, preferences, and communications to serve as a personal co-pilot.The Future of the CEO Role: AI will not replace CEOs—but the best leaders will be those who know how to work with AI to amplify decision-making, handle data complexity, and retain accountability.Hamza's work along with his co-authors Kamal Munir, Shaz Ansari and Amal Zahra is featured in HBR: https://hbr.org/2024/09/ai-can-mostly-outperform-human-ceosTo learn more about Hamza and his work, follow him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamzamudassir/)