Technology is changing how we work, think and create, but the future still needs to be human powered. These conversations explore our relationship with AI, the changing world of work and the distinctly human capabilities that will shape what comes next.
Dive in and Enjoy...
AI, Work & the Future Episodes
THE BUSINESS OF SHAPING FUTURE MINDS
Setting Your Brain Free to Create, Innovate & Critically Think.
Episode 19
EPISODE 19 The Human Brain in the Age of AI
AI is evolving faster than the human brain - so how do we make sure we’re using it wisely, not the other way around?
In this thought-provoking episode, Tracy and Soraya explore the balance between human intelligence and artificial intelligence, asking how leaders can protect creativity, motivation, and brain health in an AI-driven world. They discuss the importance of having a clear AI strategy, maintaining psychological safety, and ensuring people feel empowered, not replaced, by technology.
Packed with practical insights, the conversation dives into brain capital, neurodiversity, and how leaders can use AI to enhance critical thinking rather than limit it.
Discover our brand-new AI Readiness Audit - a practical tool to help organisations assess where they stand in this fast-changing landscape.
Episode 18
EPISODE 18 The Four-Day Week Experiment: What Science Tells Us
Could a shorter working week make us more productive, less stressed, and better at our jobs? In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Charlotte Rae - neuroscientist, lecturer, and Co-Lead of the Sussex Four-Day Week project - to unpack what the science really says about work, wellbeing, and performance.
From national and public-sector trials to live research with UK businesses, Charlotte shares what happens when companies trade hours for outcomes. The results may surprise you: productivity doesn’t drop, revenue holds steady, and talent retention gets stronger. For leaders navigating hybrid models and shifting employee expectations, the four-day week could be more than a perk - it might be the future of work itself.
Tune in as we explore the evidence, the challenges, and the cultural shifts needed to make shorter weeks work in the real world.
Episode 16
EPISODE 16 Is the Future Still Human?
We welcome back the ever-curious Ross Stevenson, learning strategist, AI explorer, and all-around provocateur for progress. It's been 16 months since we last spoke, and in AI terms, that might as well be a century.
We pick up where we left off with a bold question: is the future still human? As organisations face shifting roles, rising redundancies, and a surge of AI-driven tools, we explore what’s really changing, and what leaders need to hold on to.
Ross offers a grounded view on the human skills that matter most, how AI can elevate thinking (not just efficiency), and why curiosity might just be the ultimate superpower in the age of automation. . Whether you’re AI-curious, AI-fatigued, or just trying to stay ahead of the curve, this conversation will stretch your thinking and invite you to consider what we’re really trying to automate, and why.
Episode 15
EPISODE 15 So You Think You Can Think?
In a world where AI is accelerating change, critical thinking is the ultimate competitive edge. If you’re just keeping up, you’re already falling behind. Why do we default to the easy and familiar? How can we sharpen our ability to question, innovate, and stay ahead?
Joining us for this thought-provoking conversation is journalist and writer Alison Pittaway, whose expertise spans science, technology, psychology, and true crime. A guest lecturer on Critical Thinking at UCL and a speaker on Narcissism and Coercive Control, Alison brings a unique lens to how we process information, challenge narratives, and sharpen our ability to think critically.
Episode 7
EPISODE 07 The Human Advantage
As we move deeper into the next industrial revolution - 5.0, the temptation is to hand more and more over to technology. But where does that leave the uniquely human skills our brains have spent millennia refining? In this episode, Dr David Wilkinson helps us explore the edge we still hold over tech: critical thinking, empathy, moral courage, and the ability to read the room. We talk about why leaders need “court jesters” in their circles - people who can hold up the mirror, challenge assumptions, and spark the kind of creative tension no algorithm can replicate.
This is a deeper dive into the spaces where tech can’t follow, and why doubling down on our human capabilities is the smartest play in an AI-powered world.
Episode 3
EPISODE 3 Do Humans Excel over AI?
In a fast-changing world, is creativity still a nice-to-have, or has it become a survival skill? Ross Stevenson, Chief Learning Strategist, joins us to explore how rapid advances in AI are reshaping work, and why the future is still, defiantly, human. We unpack the role of creativity in resilience, problem-solving, and staying ahead when the pace of change is relentless. Ross shares how constraints can actually increase creative output, why “good enough” thinking kills innovation, and how leaders can create the space for experimentation in a tech-saturated environment.
As Ross puts it, “AI can do a lot, but it can’t care, it can’t imagine the way we do. That’s where humans will always have the edge.” This is your reminder that the smartest move in the age of AI is to double down on the things only humans can do.
What stayed with you? What challenged your thinking, confirmed something you already believed or helped you see things differently?
Join us on LinkedIn and tell us what you took from the episode. Then, when you’re ready for another Brainy conversation, discover where your curiosity takes you next.
